A Tribute to Linda King Newell
Zion Canyon Mesa has lost a beloved friend and a fierce champion. Linda King Newell, one of the Mesa’s founders and Board Chair Emerita, died on February 12, 2023.
Linda and a handful of colleagues hatched the idea for a humanities writing center in Utah in the 1990s, and over time, the idea ignited enthusiasm among a number of Utahns in the scholarly and arts communities. A small, dedicated board assembled, a non-profit was formed, and after a statewide search for a venue as impressive as the idea, the group settled on a 28-acre parcel of land on a mesa in Springdale, surrounded by Zion National Park. Over nearly three decades, the concept for a residency center for writers expanded, renamed itself, and struggled to raise the millions of dollars necessary to bring the Zion Canyon Mesa to completion.
Over those years, supporters came and went, but Linda Newell stayed steadfast in her passion; her energy and desire to see the idea to fruition never waned. Even in the grimmest days of deep economic recession, and then a global pandemic, when fundraising became most difficult, when construction costs seemed to increase exponentially, and confidence lagged, Linda urged her team on with the cry “Onward!”
Today, Zion Canyon Mesa is on the way to becoming operational; building is progressing rapidly and the Mesa’s expanded community and regional programming is underway, bringing exciting writers and thought leaders to southern Utah. And in honor of Linda, we are building a residency unit in her honor, the “Linda King Newell House of Grand Dreams.”
Link to Linda King Newell’s obituary: Linda King Newell - Larkin Mortuary Obituaries
Link donate to the Linda King Newell House of Grand Dreams.
Onward
There is work to be done to bring Linda’s dream to maturity, but we are on our way because of her, and we honor her as we say goodbye. Linda, we are going ONWARD.
Just a few days before Linda passed, Zion Canyon Mesa was pleased to host Laura Tohe, Navajo Nation Poet Laureate. She read a poem she had recently written, entitled “For Kathryn.” The sentiment seems perfect for Linda:
Who We Are
Zion Canyon Mesa is an Arts and Humanities center where eight writers, scholars, and visual artists can work on designated projects for two, four, six or eight weeks. The center will provide residents uninterrupted time away from the noise and clutter of everyday life, in a place of tranquility and beauty that will inspire the creative process.
The program is designed to further works in progress by writers from a variety of disciplines, including the literary arts and humanities, and allow the creation of new works by visual artists. Both established and emerging writers and artists are welcome. The residents will provide a mix of ideas and projects that will enhance their interactions and broaden the scope of their intellectual exchanges with each other. By sharing the product or process of their experience through public programs—lectures, exhibits, demonstrations, readings, etc.—the residents will enhance community life in the region.
The studio apartments where the residents will live and work are located on top of a mesa-like formation above the town of Springdale, Utah, and surrounded by the superb cliffs of Zion National Park.
Supporters have provided money for the purchase of the land, initial infrastructure, the Commons, and the duplex housing. The town of Springdale has worked cooperatively with Zion Canyon Mesa in planning and utility installation.
The Voice Of The Intermountain West
Perhaps better than any other writer, Wallace Stegner captured the soul of the American West. Yet, even he recognized that much of what the West has to say to the nation and the world remains unsaid. Shortly before his death, he learned of the plans to create Zion Canyon Mesa, which is designed to lend support to writers and visual artists in the Yaddo and MacDowell Colony tradition: a residency center for writers and visual artists to work uninterrupted. Although there are around seventy similar centers throughout the United States, there is nothing like this in the intermountain west or Great Basin.
Stories Needing To Be Told
There is a vision and perspective that springs from the red rocks, mountains and desert country of the West. The landscape, with its history and traditions has given a western ethic to America through literature and arts. Yet, there are stories waiting to be told and artistic interpretations waiting to be created from the solitude and beauty of the red rock country of Utah. Zion Canyon Mesa will serve as a catalyst for this creative expression in the unequaled serenity and beauty of Zion National Park.
Why This Matters
Zion Canyon Mesa will help shape the future of the west by utilizing the creative energy of artists, writers and its communities. The splendid isolation of the desert southwest can become the seedbed from which the stories waiting to be told are given voice, and the artistic vision can find expression. The intellectual environment of the west has made it a center for the exchange of ideas and a place where diverse cultures have learned to solve problems.
With the support of individuals, foundations and businesses, the dream of a center for writers and artists in southern Utah's red rock country is becoming a reality. With your support, Zion Canyon Mesa can become a place where the essence of the western experience can be brought forth and shared with the nation and the world.