Literary Events
Book Festivals of the West
Our comprehensive map and rundown on where and when literary festivals are happening throughout the West, from Oregon to New Mexico and lots of places in between
By Jenny Shank, 8-17-10
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View 2010 Western Book Festivals & Conferences in a larger map
Each year readers and writers gather to celebrate the written word at book festivals, fairs, and writing conferences throughout the West. The offerings vary from those that concentrate on helping writers improve their craft, such as the Tin House workshop in Portland, to those that introduce writers to readers through panels, readings, and book signings, such as the Helena Festival of the Book. The workshops charge a fee, but plenty of the festivals are free to attend, including the Montana Festival of the Book in Missoula and the Equality State Book Fair in Casper.
Arizona looks lonely on that map. Howzabout filling it with the Tucson Festival of Books which, since it started just two years ago, has attracted in excess of 125,000 participants and the major distinction of filling out a weekend's worth of panels on CSPAN2's Book-TV. It's regional, it's national. It's March 12-13 2011 on the University of Arizona campus. Hubba hubba.
Comment By Jenny Shank, 8-19-10Thanks Tom. I definitely will add that one--it sounds very lively. I got the idea to do this sort of late in the festival season, so I started with festivals beginning in June, and then by the time we got this together, well, it was August. So I'm going to add and update and I'll get next year's Tucson Festival on there. I also forgot the Moab Confluence Festival in September and...well, you tell me, everybody, what else did we leave off?
Comment By Jenny Shank, 8-22-10Okay, I've added Tucson, Moab, and Durango. What else?
Comment By Corby Skinner, 8-24-10It's our 8th Year in the Book Festival business!
High Plains BookFest explores Murder, Mystery and Mayhem!
Readers and writers can celebrate their love of literature and mystery this fall at the 8th annual High Plains BookFest and High Plains Book Awards. The YMCA Writer’s Voice and Parmly Billings Library are pleased to host this year’s BookFest and Book Awards, which will be held October 7-10, 2010, at various locations around downtown Billings.
Murder, mystery and mayhem are perfectly haunting themes for an October celebration of books and literature! This four-day-long celebration includes presentations by published authors, panel discussions, a banquet featuring authors nominated for the High Plains Book Awards, and a mini-film festival which carries on the murder and mystery theme.
Panel discussions offer the public a chance to meet authors and provide dialogue between writers and readers. Audiences can learn how writers create different elements of their stories, such as plots, characters, etc. The ensuing discussion between a panel of authors and the audience is often a lively, informative examination that enlightens the audience about each author’s unique way of building their stories.
Thanks, Corby. I've added the High Plains Book Festival (how did I forget that one? I write about it all the time.) I've also added the Northern Colorado Writers Conference in Fort Collins. Please keep the suggestions coming.
Comment By Christina Barr, 9-08-10Don't forget the Vegas Valley Book Festival - Nevada's celebration of the written, illustrated, and spoken word. Celebrating it's ninth year, the 2010 VVBF will take place November 3 - 7, 2010, in Las Vegas. Keynote authors include T.C. Boyle and Dennis Lehane. Visit http://vegasvalleybookfestival.org/ for more information.
Comment By Hilary Hoffman, 9-21-10The Helena Festival of the Book will take place November 4-6 in conjunction with the Carroll College Literary Festival. Our Website now includes a schedule of events and list of visiting authors (http://www.helenabookfest.com).
Comment By Jenny Shank, 10-03-10Thanks Christina & Hilary. I've updated the Helena information and added the Vegas Valley Book Festival, as well as the Idaho Book Extravaganza.
What else?