Fort Collins Book Fest Gets New Leadership
Poudre Libraries is excited to announce it is transferring management and direction of the Fort Collins Book Fest from the Library District to Howdy Neighbor Events, a local nonprofit focused on building events around art, entrepreneurship, literacy, education, and popular culture. Howdy Neighbor Events is best known for producing the highly acclaimed local events Fort Collins Comic Con and Founded in FoCo.
Since 2016, the Library has been the lead director of Fort Collins Book Fest, working with key community partners to successfully produce nine literary festivals, including an all-virtual event in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 pandemic.
As community interest in the book festival continues to grow, the Library recognizes it is time to pass the event to a new organization that can work with partners and book enthusiasts to continue the event’s local tradition and expand its reach in northern Colorado.
“The Library has successfully partnered with Howdy Neighbor Events to produce other large community events, most notably Fort Collins Comic Con,” says Angela Kettle, Programming & Events Manager at Poudre Libraries. “We’re confident in Howdy Neighbor’s commitment to creating events that highlight literacy and the arts, and we are excited to continue supporting the Book Fest.”
Howdy Neighbor Events works to ensure that every event gives back to the community and supports local creative efforts. Since its inception in 2015, Fort Collins Comic Con has donated a cumulative $155,000 to local children’s literacy and mental health initiatives. Founded in FoCo has joined in with its own innovative partnership with the Trout Tank event series, directing nearly $5,000 in donations to local nonprofits in 2025 alone.
Under Howdy Neighbor Events’ leadership, the 2026 Fort Collins Book Fest will honor the Library’s well-established tradition of community partnership while also working to highlight the intersection of literary and artistic creation, bring a focus to innovative spaces, and identify creative inroads for new creators to tell community stories.
“Creative literacy is how communities share their stories,” says Nick Armstrong, Executive Director, Howdy Neighbor Events. “It’s an honor to carry on the Poudre Libraries’ tremendous work in this space and to be able to provide a platform for Northern Colorado authors and creatives to emerge and flourish.”
Anyone with questions about the 2026 Fort Collins Book Fest, including author inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or community partnerships, should reach out to Nick Armstrong at nick@howdyneighbor.events.
About Fort Collins Book Fest
The Fort Collins Book Festival was conceived by librarians, writers, book lovers, and community members with the simple purpose to combine the community’s passion for the literary arts and our unique cultural, social, and economic heritage in a celebration of literature, literacy, and social conversation.
About Howdy Neighbor Events
Northern Colorado is filled with brilliant people doing amazing work in the worlds of art, entrepreneurship, literacy, education, and popular culture – we build events and curate communities to bring them together and provide a platform for them to share their best work. You can explore our events and platforms at HowdyNeighbor.events.
About Poudre Libraries
Poudre River Public Library District was established in 2006 by voter approval. The District’s shared resources serve more than 207,000 people across a vast 1,800 square-mile region in northern Larimer County, Colorado. Anchored by three libraries in Fort Collins and a robust Community Outreach team, the District is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs, interests, and priorities of local communities with exceptional opportunities for learning, intellectual stimulation, and personal enjoyment. For more information, visit PoudreLibraries.org or call (970) 221-6740.