Western Book Roundup

Bozeman Launches New Community Reading Program

By Jenny Shank, 9-03-08

The first One Book-One Bozeman joins a number of other regional community reading programs when it kicks off this week, featuring Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracey Kidder.  The program, organized by “A host of volunteers and community partners, including the Bozeman Public Library, the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, Hopa Mountain, MSU, and Yellowstone Public Radio,” according to its website, will include a series of varied events now through October 15, such as book discussions, a photo exhibit (opening September 5 at the Bozeman Public Library), cooking lessons, and storytelling and writing workshops for kids. 

One highlight: on October 9, Dr. Michael Iseman of Denver’s National Jewish Medical Center will discuss his research on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and the work of Paul Farmer, the subject of Kidder’s book.

Watch for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s announcement of the next One Book, One Denver selection next week.  They’ve been accepting book nominations from the community on their website, so it will be interesting to see this year’s pick.

The Denver Post reported that last week’s Democratic National Convention helped business at Tattered Cover’s LoDo location:

“Owner Joyce Meskis said the Democratic National Convention has drastically increased foot traffic to her Lower Downtown store. The nearby Big Tent, serving as blogger central for the week, has contributed most of the shoppers, Meskis said.”

The Tattered Cover hosted many relevant book signings last week, and according to the article, the appearance of former JFK aide Ted Sorensen “was a huge draw.”

Finally, the University of New Mexico Press kicks off its ”Voices of the Southwest” lecture series in Albuquerque today with Santa Fe anthropologist Dr. Anne Weaver’s discussion of teaching evolution to children.  The U of NM Press published Weaver’s children’s book, The Voyage of the Beetle, and the series will feature several of its other authors as it continues through October.  Other highlights include a September 10 talk by Sam Quinones, author of Antonio’s Gun and Delfino’s Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration and David E. Stuart’s “Developing Fiction from Personal Experience” talk on October 1.

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