May. 15, 2025
July 15, 2025 |
Anthology Submission Portal Open (Online)
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers are accepting submissions for the 2026 anthology. The theme is “True Story.” All genres welcome. Length is 2,500 to 4,000 words. Submissions will be accepted through July 15, 2025.
Address
Online
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July 17, 2025 | 7-8:30 p.m.
Writing in Color: Resource Sharing for BIPOC+ Writers (Zoom)
Learn about new opportunities and resources that will help you grow as BIPOC+ writers and creatives together. Sponsored by Lighthouse Writers. Free for members, $5 for nonmembers.
July 17, 7-8:30 p.m., location TBD
Aug. 21, 7-8:30 p.m., location TBD
Address
Zoom
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July 21, 2025 | 10 a.m.
Summer Writing Camps by Denver Writes (Denver)
June 16-20, Voyages in Verse, ages 10-16. Immerse yourself in the art of verse. Held at Second Star to the Right Books, 1455 S. Pearl St., Denver.
June 23-27, Summer Campfire Stories, ages 10-16. Learn to tell scary stories in the campfire tradition. Held at Nagel Art Studio on the DU campus, 2194 S. High St., Denver.
July 14-18: Aliens, Robots and AI: Writing the Inhuman, ages 11-17. Explore all of the ways inhuman characters are similar to and different from the people we encounter every day. Held at Second Star to the Right Books, 1455 S. Pearl St., Denver.
July 21-25: Exploring Art and Stories, ages 7-13. Writers will create stories, then through a variety of mediums they’ll bring their stories to visual life. Held at Nagel Art Studio on the DU campus, 2194 S. High St., Denver.
All camps are $300 per student.
Address
Location varies.
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August 8, 2025 |
Grand Mesa Writers’ Symposium (Cedaredge)
A creative sharing and learning event featuring talented authors and skilled teachers. Featured writers are Shelley Read (our review here), Dr. Timothy Winegard, and Wendy Videlock. Other presenters include Christie Aschwanden, Kierstin Bridger, Terri Benson, Sara Frances, Cindi Myers and more. Tickets start at $125. Aug. 8, 3:30 p.m. to Aug. 10, 12:30 p.m.
Address
Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center, 195 W. Main St., Cedaredge
Click here to view this address on a Google Map
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August 14, 2025 | 6-8 p.m.
Writing “Bad” Women, a Deep Dive Workshop (Grand Junction)
Sponsored by Western Colorado Writers’ Forum. This two-hour “deep dive” workshop will use a blend of in-class readings, exercises, and group discussion to advance students’ ability to write female characters with depth and nuance who defy stereotypes. Instructor is award-winning author Chelsea Catherine. Class is limited to 10 attendees, registration required. $10, payable to the instructor. Register by emailing “info@westerncoloradowriters.org”.
Address
Atrium Conference Room at the Center for Independence, 740 Gunnison Ave, Grand Junction
Click here to view this address on a Google Map
October 8, 2025 |
Call for Authors M&PIBA Fall Con (Denver)
Open call for authors for the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Fall Con at the Renaissance Denver Central Park, Oct. 5-8. Indie booksellers from across the MPIBA region, authors, publishers, gift vendors, service providers, librarians, and more, come together for a vibrant regional trade show. For publishers and vendors, FallCon offers an opportunity to introduce your authors, books, and products to booksellers and buyers from across our vast 14-state region.
Call for authors opens April 7. Call for Sponsorship opportunities opens June 2.
Address
Renaissance Denver Central Park, 3801 Quebec St., Denver.
Click here to view this address on a Google Map
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Briefly Noted
Behold the Bird in Flight: A Novel of an Abducted Queen
Terri Lewis
She Writes Press, releases June 3
336 pages
Terri Lewis grew up in Colorado, was a ballet dancer with a German opera company and worked in a circus. It may come a surprise, then, that her debut novel is about the life of Isabelle d’Angoulême, the 11-year-old French noble abducted by England’s King John (yes, that King John—the Magna Carta and all), taken back to England and made queen. As the novel progresses, we realize that Lewis is also a trained historian and an excellent researcher with a passion for medieval times.
The narrative is lively and compelling. Drawing on scant primary sources and historical records, Lewis creates Isabelle as a rich, complex character. Lewis renders Isabelle’s development from a silly child into an effective queen and independent agent able to direct her own destiny, thus fashioning a believable heroine immersed in a believably detailed world.
The story opens in 1198. Isabelle is betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan, who is appreciative of her future dowery but smitten with someone else. Isabelle senses that something is amiss and decides to play at courtly love by flirting with the Plantagenet king. King John, in turn, is smitten by young Isabelle and spirits her away. Her childish fantasies of true love and life in a beautiful castle are quickly dashed when she discovers how cruel her new husband really is. The narrative, while centered on Isabelle, offers the changing perspective of Hugh, and it incorporates the historically well-known characters, Eleanor of Aquitaine (John’s mother) and Richard the Lion Heart (John’s brother) as secondary characters in the Plantagenet drama.
As was the case with most noble women in the 12th and 13th centuries, Isabelle is initially a mere pawn for the men around her—expected to bring her husband a rich marriage settlement and then breed heirs. Learning from the formidable Queen Eleanor, as well as from the exceptionally strong women from the servant classes, this coming-of-age story reveals a more nuanced path than one might initially expect. Isabelle’s increasing autonomy and her growing skill at navigating the complexities of the court and surrounding society make for an exciting read. Although the last few chapters seem a bit rushed, this novel will charm fans of historical fiction and remind us all of the many lesser-known women who have shaped history and, thus, ourselves.
— Perrin Cunningham
