Author Gary Ferguson will read on Friday, June 6, at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake for the launch of Whitefish Review's “Fire” issue #15. The gathering at the Lakeshore Tent Pavilion begins at 7 p.m. and the reading begins at 8 p.m.

Editors chose from more than 300 photo and art submissions, 250 stories and 150 poems for the issue.

The cover features the painting “Before,” an acrylic on panel of an unstruck match by Portland artist Sarah Fagan. Photographer Steven Gnam's photo “Charred” is featured on the back cover, a detail shot of a burned tree on Demers Ridge in the North Fork of the Flathead River Valley.

The literary collection features an original essay by Ferguson, as well as a conversation with author Bill McKibben discussing a warming planet. In addition to a variety of authors at the top of their careers, the issue also introduces two first-time writers, 15-year old Rachel Litchman, currently a freshman at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire, and 58-year old Betty Kijewski, a photographer and master volunteer for Resource Management in Glacier National Park.

The 16-page art and photo section was guest edited by Michele Carlson, an artist, writer and educator who teaches at California College of the Arts, in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the managing editor of Hyphen magazine and a member of the curatorial committee at Southern Exposure.

The evening will begin with music by members of the Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble and Tra La Gael, including author/musician Tom Harpole who has an essay featured in this issue. A photo from the new issue by Whitefish photographer Chance Ling will also come to life. Logan Zerr will spin fire in a traditional poi dance along the lake shore. As a performance art, poi involves swinging flaming tethered weights through a variety of rhythmical and geometric patterns. Prior to the featured reading, Betty Kijewski will share her first published essay with the audience.

Ferguson will read from his forthcoming memoir “The Carry Home” due to be published in November by Counterpoint Press. It is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Ferguson and his wife, Jane, who died in a canoeing accident in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature.

Ferguson is the author of 22 books on nature, science, and history. A member of the National Geographic Lecture Series, Ferguson has given keynote presentations and workshops across the nation. "Hawks Rest" (National Geographic, 2003), became the first book to win nonfiction book of the year from both the Pacific Northwest and Mountains and Plains booksellers associations and "Decade of the Wolf" (Lyons Press, 2005) was selected as the Montana Book of the Year.

Whitefish Review is a nonprofit journal publishing the literature, art, and photography of mountain culture. As a recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation created for the public good, it is supported by donations, grants, and subscriptions.

A $10 suggested entry donation is requested to help offset costs of the evening. A 2014-15 season pass at Whitefish Mountain Resort will also be raffled to raise additional funds.

Visit www.WhitefishReview.org for more information.