From left, Robin Kolb, author of “Galloping Away” and Nicholas Triolo, author of “The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere”
Meet the 2026 Great Reads from Great Places authors, Nicholas Triolo and Robin Kolb. Both titles will represent Montana at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC this August and will become the One Book Montana statewide read titles. One Book Montana will relaunch in the fall.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Robin Kolb spent countless hours riding her pony, or with a book (you guessed it—a horse book!), always with her faithful dog by her side. Her passion for horses grew from that first pony to working in show stables, to breeding and training her own foals. Robin holds degrees in English, Geology, and Anthropology, and lives in Western Montana where she and her husband raised two spirited daughters riding horses of their own. She has served as both a teacher and a riding instructor. These days, in addition to writing and reading, you can find Robin hiking with her Australian Shepherds, shooting a traditional bow, or baking horse-shaped cookies.
“Galloping Away” was published in 2024 by Chicken Scratch Books
Nicholas Triolo is an author, editor, and educator living in Missoula, Montana. Triolo has worked in publishing for over ten years—editor-in-chief, Camas; digital strategist, Orion; senior editor, Outside/Trail Runner; managing editor, Magic Canoe. He’s taught place-based writing for the University of Montana, Yale/Oxford Academia, Wild Rockies Field Institute, Writing the Wild, Freeflow Institute, and the Missoula Writing Collaborative. Triolo’s work has been featured in Orion, Emergence, Dark Mountain Project, Outside, Terrain.org, and others. His book, The Way Around, was published by Milkweed Editions in July 2025, and has been featured in People, Longreads, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Read more on his newsletter, “The Jasmine Dialogues.”
The Way Around, published last July by Milkweed Editions, was just shortlisted for the 36th annual Reading the West Award for Memoir/Biography.
Stay tuned for One Book Montana relaunching this fall to activate these titles.
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