Photographer and filmmaker Pete McBride and adventure writer Kevin Fedarko will appear at UB on Nov. 11 as part of the university’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

McBride and Fedarko’s presentation is titled “Into the Canyon: Between River and Rim.”

Fedarko has spent the better part of the past 20 years writing about adventure, conservation, exploration and the Grand Canyon. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times and Esquire, among other publications.

He is the author of “The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon,” which recounts the true story of a small wooden dory and three river guides who, in the summer of 1983, pitted the boat against the largest flood to sweep the Colorado River in generations, with the aim of setting an unbreakable speed record. A New York Times bestseller, the book won the National Outdoor Book Award and the Reading the West Award, and was a finalist for a PEN Literary Sports Writing Award and the Banff Mountain Book Award.

Fedarko’s latest book, “A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon,” about his 14-month, death-defying odyssey through the canyon with National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, also was a New York Times bestseller, won the National Outdoor Book Award and received the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

A native Coloradan, McBride has spent two decades studying the world with a camera. An award-winning photographer, filmmaker, author and public speaker, he is a Sony Artisan of Light and has traveled on assignment to more than 75 countries for the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Google, The Nature Conservancy and many others.

He has spoken on stages for TEDx, The World Economic Forum, Pixar, Nat Geo Live and more. His feature documentary, “Into the Canyon,” was nominated for an Emmy in 2020, and his books “Between River and Rim,” “Seeing Silence” and “Chasing Water” have all won National Outdoor Book Awards.

Ticket range from $25-$45 and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or in person at the Center for the Arts box office.

UB employees are eligible for discounted tickets, while supplies last. 

For more information, visit the Distinguished Speakers Series website.