Missoula hosts Montana Festival of the Book
The 2008 Montana Festival of the Book, held Oct. 23-25 in a variety of downtown Missoula venues, brings the region’s finest writers together to celebrate the richness of the state’s literary landscape.
As in years past, the Montana Festival of the Book will feature some of the most important voices of the West, including award-winning authors Thomas McGuane, James Lee Burke, William Kittredge, Deirdre McNamer, Andre Dubus III, Mary Clearman Blew, Rick Bass, Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, John Maclean, and many others.
Featured events include:
• A Thursday evening Define-a-Thon featuring celebrity teams of “definers,” including Missoula’s mayor, John Engen;
• A celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Last Best Place featuring the anthology’s editors and contributors;
• Several events focusing on the literature of the prairie, coinciding with the publication of the new literary and art anthology The Wide Open;
• The Favorite Poem Project, featuring Montanans from all walks of life reading and discussing their favorite poems;
• The traditional Friday night Author’s… Read more • (1) Comments
Festival looks at literature along the Medicine Line
The seventh annual Helena Festival of the Book, Oct. 8-12, celebrates life, culture and literature along the Medicine Line, with such acclaimed writers as Kirby Larson, author of the award-winning young adult novel Hattie Big Sky, and Joseph Marshall III, a Lakota historian and novelist, author of Hundred in the Hand, as well as numerous other books.
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High Plains BookFest walks on wild side
The YMCA Writer's Voice presents the sixth annual High Plains BookFest, “The Call of the Wild,” Oct. 17-19 in Billings. The 2008 event focus on contemporary regional writers whose works explore the theme of wilderness, both as subject matter and as metaphor. Confirmed participants include Gary Ferguson, Tim Cahill, Pam Houston, Steven Rinella, Pete Fromm, Lois Red Elk, Stephenie Ambrose Tubbs, David Romtvedt, Michael Engelhard, Alan Kesselheim and many other regional writers. Read more
Hipólito Rafael Chacón | The Original Man
Although A.J. Gibson was not a nationally known architect, “it is a story of national importance, for the majority of our architects are local and regional figures,” Rafael Chacón writes in the preface to his new book. ”Most of the buildings we inhabit are the works of individuals who have literally given form to our world, and yet they remain unsung.” Read more • (1) Comments
Blues & Brews benefits the River’s Edge Trail
Blues & Brews, known as “The Best Party in Great Falls,” brings Roy Rogers and his three-piece Delta Rhythm Kings and Montana pianist Philip Aaberg to the Mansfield Convention Center Sept. 5. The 13th annual benefit for the River’s Edge Trail delivers over six hours of great music, food and ice-cold beer from 5:30 p.m.-midnight, with proceeds going to the expansion of this popular trail along the Missouri River. Read more
Folk Fest: Montana has a hit on its hands
“Montana has a hit on its hands,” said Julia Olin, executive director of the National Council for the Traditional Arts. “The buzz about the National Folk Festival in Butte has spread across the entire country. Here we are, based in the Washington, D.C., area, yet I haven’t attended a meeting in the last month that someone wasn’t talking about the festival in Montana.” So mark your calendars: The 71st National Folk Festival returns to Butte July 10-12, 2009, and will continue to be held in Butte on the second weekend of July in 2010. Read more
Holmes family donates sculpture to Helena church
“Who Gives All Gifts,” a monumental-sized bronze sculpture by Tim Holmes, will be unveiled during a dedication ceremony at noon Oct. 19 at St Paul's United Methodist Church in Helena. The sculpture has been donated to the church by the Holmes family in memory of their parents, the Rev. Bob and Polly Holmes. Read more • (1) Comments