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2013 Festival: October 10-12  •  Missoula

Last year, the 13th annual Humanities Montana Festival of the Book celebrated the literature of the West with over 70 authors, October 4–6, in downtown Missoula. Two days and three nights of readings, panels, exhibits, demonstrations, signings, workshops, entertainments, receptions, and other special events were free and open to the public. Venues included the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, the Wilma Theatre, the Missoula Public Library, and the Missoula Art Museum.

The Festival of the Book is one of the biggest cultural events in the Northwest. The 2012 festival featured a gala reading with award-winning authors Ivan Doig, Pam Houston, and David Quammen, and a joint presentation by Colin Meloy (of Decemberists fame) and Carson Ellis about their award-winning Wildwood Chronicles for young adults. In addition to the festival’s literary events, Humanities Montana showcased music and literature, featuring an album release and performance by Stellarondo and author Rick Bass (see press release), and a new music song cycle by Wayne Horvitz based on James Welch’s novel Heartsong of Charging Elk.

As in years past, the Montana Festival of the Book featured some of the most important voices of the West, including award-winning authors Kim Barnes, Jess Walter, David Abrams, Jonathan Evison, David Treur, and many more.

Major 2012 festival sponsors include the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Montana Arts Council, The Missoulian, and Montana Public Radio.