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. […]
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! The Story Bakers […]
Experience food preparation and creative writing in this bilingual workshop with Franklin Cruz. A delicious opportunity to learn about some food and their stories, home, and family. Connection is the element to the recipes we make and stories we tell that makes them similar. Through creative writing, we can document both in different ways. For teens […]
What does it mean to be "in community" in the writing space? Acclaimed Colorado poet Meca'Ayo guides us through creating collaborative poetics. Unleash the power of shared expression as we weave a tapestry of collective verses. No previous writing experience necessary! Registration is required. Registration opens Jan. 8, 2024.
Between human and animal, illness and health, call and response, partitions of all kinds can be violent or generative, mythic or experienced. Two poets live in, collapse, and question these borders: Rajiv Mohabir reads from Whale Aria, in which a humpback whale’s migration reflects queerness and brownness from underwater to air and Guyana to New York, […]
In this panel of accomplished authors, there also resides the community experiences of a bookseller, a massage therapist, a mathematics student, and a director an MFA in Creative Writing program. These writers offer insights into oft-neglected western experiences including the histories of Chinese immigrants, silencing of Indigenous experiences, the challenges of living with mixed-race identity, […]
History is a haunting. And the West, in particular, is filled with the spirits of our ancestors, echoing with the voices of the dead. Not all of them are recognized, however. Not all of them get to speak. What are they trying to tell us? How do we honor them? How do we bring them […]
In this workshop with author Deborah Jackson Taffa, we’ll discuss how prose narratives can benefit from poetic techniques, how expanding the use of poetic principles—from metaphor to repetition, space, juxtaposition, accrual, lists, and rhyme—can deepen the experience of writing and reading creative nonfiction. What is the lyric essay? How can we use poetic ideals to […]
Using text and photos (provided), we'll investigate ways the elements in each find themselves interacting on and with one another. From there, we'll turn our attention to how we might work these observations and interactions into notes, poems, and larger projects of exploration outside of the workshop space. Register for the workshop. Event led by […]
Acclaimed writers Ramona Emerson (Shutter) and David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Winter Counts) discuss how they use the mystery and thriller genres to explore questions of justice, Native American identity, and intergenerational trauma. Shutter follows Rita Todacheene, a forensic photographer, who’s haunted by the ghost of a murder victim intent on justice. In Winter Counts, Virgil […]
Do you want to meet new people and have deeper conversations? Join us! This event will provide conversation cards to foster small group conversations. For Book Fest, we added in questions related to reading and books too. Share stories from your life and explore your curiosity about others' experiences. Light refreshments provided. Registration is required. For teens […]
Play Bingo AND celebrate books at this special Book Bingo session! Hosted by Mythmaker Brewing and Fort Collins Book Fest. Mythmaker Brewing is located at 1035 S. Taft Hill. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase, though purchase is not required to participate.
Embrace your inner child and enjoy some imaginative readings and theatrical interpretation by storytellers from Poudre Libraries. Bring your sense of humor and wonder!
Writer and teacher Uma Krishnaswami, author of many books for young readers, will talk about her writing journey, what it takes to build a writing life, and why children are an audience worth caring about. Includes snippets from her books and time for Q & A. Registration required. After the workshop, Uma will be available […]
Have you ever remembered an event one way, only for your friend to remember it totally differently? You each have a unique point-of-view! Explore how you can tell the same story from different points-of-view in this hands-on workshop with author Uma Krishnaswami. Uma will use her book Two at the Top: A Shared Dream of […]
For our young writers ages 8-12. Have you ever remembered an event one way, only for your friend to remember it totally differently? You each have a unique point-of-view! Explore how you can tell the same story from different points-of-view in this hands-on workshop with author Uma Krishnaswami. Uma will use her book Two at […]
Love a good story? Ready to sit back and enjoy some literature? Local writers will join us at Authors of the Hour to read from their literary works! Feeling brave? Bring your own writing and take to the mic for a short reading of your own work during the second half of this event. Refreshments […]
Comics and graphic novels can be powerful catalysts for change. Author and artist R. Alan Brooks will chat with Fort Collins Comic Con founder Nick Armstrong about storytelling through these media. How can comics and graphic novels challenge assumptions, evoke emotion, and inspire action? How can art create stronger communities?
This workshop will feature the words, memories, and features of a landscape you know best: home! We will experiment with creative nonfiction writing elements and strategies as we explore the sights, sounds, and textures of Northern Colorado through words. Participants will produce a few pages of writing—and discuss how to growth them into a longer […]
Hear from beloved local author Laura Pritchett! She will be celebrating the release of her newest book Playing with (Wild)fire! She'll be joining us at the Old Town Library on Tuesday, February 13th at 6pmMT. Readers will have the chance to say hi to this amazing author and have their books signed. Books can be […]
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.
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+.
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.
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.
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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!
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 […]
The essay—the most flexible, shapeshifting genre—has much to offer writers. This workshop led by National Book Award finalist Deborah Jackson Taffa is designed to explore the dynamic possibilities of creative nonfiction. How do we weave public histories into individual stories? What is the impact of emotional truth versus factual truth? How do we distinguish memoir […]
Hear how three authors investigate and share the untold stories of marginalized voices through unique forms of storytelling. Through his memoir, Tim Z. Hernandez (They Call You Back) investigates the plane crash that killed 28 Mexicans in Los Gatos Canyon. In an epic poem, Teow Lim Goh (Bitter Creek) explores the buried history of Chinese […]
Award-winning author Deborah Jackson Taffa headlines this year’s Fort Collins Book Fest: Open Pages Open Minds. Taffa's memoir, Whiskey Tender, was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named to best lists at Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Elle, and Esquire Magazines. Whiskey Tender traces how a mixed tribe native girl—born on the […]
Meet author Christine Day and participate in crafts and activities that go along with her latest book, We Still Belong! Hear from the author, ask questions, and get creative. Book sales and signing to follow. Don’t miss out on an afternoon full of storytelling and fun! Designed for kids in grades 3-5 and their families. […]
