Flathead River Writers Conference welcomes writers and book lovers

Authors of the Flathead will present the 36th annual Flathead River Writers Conference, Sept. 25–27 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell. The theme is Thresholds and Frontiers: Writing Your Next Best Story. 

The conference invites writers at every stage, from beginners to published authors, as well as readers and literary enthusiasts. The program features New York Times bestselling authors Michael Punke, author of "The Revenant and Ridgeline" and Peter Stark, author of "Astoria" and "The Lost Cities of El Norte," as well as Montana Past Poet Laureate, Mandy Smoker Broaddus. 

Attendees will also learn from highly respected literary agents, editors, noted educators and specialists in poetry, memoir, fiction, nonfiction, audiobook production, publishing, author branding and marketing. 

Friday is dedicated to Robert Petrone’s Masterclass on Internal Narrative, followed by a full weekend of presentations, conversations, consultations and opportunities to connect with the writing community. 

For 36 years, the nonprofit Authors of the Flathead has brought writers together through education, encouragement and meaningful connection. Whether you are writing for the very first time, developing a manuscript, exploring publication, or simply love books and the people who create them, the Flathead River Writers Conference offers an inspiring place to take part. For program information and registration, visit authorsoftheflathead.org/conference/ 

Punke's New York Times bestselling novel "The Revenant" was adapted into an Academy Award–winning film. His new book, "Ridgeline," is a richly researched historical fiction about legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse and the 1866 Fetterman Massacre in Wyoming. The novel is currently in development for film, with Punke adapting the screenplay. Punke will describe how he chooses stories and offers insight into how writers shape their own experiences to have lasting, universal significance. He will also address the practical dimensions of a writing life, navigating the path to publication and working with agents and publishers. 

Petrone is a creative nonfiction writer and an associate professor of English education at the University of Missouri where he teaches classes on creative nonfiction and writing pedagogy. He is currently revising a coming-of-age memoir, "Used Cars," which focuses on his experiences growing up in a large Italian Catholic, New York family amidst parental disability, secrecy and shame. 

Stark is an adventurer and historian whose recent book is "The Lost Cities of El Norte: Coronado's Quest, the Unconquered West, and the Birth of American Indian Resistance." He graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Wisconsin, then wrote adventure-travel articles for Outside, Smithsonian and New York Times Magazine. He paddled a kayak in Mozambique's harrowing Lugenda River in 2002, and escaped confrontations with hippos, crocs, waterfalls and black mambas. Stark pivoted toward exploration history and first contact between Europeans and Indigenous people. His other books include "The Last Empty Places," the New York Times-bestseller "Astoria," "Young Washington" and "Gallop Toward the Sun."