Mountain Words Festival 2026

Festival Kick-Off Party! 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Come See Me in the Good Light (Documentary Screening) 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Crested Butte Magazine Release Party 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Community Read @Gunnison Branch Library w/David Baron - American... 6:00pm - 7:00pm

The Secret Magic of the Soulful Poem with Wendy Videlock 9:00am - 10:00am

Michael Hettich Poetry Workshop: Techniques for Discovery 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Writing Poems of Imagination and Resistance with Karen Terrey 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Creativity with Mashuq Mushtaq Deen: Mapping the Inner Landscape... 9:00am - 10:00am

Rajiv Mohabir Poetry Workshop 10:15am - 11:15am

Writing Immersive Fiction 2:45pm - 3:45pm

How to Be a Good Ancestor with John Hausdoerffer 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Claire Boyles Fiction Workshop: Beyond the Forest and the Trees:... 9:00am - 10:00am

Instant Story Map Part 1 10:15am - 11:15am

Instant Story Map Part 2 1:30pm - 2:30pm

Zooming In and Out in Memoir with River Selby 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Drafting the Novel Discussion with Nina McConigley and Claire Bo... 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Mitzi Rapkin First Draft Podcast Live Recording with Emily Rapp... 11:30am - 12:30pm

Myth Understandings: An Evening of Comedy with Shane Mauss 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Book Signing in the Atrium #1 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Book Signing in the Atrium #2 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Poets In-Conversation with Michael Hettich and Erica Reid 9:00am - 10:00am

The Science of Funny: A Comedy Writing Deep Dive with Shane Maus... 10:15am - 11:15am

Generative Poetry Session with Tiana Clark 11:30am - 12:30pm

World-building and Setting Through Rap Lyrics 10:15am - 11:15am

ON COMICS with Benjamin Percy and Dan McClellan 11:30am - 12:30pm

It’s a Partnership: The Author/Editor Relationship 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Publishing Panel Discussion with Karen Terrey, Terri Lewis, Dane... 4:00pm - 5:00pm

The Editor is In! Conversation with Rakesh Satyal 9:00am - 10:00am

NEW Inside the Author-Agent Relationship 10:15am - 11:15am

Megan-Kate Nelson and Garrett Peck on Researching History 11:30am - 12:30pm

Benjamin Percy Fiction THRILL ME 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Stargazing with Garrett Peck 9:00pm - 9:45pm

Re-Enchantment, a Walk with Brooke Williams and Nancy Gex Jones 9:00am - 10:15am

In-Conversation Megan-Kate Nelson with Ryan Warner Colorado Publ... 9:00am - 10:00am

Martians! The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of... 10:15am - 11:15am

A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF: In-Conversation- Megha Majumdar and Nina... 11:30am - 12:30pm

Terry Tempest Williams with Ben Goldfarb 1:30pm - 2:30pm

In-Conversation Hillary Rosner and Ben Goldfarb 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Poet Tiana Clark in Conversation with Rajiv Mohabir 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Four Poets Read 10:15am - 11:15am

Poetry with Suzi Q Smith 9:00am - 10:00am

Building a Sustainable Writing and Editing Group 10:15am - 11:15am

Poetry with Erica Reid: Plains Poems & Prairie Tarot 11:30am - 12:30pm

What Kind of Essay Are You? With River Selby 1:30pm - 2:30pm

Novel Conversation-How to Commit a Postcolonial... 10:15am - 11:00am

Fiction with Shelley Read 2:45pm - 3:45pm

Map Your Memoir Part 1 - Orientation 9:00am - 10:00am

Map Your Memoir Part 2 - Implementation 10:15am - 11:15am

Ramona Ausubel UNSTUCK! A Writer's Guide 11:30am - 12:30pm

Fiction workshop with Nina McConigley 1:30pm - 2:30pm

Novel Conversation- Skylark with Paula McLain and Shelley Read 9:00am - 10:00am

The Bible Says So with Dan McClellan and Ian Wrisley with specia... 10:15am - 11:15am

River Selby in Conversation with Laura Krantz HOTSHOT: A Life On... 11:45am - 12:45pm

On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Chr... 1:30pm - 2:30pm