FoCo Book Fest 2026 Schedule

Dates: April 10, 11, 17 & 18, 2026

Friday, April 10 Kickoff:
Visit Fort Collins Welcome Center
7 Old Town Square, suite 100
Fort Collins, CO 80524

April 11, 17, and 18 Sessions:
Foothills Mall
215 E Foothills Pkwy
Fort Collins, CO 80525

April 11 and 18 Marketplace Venue:
Foothills Mall
215 E Foothills Pkwy
Fort Collins, CO 80525

All events are free and open to the public; tickets strongly requested.

Friday, April 10 — Kickoff @ Visit Fort Collins Welcome Center

7:30 PM · Special Kickoff: Open-Mic Poetry Reading & Bookstore Event Melissa Mitchell, Ally Eden, Compass Community Collaborative School students, and more

Come join us at the Visit Fort Collins Welcome Center for an author meet + greet, an open-mic poetry reading, and a mini bookstore event by The Crowded Bookshelf to buy your books in advance of the BookFest!

Melissa Mitchell is Fort Collins’ current Poet Laureate. Her debut poetry chapbook Portrait Lands was released in December 2025. 🔗 melissamitchellpoetry.com

Saturday, April 11 — Foothills Mall

9:30 AM · Make New Friends, Keep the Old: A Girl Scouts Storytime & Friendship Workshop Girl Scouts of Colorado

A storytime and hands-on workshop for kids and families, presented by Girl Scouts of Colorado.

Girl Scout volunteers will read aloud from Make New Friends, Keep the Old while pausing to explore vocabulary, follow the words on the page, and talk through what we’re hearing together. After the reading, kids and adults alike will try a simple connection activity: draw something you love, introduce yourself to someone new, and discover what your new friend loves too.

Rooted in this year’s festival theme of Multitudes, this session celebrates the many kinds of friends we make throughout our lives: the ones we’ve always known and the ones we haven’t met yet.

Open to all ages. Families with young children especially welcome.

11:30 AM · Romance Panel Jenny Elder Moke, Chelsea Pennington, Sarah Reichert · Moderated by Malini Bartels

Jenny Elder Moke is the award-winning author of children’s and adult fiction. Her adult debut, She Doesn’t Have a Clue, is a murder-mystery rom-com published by Minotaur Books. jennyeldermoke.com

Chelsea Pennington is a romance author with two published books, including the sapphic contemporary romance A Gardener’s Guide to Love and Loathing (2025). chelseapenningtonauthor.com

Sarah Reichert (S.E. Reichert) is a writer, novelist, poet, and the Director of Writing Heights Writers Association. She is the author of the award-winning Sweet Valley Series. sarahreichertauthor.com

Moderated by Malini Bartels, an award-winning recipe developer and chef, freelance writer, and lover of stories (both fact and fiction). She has worked in music events, and is currently at the CSU Vet Hospital ER. Malini is also co-organizer of the incredible Tour de Corgi, the greatest parade in all the land.

1:30 PM · SciFi/Fantasy Panel Lyndsie Clark, Brittany Lawrence, Nicole Aisling · Moderated by Thane Benson

Lyndsie Clark is a Colorado-based linguist, editor, swordfighter, and author of the cyberpunk series The Savant Uprising. Her debut novel In Memoriam was published in 2025. lyndsieclark.com

Brittany Lawrence was obsessed with Urban Fantasy since picking up her first Laurell K. Hamilton novel way too young, Brittany has always known she would publish her own someday. What can she say? She likes the burn slow, the spice hot, and everything with a side of mystery and violence. brittanylawrence.com

Nicole Aisling writes YA fantasy grounded in biology and physics. Her titles include Chasing Nightmares (2024), The Sound of Nothing (2025), and The Mountains of Fury (2026). nicoleaisling.com

Moderated by Thane Benson, an award-winning comic book writer, artist, and occasional game designer. He has worked for McFarlane Toys, DC Comics, and Image Comics, and is the writer and co-creator of the ongoing superhero satire series The Mistakes for Maze Comics. thanebenson.com

3:30 PM · Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice Tom Williams

Tom Williams is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Colorado School of Mines, Director of the MIRRORLab, and author of Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice (MIT Press, 2025). He is also the artistic director of Dramatheurgy, a Denver-based improvisational theater company. tomwilliams.phd

5:30 PM · Horror Panel Carter Wilson, Emy McGuire, Catlyn Ladd

Carter Wilson is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of ten psychological thrillers, including Tell Me What You Did. He is the host of the Making It Up podcast and founder of Unbound Writer. carterwilson.com

Emy McGuire is a professional author, actor, playwright, and pirate. Her debut commercial thriller No One Aboard is published through HarperCollins. emymcguire.com

Catlyn Ladd (she/her) is a professor of philosophy, religion, and women’s studies whose fiction appears in over a dozen magazines and anthologies. Her debut novel As Those Above Fall is published by Winding Road Stories. catlynladd.com

7:30 PM · Creating Comics & Graphic Novels Panel Kelsi Jo Silva, Aria Bell, Jon Bonjour

Three Colorado comics creators and graphic novelists discuss the craft, process, and business of telling stories through sequential art — from initial concept to finished page.

Kelsi Jo Silva is a Colorado-based illustrator and author. Their debut graphic novel Off Menu was published in 2024 with Little Bee Books, and released in the UK as The Restaurant at the Edge of the World by Faber & Faber. kelsijosilva.com

Aria Bell (Kidd Commander) has been creating adamantly humanist comics and novels since 2013. She and her partner escaped Tennessee in 2023 and now live in Fort Collins, CO. shinesurge.net

Jon Bonjour is a visual artist and creator based in Colorado. jonbonart.com

Friday, April 17 — Foothills Mall

5:30 PM · Poetry Curious: How to Get Started on Becoming a Poet Melissa Mitchell

Fort Collins Poet Laureate Melissa Mitchell guides attendees through beginning their poetry practice — because, as she says, you already are a poet. melissamitchellpoetry.com

7:30 PM · Poetry Reading Melissa Mitchell, Michele Battiste, Juan Morales

Melissa Mitchell is Fort Collins’ current Poet Laureate. Her debut poetry chapbook Portrait Lands was released in December 2025. melissamitchellpoetry.com

Michele Battiste is the author of four poetry collections, including The Elsewhere Oracle (Black Lawrence Press). Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Cleaver, and The Rumpus. michelebattiste.net

Juan J. Morales is the author of four poetry collections, including The Handyman’s Guide to End Times (University of New Mexico Press). He is an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado College. @juanmorales579 on Instagram

Saturday, April 18 — Foothills Mall

9:30 AM · The Alchemy of a Novel Laura Resau

Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers and eleven acclaimed books for young people, earning five Colorado Book Awards. She teaches graduate creative writing at Western Colorado University and lives in Fort Collins. LauraResau.com

11:30 AM · Stories for Every Age: Writing Across Children’s & YA Fiction Sheala Dawn Henke, Jenny Elder Moke, Jessica Joelson

Four Colorado authors who write for young readers — from picture books to middle grade to YA — discuss their craft, their audiences, and what it means to tell stories that shape the way kids see the world.

Sheala Dawn Henke has been an elementary educator for over 27 years and is the author of the IDEA33 YA science fiction trilogy and the forthcoming middle-grade title Prickle Magic (2026). sdhenke.com

Jenny Elder Moke is the award-winning author of children’s and adult fiction. Her adult debut, She Doesn’t Have a Clue, is a murder-mystery rom-com published by Minotaur Books. jennyeldermoke.com

Jessica Joelson is the creator of the Planet Palz series, helping young readers become Planet Protectors through interactive storytime adventures. myplanetpalz.com

1:30 PM · Tips for Writing (Poems or Anything You Want to Write) Juan Morales

Juan J. Morales is the author of four poetry collections, including The Handyman’s Guide to End Times (University of New Mexico Press). He is an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado College. @juanmorales579 on Instagram

3:30 PM · Writing Tips for Young Writers Jared Woodcox

Practical writing tips for aspiring young authors, from a YA fantasy author who still remembers what it felt like to start.

Jared Woodcox is the author of the Shadow Casters YA fantasy series, including Journey to Torcia (2024) and Defense of Huo Quiana (2025). He’s a Fort Collins native who balances writing with coaching youth sports. shadowcasterseries.com

5:30 PM · Ask Me Anything Author Panel Hannah Patterson, Mariano A. Velasco, Louise Cutler & S.C. Culligan and moderated by Diamond-Michael Scott.

Hannah Patterson is a new author that is excited to share her first published work, The Interloper, with readers everywhere. Writing has been her passion since she was a young girl, and she wrote her first short-story at the age of seven. Ultimately, life called her into medicine, where she works as an emergency room physician assistant serving NoCo, but she never forgot her love for story-telling and this fascination has fueled her debut novel. byhannahpatterson.com

Mariano A. Velasco is a Colorado-based author, illustrator, and cartoonist best known for his “The Boy and the Thing” series. A devoted husband and father of two, Velasco discovered his love for storytelling while studying at CU Denver, where long breaks between classes sparked his early character sketches. @theboyandthething on Instagram

Louise Cutler is a Fort Collins artist and storyteller, and the author and illustrator of The Ant and the Curious Little Boy(2024), a children’s book that encourages curiosity, creativity, and a deeper appreciation for nature — one backyard adventure at a time. curiousboybook.com

S.C. Culligan is a former molecular biologist turned high school science teacher who spends his days explaining the universe — and his nights trying to rewrite it. His debut novel NPC for Hire (Royal Guard Publishing, January 2026) blends LitRPG, cyberpunk, and character-driven sci-fi. scculligan.com

Diamond-Michael Scott is an independent journalist and global book ambassador for Great Books, Great Minds a digital newsletter, podcast, and global collective that aims to ignite a new world of community, connection and conversation one book at a time. He invites you to subscribe for FREE at GreatBooksGreatMinds.com

Workshops

Friday, April 17 · 5:30 PM · Poetry Curious: How to Get Started on Becoming a Poet Melissa Mitchell

Fort Collins Poet Laureate Melissa Mitchell guides attendees through beginning their poetry practice — because, as she says, you already are a poet. melissamitchellpoetry.com

Saturday, April 18 · 11:30 AM · Stories for Every Age: Writing Across Children’s & YA Fiction Sheala Dawn Henke, Jenny Elder Moke, Jessica Joelson

Four Colorado authors who write for young readers — from picture books to middle grade to YA — discuss their craft, their audiences, and what it means to tell stories that shape the way kids see the world.

Sheala Dawn Henke has been an elementary educator for over 27 years and is the author of the IDEA33 YA science fiction trilogy and the forthcoming middle-grade title Prickle Magic (2026). sdhenke.com

Jenny Elder Moke is the award-winning author of children’s and adult fiction. Her adult debut, She Doesn’t Have a Clue, is a murder-mystery rom-com published by Minotaur Books. jennyeldermoke.com

Jessica Joelson is the creator of the Planet Palz series, helping young readers become Planet Protectors through interactive storytime adventures. myplanetpalz.com

Youth-Specific Workshops & Sessions

Saturday, April 11 · 9:30 AM · Make New Friends, Keep the Old: A Girl Scouts Storytime & Friendship WorkshopGirl Scouts of Colorado

A storytime and hands-on workshop for kids and families, presented by Girl Scouts of Colorado.

Girl Scout volunteers will read aloud from Make New Friends, Keep the Old while pausing to explore vocabulary, follow the words on the page, and talk through what we’re hearing together. After the reading, kids and adults alike will try a simple connection activity: draw something you love, introduce yourself to someone new, and discover what your new friend loves too.

Rooted in this year’s festival theme of Multitudes, this session celebrates the many kinds of friends we make throughout our lives: the ones we’ve always known and the ones we haven’t met yet.

Open to all ages. Families with young children especially welcome.

Saturday, April 18 · 3:30 PM · Writing Tips for Young Writers Jared Woodcox

Practical writing tips for aspiring young authors, from a YA fantasy author who still remembers what it felt like to start. shadowcasterseries.com

Schedule subject to change. Check back for updates or sign up for our newsletter at focobookfest.org.