Mountain Words Festival 2026

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.’

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

What Kind of Essay Are You?

The essay is a dynamic and flexible structure, capable of doing anything the writer wishes...but figuring out what one wants the essay to do can be quite difficult! In this workshop, we'll look at a few innovative essay moments and discuss how to approach the essay as an extension of the self, extending a question into the world and diving into the mystery. This is not a class about formulas or cookie-cutter methods of writing, rather an exploration of the self and how one can translate their obsessions into an essayistic form.