We live surrounded by stories. They shape our lives and tell us who we are, where we come from, and where we might be going. Some stories unite us as communities while personal stories inform our sense of self. Who has impacted our lives? What places have shaped us?

Montana Poet Laureate Allen Morris Jones has used storytelling as a foundation for his work across several literary forms, including novels, children’s books, personal essays, and, of course, poetry. Over the course of an hour, Allen will offer a compelling presentation that includes:

• A PowerPoint slide show that describes his personal journey toward finding the essential, irreducible elements of storytelling.
• A reading from his own, autobiographical poetry, demonstrating how we can find narratives in various aspects of our own lives.
• A solicitation of stories from the audience, with prompts to help them get started telling their own stories.

At the end of his two-year tenure as poet laureate, Allen intends to compile a selection of these solicited stories into a published collection. His hope is that the larger project will demonstrate how our individual stories have helped shape the Montana of today.