"America's Upswing" with Shaylyn Romney Garrett

Date and Time

• Tuesday, Mar 31, 2026  6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location

Category

Arts

Details

Shaylyn Romney Garrett is a celebrated author, speaker, and social entrepreneur whose work offers a fresh take on political polarization, social isolation, economic inequality, and culture change. Her award-winning book, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again, coauthored with Robert Putnam, offers an energizing and deeply researched message of hope during a dark time in America’s history. Her commentary has appeared in various outlets including NPR, PBS Newshour, the BBC, Deseret Magazine, TIME Magazine and the New York Times. Romney Garrett holds a degree in Government from Harvard University and has served in the Peace Corps. She spent six years in Jordan working to catalyze youth social innovation there. Upon returning to the U.S., she helped found “Weave: The Social Fabric Project” at the Aspen Institute with David Brooks. She is a member of the Braver Angels Scholars Council, Citizen University’s Civic Collaboratory, and the Faith Matters Initiative Advisory Board.

Based on her award-winning book co-written with Robert Putnam, Shaylyn Romney Garrett’s presentation offers an evidence-based roadmap for how to reweave our tattered social fabric. Through stories and data drawn from over a century of history, Garrett speaks passionately about how everyday Americans once changed the course of our nation by building a culture of “we”—and can do it again.

Co-sponsor: Center for Great Plains Studies