Mountain Words Festival 2026

Megan Kate-Nelson discusses her newest book Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier with Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio. 

Born and raised in Colorado, Megan Kate Nelson is a historian and writer based in Boston, with a BA from Harvard and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa. She is the author of five books, including The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West (2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist in History) and Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America (winner of the 2023 Spur Award for Historical Nonfiction). Her new book, The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier, will be published by Scribner in March 2026.

Megan writes about the Civil War, the U.S. West, and American culture for The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Slate, and Time. She is an elected member of the prestigious Society of American Historians and was the 2024-2025 Rogers Distinguished Fellow in Nineteenth-Century American History at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/24/arts/megan-kate-nelson-westerners/

What makes a poet?

Erica Reid dives into the life and work of poet and writer, Michael Hettich. Join this reading and discussion between one poet creating community here in Colorado and another who has shaped the writing of countless students for decades. 

Hettich is the author of the poetry collection, A Sharper Silence, published by Terrapin Books in 2025. It has been called a “heartfelt, heartbreaking collection” (Marie Harris). His previous book of poetry, The Halo of Bees: New and Selected Poems, 1990-2022 won the 2024 Brockman-Campbell Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and he has published more than a dozen books of poetry across four decades. His other honors include several Individual Artist Fellowships from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, The Tampa Review Prize in Poetry, the David Martinson/Meadowhawk Prize, a Florida Book Award, the Lena M. Shull Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society, and the inaugural Hudson-Fowler Prize from Slant magazine at the University of Central Arkansas. A new book of poems, Waking Up Alone, is forthcoming in 2026. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina. His website is michaelhettich.com.

Erica Reid is the author of Ghost Man on Second, winner of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize (Autumn House Press, 2024). Erica’s poems appear in Rattle,Cherry Tree, Colorado Review, and more. Erica is a 2025 Fellow at the Vermont Center for the Creative Arts and teaches in Western Colorado University’s MFA program. ericareidpoet.com

Author and editor Rakesh Satyal discusses the author-editor relationship and process with festival director, Arvin Ram. This will be an excellent opportunity for all writers to understand what happens to a manuscript once it goes from the agent phase, to the publisher phase of its life. 

Satyal is the author of the novels Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My Name. Blue Boy won a Lambda Literary Award, the Prose/Poetry Award from the Association of Asian American Studies, and was adapted into an award-winning short film by the actor-writer-director Nik Dodani, who is currently developing it into a feature film. No One Can Pronounce My Name was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. Satyal is currently an Executive Editor at the HarperOne Group/HarperCollins and currently sits on the advisor council for Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts. He lives in Brooklyn.

Join Brooke Williams and therapist, Nancy Gex Jones for a short walk from Rumors Coffee to Totem Pole Park, 2 1/2 blocks away, to sit near the river and discuss Williams' work and connection with the natural world. If inclement weather, this will be held in the Rumors Work Loft.  

Brooke Williams writes about evolution, consciousness, and his own adventures exploring both the inner and outer wilderness. He lives with the writer, Terry Tempest Williams near Moab, Utah, where they watch light and wait for rain.

Two decades ago, naturalist and environmental writer Brooke Williams had a powerful dream about a dragonfly, a dream that cracked open his world by giving rise to a steady stream of dragonfly encounters in his waking life. In the years since, he has delved deeply into the fascinating biology and natural history of dragonflies and made pilgrimages to see them (he now has 38 species on his life list) while also exploring their symbolic meaning and cultural significance.

Encountering Dragonfly is his account—related in a series of odonate encounters—of being drawn into a different kind of relationship with the natural world. By opening himself to the personal and mytho-poetic meanings of dragonfly, and patiently courting an understanding of these creatures that is built upon, but also transcends, a naturalist’s observation, Brooke has come to believe in the importance of ‘re-enchantment.’

What makes something funny—and why do some jokes land while others fall flat? Join comedian and storyteller Shane Mauss for an insightful and entertaining deep dive into the mechanics of comedy. Blending sharp theory with real-world experience, Shane breaks down the fundamentals of humor—timing, structure, surprise—and how they show up across different formats.
From stand-up and storytelling to social media and infotainment, Shane explores how writing shifts depending on the platform, audience, and intent. Drawing from his own evolving career, he shares what he’s learned along the way—how his voice has changed, what’s worked (and what hasn’t), and how to keep pushing creative boundaries while staying authentic.
Whether you’re a comedian, writer, or just comedy-curious, this lecture offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the craft from someone actively shaping it. The session will wrap with a Q&A, so come ready with questions and ideas.

With urgency, rappers build dynamic three-dimensional worlds and settings in the small space of a verse and song. How do they do this, and what can we learn from them to change our own writing? We'll watch music videos and analyze lyrics of rap songs to figure out what makes their worlds feel developed and immersive.

David Baron discusses his new book, Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America with Laura Krantz

“There Is Life on the Planet Mars” ―New York Times, December 9, 1906

This New York Times headline was no joke. In the early 1900s, many Americans actually believed we had discovered intelligent life on Mars, as best-selling science writer David Baron chronicles in The Martians, his truly bizarre tale of a nation swept up in Mars mania.
At the center of Baron’s historical drama is Percival Lowell, the Boston Brahmin and Harvard scion, who observed “canals” etched into the surface of Mars. Lowell devised a grand theory that the red planet was home to a utopian society that had built gargantuan ditches to funnel precious meltwater from the polar icecaps to desert farms and oasis cities. The public fell in love with the ambitious amateur astronomer who shared his findings in speeches and wildly popular books.
While at first people treated the Martians whimsically—Martians headlining Broadway shows, biologists speculating whether they were winged or gilled—the discussion quickly became serious. Inventor Nikola Tesla announced he had received radio signals from Mars; Alexander Graham Bell agreed there was “no escape from the conviction” that intelligent beings inhabited the planet. Martian excitement reached its zenith when Lowell financed an expedition to photograph Mars from Chile’s Atacama Desert, resulting in what newspapers hailed as proof of the Martian canals’ existence.
Triumph quickly yielded to tragedy. Those wild claims and highly speculative photographs emboldened Lowell’s critics, whose withering attacks gathered steam and eventually wrecked the man and his theory—but not the fervor he had started. Although Lowell would die discredited and delusional in 1916, the Mars frenzy spurred a nascent literary genre called science fiction, and the world’s sense of its place in the universe would never be the same.
Today, the red planet maintains its grip on the public’s imagination. Many see Mars as civilization’s destiny—the first step toward our becoming an interplanetary species—but, as David Baron demonstrates, this tendency to project our hopes onto the world next door is hardly new. The Martians is a scintillating and necessary reminder that while we look to Mars for answers, what we often find are mirrors of ourselves.

When plans shift, the conversation deepens. Join acclaimed Colorado authors Claire Boyles and Shelley Read for an inside look at the author-agent relationship — from finding representation to navigating the publishing world — in an honest, engaging literary discussion.

Why does a bible scholar wear comic book t-shirts? Why does a celebrated novelist continue to write some of the most celebrated comics of our time?

Authors Dan McClellan (The Bible Says So) and Benjamin Percy (Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction, Red Moon, Wolverine, Black Panther, Star Wars: Maul, Predator) discuss their lifelong love of comics, how it shaped them, and Percy's work on iconic characters for Marvel and DC.

Megha Majumdar discusses her newest praiseworthy novel, A Guardian and a Theif with debut novelist Nina McConigley

Megan Kate-Nelson and Garrett Peck discuss the intricacies of research and how to create evocative characterizations of historical figures. 

Tiana Clark is the author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth; I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood, which won the 2017 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize; and Equilibrium, which won the 2016 Frost Place Chapbook Competition. Clark’s other honors include a Pushcart Prize, a Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University, where she studied Africana and women’s studies. She is the Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence at Smith College. Find out more at TianaClark.com.
 

Known for her seminal work, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, Williams has long been an advocate for wild spaces and wildlife. This visit to Mountain Words heralds the arrival of her newest book, The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary. Williams is joined by festival favorite and science journalist, Ben Goldfarb, known for his books Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter and Crossings: How Road Ecology Has Shaped Our Planet.

Due to Terry's limited time, there will not be a signing line for her appearance. For those interested in a signed copy of Williams' work, Townie Books will have freshly signed copies of her work. If you have already purchased The Glorians from Townie Books and would like it signed, please drop it off at the bookstore tables at the Center no later than 6pm on Friday. The bookstore will be unable to accommodate signing of previous books that were not purchased recently from Townie Books.

Join a festive and lively gathering of book signing with this year's authors!

Dan McClellan
Benjamin Percy
Claire Boyles
Wendy Videlock
Rajiv Mohabir
Terri Lewis
Michael Hettich
Nina McConigley
Megan Kate Nelson
Karen Terrey
Phil Coleman
Rakesh Satyal
Alia Hanna Habib
Megha Majumdar
Erica Reid

For passholders, this is a very intimate conversation between Terry Tempest Williams and Nina McConigley about her life in art and words in the natural world

Science journalist and editor Hillary Rosner discusses her new book, ROAM with Mountain Words regular Ben Goldfarb.

Rosner is an award-winning science journalist who has reported on environmental issues from around the world for National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Wired, Audubon, and many others. She specializes in telling complex, science-driven stories in ways that resonate deeply with general audiences.

Authors Cosmo Langsfeld and Dane Bahr read from their newest works and discuss with their editor the collaborative nature of the relationship from working the words to navigating the production and publication process.

Harry Kirchner is a Contributing Editor at Counterpoint Press. His interests include literary fiction,narrative nonfiction, mystery, memoir, and natural history.Born and raised in NJ, Harry received a BA at Rutgers University and MA in English Lit at the Universityof Wis, Milwaukee. Upon completion of graduate school, he moved to Washington and into a career inpublishing. After 30 years as a sales representative and National Accounts Manager for PGW and IPS,Harry made the move into the editorial side of the business. He and his wife Anne currently reside inEdmonds, WA.Among the authors he’s worked with are Peter Rock (Spells and the forthcoming Makeshift), TereseMailhot (Heart Berries), Kirk Walsh (The Elephant of Belfast), Thomas Kohnstamm (Lake City andSupersonic), Sash Lapointe (Red Paint and Thunder Song), Dennis E. Staples {This Town Sleeps andPassing Through a Prairie Country), Kristine Ervin (A Rabbit Heart), Ryan Burruss (American Crow10/2026 release), Cosmo Langsfeld (Salvation) and Dane Bahr (Houseboat, Stag and The Dead Ringer).

Join a festive and lively gathering of authors at this year's book signing!!!

David Baron 
River Selby
Dane Bahr
Cosmo Langsfeld
Steven Dunn
Laura Krantz
Ben Goldfarb
Garrett Peck
Hillary Rosner
Shelley Read
Suzi Q. Smith
Ramona Ausubel

Join acclaimed author Benjamin Percy to learn how contemporary writers engage plot, character, dialogue, and suspense. Percy's book, Thrill Me, is an urgent and entertaining book on craft that brims with Percy's distinctive blend of anecdotes and advice, all in the service of one dictum: thrill the reader.

Tiana Clark is the author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth (Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster, 2025), which was named a finalist for the 2025 National Book Awards, and I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018), which won the 2017 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize. She also wrote the chapbook Equilibrium (Bull City Press, 2016), selected by Afaa Michael Weaver for the 2016 Frost Place Chapbook Competition. Clark is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the 2020 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, the 2021-2022 Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, and a 2019 Pushcart Prize. She was the 2017-2018 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing. She has received scholarships and fellowships to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Sewanee Writers' Conference, and Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Clark is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (M.F.A) and Tennessee State University (B.A.) where she studied Africana and Women's studies. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Poetry Magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Virginia Quarterly Review, Tin House Online, Kenyon Review, BuzzFeed News, American Poetry Review, Oxford American, The Best American Poetry 2022, and elsewhere. She is the Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence at Smith College.Clark is currently working on a memoir-in-essays, reckoning with Black burnout, millennial divorce, faith, art making, and exploring historical and contemporary methods of Black survival, which sold to Jenny Xu at Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster.  

Rajiv Mohabir was born in London, England to Guyanese parents. He grew up in New York City and in the Greater Orlando Area in Florida.  
Selected by Brenda Shaughnessy for the 2014 Intro Prize in Poetry by Four Way Books for his The Taxidermistʻs Cut (Four Way Books 2016), Rajiv Mohabir's first collection is a finalist for the 2017 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Poetry. His second book The Cowherd’s Son won the 2015 Kundiman Prize (Tupelo Press in May 2017). In 2021 Mohabir’s poetry collection Cutlish (Four Way Books, 2021) was longlisted for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, received a silver medal from the Northern California Publishers and Authors, was a “must read book” from the Mass Book Awards from the Massachusetts Center for the Book, a finalist for the New England Book Awards, received the Eric Hoffer Medal Provacateur, was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award, and was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award. Cutlish also received second place in the Guyana Prize for Literature in 2022. His fourth collection, Whale Aria (Four Way Books 2023) received the Gold Medal for Poetry from the Forward Indies, the Bronze Medal from the Northern California Publishers and Authors, and was a finalist and received and Honorable Mention from the Eric Hoffer Award. His fifth collection Seabeast (Four Way Books 2025) continues the exploration of race, migration, and sea mammal biology and natural history.

Writing and publishing is a world in constant flux. Join this panel of authors for a discussion about publishing alternatives and what a writing career looks like in 2026.

After sunset, the stars come out at Crested Butte in all their wonder. The town is an excellent place for stargazing, as it is far removed from city lights to see the Milky Way. The Mountain Words Festival will host stargazing on the park space near the Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 23 at 9pm. We’ll meet outside the arts center, then walk to the stargazing spot. Your host is festival participant Garrett Peck, author of The Bright Edges of the World: Willa Cather and Her Archbishop, who regularly teaches stargazing in Santa Fe.

Participants are encouraged to download a stargazing app on their phone (Garrett uses SkyView, which has a free lite version, and a paid version with more features), which can help identify constellations, planets, and other interstellar objects on their smartphones. Guests should also shift their phones in advance to dark mode so as to eliminate white light that can disrupt the class.

Please note the cool to cold evening weather and come prepared with jackets, layers, blankets, and a chair if you can.