Twitter or run facebook we no longer owned the this just happened so embrace that of what and how and what is next journalism has to redefine itself. But is the active fair and concise reporting has to be the providence civic we have to stop their. [applause] [inaudible conversations] coming up next is a panel on the American West. [inaudible conversations] good afternoon thank you for taking an interest in this panel we have competition so were glad you came to this one. I am Geoff Schumacher serving as the Committee Chairman for the festival this year hoping to put together the panels i hope you enjoy them so far with more to come the title of this panel is the old west dies hard reshaping the narrative of the American West and leaves open a lot of territory to talkedabout but the underlying premise a lot of misperceptions continue to shape a people think about the west and especially las vegas for cry powerhouse to provocateurs are here today that livein or write about the west will offer a mix of readings and discussion over the next hour. Will also lead time for questions at the end. Michael green, assistant professor at u. N. L. V. And teachers that teaches at the honor college. In his first completely new textbook and abetted history published in 25 years, he earned his bachelors and masters from u. N. L. V. And the District Of Columbia you may also know him as a columnist for of vigorous seven magazine he also writes the nevada yesterday segment. The clinton is sally denton and historian lynn has an extensive background and broadcast journalism. Of Black MountainInstitute Fellow and a scholar to offer books in the american massacre as a fourth generation nevada resident in his intervention the nevada writer hall of fame bill fox at the Nevada Museum of art in reno has been called an art critic and science return and is published 15 books on cognition and landscape and 15 collections of poetry. From the Royal Geographical Society and recipient from the guggenheim addition the National Science federation. Is visiting scholar the Australian National university in the museum of austria he gets around. [laughter] and Mary Sojourner the author of three novels. The short story collections and an essay collection and we will address that today in the more an npr commentator in distinguished writer in 2007 with the center of creative writing at Arizona State and teaches reading in private circles and a book festivals and lives near flagstaff. [applause] a powerhouse group. Of a bite to start with each panelist doing a little reading from their work or discussing their work the intention is they will speak in some fashion to the subject matter of the panel. Wrote this book after teaching a bad history after 25 years and realizing the lastex but having come out in 1989 revised cannot completely did not Pay Attention and to certain issues that i thought needed attention. The duty of writing you can talk about the things you want to talk about terrible thing you have to talk about the things you dont want to [laughter] for example, i would say it covers this read it. I couldnt do that anymore. One of the difficulties is nevada is a diverse state and a large state and doesnt communicate well within itself were among ourselves. My goal is to breach those gaps coming up with a thematic approach i had encountered some but with a similar problem mark cooper writing a story explained in 3,000 words. [laughter] exactly this book is 500 pages then not convinced a have explained it. We went back and forth is in one word works i am going with it and i will begin with it. So to explain this what has shaped nevada . To have prospectors to dig in to make one more major with stories of pottery and prosperity with the residents and nonresidents. What could be a risky proposition as nevada has proven that contributed to a collapse the 21st century. And to take this story and tell october 30th 2013. If that happened after that it is not in the book. [laughter] this is the book of las vegas. 194,730,000. The purpose of this book for me as a journalist and an author of a major publisher that vegas was worth the major portraits not just everything that was done before but that is not the place everybody thought it was but it was representative of all of america. Has the prologue is what i use to convince the new york editors it was a worthy topic. No place like it literally a beacon of civilization astronauts make alkylates before anything else the first sign of life on earth. More than 50 Million People go here every year only the neck that inspires so many programs. All the strangers are familiar year half of america has been there more than any other witness subdivisions in three ways. Marching across the valley that for offices or apartments themselves. And well above the 10 largest in the nation twice as many as in new york or chicago or los angeles. And always plan for more. For these attractions it remains in its original converse cruz customers spend more entertainment combined in the United States. The global gambling empire in the history of Human Affairs contributions to politicians of tax revenue to rely am public treasury end with the lobbying leaving nothing to chance with the unique influence throughout the nation and the world. But still the metropolis seems insatiable what makes this a unique and its true purpose end of the side of fantasy and dominion of reality as laurels coming with a self consciousness but not desperation aversion and entertainment money and sex in deliverance another chance the last chance and another by for a few hours or days or forever. In one way the comfort power more than our it attracts customers from other nations in increasing numbers. There is always more here then the glorification of the division in despair much as been written about las vegas there is a sense to put the city in its place in not taking it seriously. What ever else this is a serious place and hear ironically it is visible so far away that no one comes for its most important link the trip of its past. The most serious plays right now las vegas right here. [laughter] you will do Something Different go ahead. Hello everyone. Overall have been here for years. So thank you. I havent written about las vegas and almost 10 years because i was to bring in some much in three books i really needed to write about other places including a story of. Tracking down the origins of tourism because i am very interested in what people are looking for that ties directly to las vegas. First of all, much of the world landscapes are changing production so it isnt aware mining and growing the agriculture has those things are changing elsewhere what were selling the landscape for experiences. People are in search of authentic places have a million of us are in the air every single minute of every single day in the cross border trade is the largest activity in the world 1 trillion a year. 1 trillion of people wandering around or someplace theyre going back 40 are people looking for an authentic cultural experience. That when youre traveling people are looking for something narrow everybody brings what they know. So people look for that m. Las vegas is an interesting proposition so first of all, talk about the strip there is a distinction. Everybody knows it is a bit to see and that is why people come. There is nothing like it on the planet so it is authentic and that sense. What i am thinking about if you go to switzerland ainge you watch the russian oligarchs with their little dogs. [laughter] the same thing would find in los angeles or new york but there in the chalet because it has to be authentic. So they have done a brilliant job to take its identity to brand it as a modification of landscape. The climate has changed revenue but quite astonishing. Will last thousand years but with that largest space on the planet. The largest 50 diems to change how fast the planet goes around on its access axis. Those cultures are feeling. With the division between the two there was any difference so to tell the difference i am not sure it matters if we figured out a might be here so one thing that will happen this afternoon it is marvelous up in the Garden Valley the landscape modified by people for very long time but the big deer river is an artist and at the pleasure of working with him a quarter of a mile wide end the conversation and it will be fantastic but the reason was to be declared by president obama the land owned by Michael Miles are. Actually there is a cultural thing in the middle of that. We will come back to some of these thoughts now we will turn to marry to talk about her work. We could do this four or five hours. It ties in with my experience because i have of migraines with my cataracts but i am just done what you were talking about. I am not an academic so i have to other jobs to earn a living in another job is to teach an Online Travel course for a site that used to be terrific. In the course of the last three years has gone from such incredible travel journalism to winning awards of excellence that seventh time she learned to drink in dublin. And then you take a dramamine before you go and take a look at what is abundantly clear to those who write at sixth grade level. Their notion is they have the same experience that everybody has this is americanized to have an authentic experience so i will read you a section it is maddening so i would just tell you. Working as a cocktail waitress and i moved your 30 years ago so working as a cocktail waitress when she has a friend named sarah and then will take off to see who killed her. Aha, so the two were murdered and then they take off then they go through vigorous. And they find a little gas station. And she jumps out of the car and she desperately has to be. You know, what that feels like she is shifting back and forth in behind her the people who were just scuffling along that includes one guy saying to another and all the sudden and adorable africanamerican moment races out of the bathroom to give her a week and takes off down the sideline. There is a young middle eastern gentleman. [laughter] landscaper go and i think as a writer to eric never written has come from someplace and it comes to replace and i become a recording device actually recording all of you right now. [laughter] and eventually the writing comes down. Embarked 55 nevada is a truly believed there are authentic places your if theyre open a full century of experience. I just want to say that. In my heart is broken constantly when they pretend to be authentic. We will come back to that. Te ching on this it was never given something to do. So the people who have saved a nevada history behest something to do with what has happened here. I also dont want to burden the following. Weather problems doing las vegas history in particular and also be no of the reno is sources. They have told resources and organized crime is a lot of money on office supplies. It does. Were still looking for the memo. [laughter] and. That was part of the problem. Also if you get to in the car and drive to wipe. So it is hard for me here to get the history of reno or the las vegas to those in other more traditional training to grow up in rural nevada. I grew up in urban nevada soweto less students i grew up in a small town. Las vegas. It was over 100,000 still the example of 6 degrees of kevin bacon. That is what the history tries to convey. And too many people is so inauthentic but at the same time we were ignored for that reason referring to the Largest Hotels i believe eight or nine were built since 1989 that is something to try to get across. One of the things your book accomplished that las vegas was then the nexus of historical moments of him that you talk about all of them in the books that las vegas is important. That was the point and i always knew what happened in biggest was serious. For with kennedy visiting and people coming from other places and so much going on that you knew was done the serious in National Politics and culture. With that would go to washington d. C. As a journalist and vegas was a playground but looking at most of the events from assassinations to Money Laundering our Drug Trafficking or covert operations there was a rogue activate back to vegas. And every single place i went as a reporter there is always a link back to las vegas. It astounded me. And as we talked about this the national and International Events it is still true. When i pitch the story to my publisher a presented las vegas as a snowball there is just as much corruption everywhere in america an every city with political corruption but there is less here because it is a lot out in the open. And doesnt seem to be anything else it was a worship of money what you saw is what was there. So those people in washington and new york have no clue about that. With our discussions about las vegas to describe that here, and make the point it is important leading a revolution the way the economy is going in the world. I wonder if other cities are following our lead . Is that happening . Or should they . If you take the context of the book and the problems we have you know, there are issues that we have. Should we be somebody other cities are following . Is an artificial environment. You walk into a canyon it is incomplete the result did. Three sculpted. Just like the aquarium from mandalay bay. The scientist that come in and tutsi to run the preserve. It isnt whether or not they should follow the example, they are but do you find the manufacture viewpoints that our artificial are those to travel around the world . Science is a negative result. It is a negative result so in my mind is what is going on with the whole planet. You may want to get in on this you mentioned this earlier between development and nature and urban and rural. You said your heart breaks sometimes when you see things happening. Talk about that a little bit i dont have much to say about it. I guess many people have lost a place that is precious to them. This is a good time to think about the people here. One province is the understanding the industrial solar Power Installations are destroying the Mojave Desert at this point. It is the desert there is nothing out there. By researching the novel looking at the people at 29 palms at patella cote tella they have been in to tear it an entity called the trail that is a huge trail going from southwestern arizona three utah and called mr. Las vegas at the wildlife preserve it is a physical trail that they had used for centuries to gather minerals, hunt and sustenance. But it is also the path that the soul takes at death there are 142 songs the various points and when someone dies, very few people have retained their language base seeing the soul among the trail and it ends at the entrance of the grand canyon. To enter the afterlife. As i think about that, i think about how easy it is to only talk about with the europeans came here with the colonization. It is important to remember the shaping of the landscape really started to happen when we got here. If you read about the history i have a romanticized fantasy i live with the navajo but the shaping of the landscape is something we brought with us and by now it is all about profit. I just want to throw that in. How many of you have had your heart broken . Sure. Thank you. Now as we talk about that tourist experience or tourism and al las vegas takes the lead and people look at how we do things. But sally you have lived in las vegas and santa fe and mexico. A few years ago there was an essay comparing the two that said both cities are as much as ideas as locations. That sounds right that would appear thoughts after living in the two cities . First this is a nice time for me to plug my next book. [laughter] and has a lot to do with landscape but the second thing is my mothers house would have been over 60 years overlooks lake mead that is literally training before our eyes i am watching this and it is devastating to me. But actually there is the third place my parents had a home in Puerto Vallarta for many years that was a sleepy little fishing village so i spent a lot of time between mexico im here temporarily but have been in santa fe 25 years. All these places in that essay is interesting but these are all places people go to reinvent themselves and how it really was created by the railroads as a tourist town where everybody thinks it is a haven of pop culture evens but there is every single story would find in switzerland but to me it is heartbreaking to see the homogenization of all of it but what i find interesting is that it was going to be what vegas became if not for a sensational murder in 1949 it would have been. But maybe that is something for another talk. [laughter] they said i said where do want to have lunch . There is an Italian Joint around the road me there. It is the only place that doesnt put a green chili in the coffee. [laughter] is another constructive environment. There is a fantastic word and this is tragic but feet of inconsolable loss and has been pulled out from underneath your feet. If there is a place they want to go back to than use it and watch that landscape from your living room window go away. Somebody filled something in her damned is stream. But he was proposing this for those who were watching the landscape. For this book festival i of noticing the age of most of you in the audience and im struck by it. Were also losing language. So the presence of the reality of the internet is shaping the words that people use our how they experienced the world so now it seems to me i know people in their 40s and 30s everything slips out from under us we are part of it. So of language suggesting about. The about las vegas verses reno. I mean it seriously that they are both developing las vegas may win the battle with tourism but reno is a more diversified type of economy with different attributes. But at the same time lets talk about a different las vegas. We are downtown during the new deal era. To this trip is the strip. I grew up with the old hotel my dad was a dealer and said there is the con