Apr. 17, 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 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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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
The Beckwith Dynasty: A Ranching Empire in Colorado’s Wet Mountain Valley
Courtney Miller
Filter Press
130 pages
Once one of the largest cattle ranches in southern Colorado, Beckwith Ranch rises to its former glory in the concisely and neatly written, The Beckwith Dynasty: A Ranching Empire in Colorado’s Wet Mountain Valley by Courtney Miller. The author explores the history of a successful shipbuilding family who traveled west in 1869, and would eventually create through hard work, luck and a handful of shenanigans, an incredibly successful agricultural operation. Miller guides the reader through the origins of the ranch with stories of true cowboys and the Old West.
Beginning with a meager 160 acres, the family created a vast holding of land and livestock that would eventually become a thriving and majestic showplace of 8,800 acres with a very distinctive mansion of white clapboard and red roof. The fortunes of the Beckwith empire grew even more with the discovery of gold and silver in the nearby mountains. The mansion continued to expand as well, becoming a rambling complex with all the latest Victorian fineries accumulated from travels afar. Sophisticated and worldly travelers were entertained with unparalleled grandeur in the hinterlands of Colorado’s Wet Mountains.
As with any great western story about perseverance and triumph, the tale of the downfall of the family and the mansion is equally fascinating. Death, disease and estranged family relations all contributed to the passing of the heyday of the grand place.
Located on Hwy 69 near Westcliffe, Colorado, the site and venue is now listed on National Register of Historic Places. The obvious sincere and deep appreciation the author has for the ranch shines through in his writing. He packs a lot of Wet Mountain Valley history in this small volume with fine research and striking details. This book is a nice resource for any Colorado history buff. — Jeffery Payne
