This March, University of Utah linguistics faculty served as site hosts for the TESOL International Association’s annual conference, welcoming thousands of scholars and teachers of English to Salt Lake City. As colleagues from around the globe poured into Salt Lake City, it opened doors for additional relationship building across borders, including a guest lecture from a former president of the TESOL International Association and a delegation of educators from Uzbekistan.

April is a time to celebrate the Earth, including the lands, waters, plants, animals and communities that give us life. In honor of Earth Month, here are five books and seven film recommendations to help us appreciate and learn more about the planet we call home.

The Utah Symposium in Science and Literature will present a special event in partnership with the National Book Foundation – an evening with mycologist Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, author of Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature. Kaishian will be in conversation with Katharine Coles, distinguished professor of English and co-director of the symposium, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Building 210 at the University of Utah. The event is free and open to the public.