Montana Book Festival
You might have the wrong idea about a book festival. Maybe 'dull' or 'stuffy' are the first words that come to mind? Images of older women with their glasses dangling from strings or men in tweed jackets? But you might want to put those misconceptions aside until you look over the calendar of events for the upcoming Montana Book Festival. Literary-tinged happenings will be going on all over Missoula from September 10-13. There is the infamous Pie & Whisky at the Union Club featuring readings by some amazing authors. There is a Friday night poetry slam at the Palace. Perhaps looking for something calmer? What about an experienced panel giving tips on self-publishing Saturday morning at the Holiday Inn. The VFW, Missoula Public Library, Missoula Art Museum, the Top Hat and Radius Gallery are just some of the venues. Politics, romance, history, creative writing, young adult fiction and mysteries are a portion of the panels, readings and performances that will make up this weekend. And it's not just limited to written words but also features films, music and recitations. Most of the events are free and located in downtown Missoula. This makes for an ideal excursion for families, friends or just a solo adventure. So check out the festival's website and put together your list of must-sees at the Montana Book Festival. Maybe a reading by two of Montana's favorite authors, Annick Smith and James Lee Burke or the luncheon with Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek? Remember to grab an audio-book for your drive down to Missoula from Eureka. And enjoy.
About the Author: Rita Collins. I am a believer in the power of community and for now I call the Tobacco Valley home. I have lived in nine states and three counties and this community here amazes me - how people reach out to neighbors and even travelers. I've never lived in a place that demonstrates people caring for each other so well. And I've never lived in a place that has such a high percentage of talented musicians and artists. I work with the the Sunburst Community Service Foundation, a nonprofit that began in Eureka twenty years ago and now serves numerous communities in western Montana. And I just started a new business, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. I never could have imagined life being this exciting in my sixth decade.