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Howl of the Hearts Poetry Contest

Submit a poem to the Howl of the Hearts poetry contest! In celebration of Fort Collins Book Fest and in anticipation of to National Poetry Month, we're celebrating the creativity of community members.  Submissions are accepted, February 1-19, 2024.  Finalists will read their poems to an audience at a poetry reading on April 4, 2024. […]

Free

Get Lit Trivia

Peculier Ales (Fort Collins) 1831 E Mulberry St, Fort Collins, CO, United States

Show off your “book smarts” at this special literary trivia session! Hosted by Peculiar Ales and Fort Collins Book Fest. Peculier Ales is located at 1831 East Mulberry Street. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase, though purchase is not required to participate.

Book Art

Harmony Library 4616 S. Shields St., Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Want to make some art with us out of old books? We will be making collages with cut-out words, and using old book pages to sketch on, or make banners, bookmarks, and clothespin book butterflies. Drop-in program for ages 11+.

Your Story, My Story, Our Stories: FRCC Student Reading

Longs Peak Student Center 4616 South Shields Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Fort Collins Book Fest 2024 celebrates the many stories that make up our city, including new voices! At this special event, FRCC writing students will read their original works, from short stories to poems. Join us at the Longs Peak Student Center for the student reading and consider how our different stories intersect.

Free

Poetry for the People

TAC 212 212 West Mountain Avenue, , Colorado 80521, United States, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Your words make a difference. Write poetry for the people in this teen workshop with National Student Poet and fellow teen Gabriella Miranda. Gabriella guides you through writing poetry to fight injustice, change perspectives, and improve your community. For teens ages 12-18. Registration is required. More details to come.

Free

Finding Literary Voice Through Regionalism

Lincoln Center 417 W Magnolia Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Find literary voice through regionalism in this workshop with Oscar Hokeah. Learn how Hokeah developed a Kiowa-specific and Cherokee-specific voice in Calling for a Blanket Dance, taking into account cultural and community nuances and influences from regional dialects. Then, discuss how you can incorporate Hokeah’s strategies into your own writing. Registration will be required and […]

Free

Climate Change / People Change (Updated)

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery 408 Mason Ct, Fort Collins, CO, United States

Where urgency meets enlightenment — panelists Kimberly Reyes, Kate Partridge, and John Calderazzo illustrate a world at a crossroads. In their work, we find questions, observations, and suggestions. What changes do our hearts need? What songs could we sing? What laments must we wail? What actions can we shift? What is it that we are […]

Free

An Evening with Oscar Hokeah

Lincoln Center 417 W Magnolia Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Free tickets to this event are available through the Lincoln Center Box Office beginning January 4. Stop by the box office, call them at 970.221.6730, or visit the website. Award-winning author Oscar Hokeah headlines this year’s Fort Collins Book Fest: One Community, Many Stories. Hokeah’s novel, Calling for a Blanket Dance, received the PEN/Hemingway Award […]

Free

Poetry for the Stage, Drama for the Page

Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

The sometimes ambiguous, liminal space between poetry and theatre writing can be a remarkably generative space from which to create. Though, historically, these genres have not been entirely distinct, they each tend to adhere to their own sets of rules and expectations. Via a series of prompts and exercises, we will work to subvert these […]

Free

Good Actors: A One-Woman Play

Lory Student Center 1101 Center Ave. Mall, Fort Collins, CO, United States

Good Actors is a one-woman performance of the poet Sommer Browning’s third poetry collection, Good Actors (Birds, LLC; 2022). It is funny, moving, irreverent, sexy, and funny (again). It explores the boundarylessness of genre but also our human roles—where do our roles and performances end and “real life” begin? How do we transition between art […]

Free

A Hawaiian Book Adventure (For Kids!)

Old Town Library 201 Peterson St., Fort Collins, CO, United States

Learn about and experience Hawaiian culture with native Hawaiian and middle-grade author Malia Maunakea! Hear Malia talk about her book Lei and the Fire Goddess, then complete hands-on crafts and activities related to the book. Malia will be available to sign books following her presentation, too! For our young readers ages 8-12. Registration is required […]

Free

Be a Bookmaker

Harmony Library 4616 S. Shields St., Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Kids in grades K-3 create their own book and write their own story in this hands-on program. Bring your own story ideas or use our story prompts. Supplies will be provided. Presented in English and Spanish.  Registration is required.

Get Lit Trivia at Mythmaker

Mythmaker Brewing 1035 S. Taft Hill, Fort Collins, CO, United States

Grab your friends and show off your book smarts at this special pre-Book-Fest event! Groups of up to 6 are invited to compete in book trivia for gift cards and other bookish prizes. From today's most popular reads to the classics, it's all on the table!

Free

Kick-Off Party

Old Town Library 201 Peterson St., Fort Collins, CO, United States

Help us kick off the Fort Collins Book Fest at this special after-hours event for all ages! Drink hot cocoa, play word games, snag some swag, and participate in book giveaways as we celebrate all things literary. There will be a special performance by The Story Bakers from 6:45 to 7:15 pm! Registration required. The […]

Free

Immigrant Stories: Read and Lived

The Lyric 1209 N College Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado

We know there is no one "Immigrant Experience." In fact, each family and individual has their own and, unless your family is indigenous to the United States, your family does too. However, there are many shared themes of opportunity, loneliness, hope, loss, etc. Our Poudre Libraries' ESL Mentoring community, representing immigrants from many countries and […]

Free

Turning Pages Into Posts with Bookstagram

The Lyric 1209 N College Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado

Do you use social media to find your next read? Authors Kate Shelton and Vanessa Rasanen discuss how they engage with social media to connect with their readers, create community, and hype their books. Join this panel to hear about their new books and how they plan to share them with their followers!

Free

Revealing Romantasy

The Lyric 1209 N College Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado

Romantasy authors Amalie Howard (The Starlight Heir) and Vanessa Rasanen (Until the Stars Fall) spin epic romances featuring swoon-worthy princes from magical lands. Hear how the authors combine elements of fantasy and romance to create these titillating and spellbinding narratives. 

Free

Horror with a Twist

The Lyric 1209 N College Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado

Let’s turn the horror genre on its head! Stephen Graham Jones (I Was a Teenage Slasher) writes his story from the perspective of the killer, Devon A. Mihesuah (The Bone Picker) retells Native stories and histories with a spine tingling twist, and Lindsay King-Miller (The Z Word) attempts to overcome a breakup and save Pride […]

Free

Writing Where We Are: An Exploration of Documentary Writing Practices

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery 408 Mason Ct, Fort Collins, CO, United States

This event is sold out! To cancel your registration or join the waitlist for this event, please contact Laura, lvilarettuma@fcmod.org. How do we write our locality? How do we creatively document the past and present of the land that supports us? Join poet, essayist, and CSU Professor, Sasha Steensen, for an exploration of the intersection […]

Free

Book Bingo

Maxline Brewing 2724 McClelland Dr #109, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Play Bingo and celebrate your love of books at this special Book Fest Bingo night, hosted at Maxline Brewing! Prizes include gift cards and other book swag from The Crowded Bookshelf. Beverages are available to purchase, but purchase is not required to participate.

Free

Accordion Fold Bookmaking Class

Old Town Library 201 Peterson St., Fort Collins, CO, United States

Get ready to unleash your creativity in this exciting, hands-on class where we'll dive into the world of accordion-fold books! These fun, foldable wonders are perfect for showcasing your artwork, journaling adventures, or telling a story in a way that's both interactive and eye-catching. No experience needed—just bring your imagination and a desire to get […]

Toda lengua mi verso: Write in the Language of Your Heart

Old Town Library 201 Peterson St., Fort Collins, CO, United States

Join poet and Spanish Interpreter Ally Eden for a 90-minute Bilingual poetry workshop that invites you to write from your heart using inquiry, adoration, and distillation. We’ll engage in writing exercises that help us move beyond tropes of love and/or self-love and extract only the essential. Before we close, each poet will have the opportunity […]

Free