Mountain Words Festival: Full Schedule

5:30pm MDT

George Sibley Documentary and Award Presentation

Thursday May 22, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm MDT

Mountain Words honors one the Gunnison Valley’s most influential writers with the debut of a short film and a medley of guests presenters who have intersected with George Sibley.

Thursday May 22, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm MDT
1 Steddy Theater 606 6th St

Community Event, Free

9:00am MDT

Where Will the Green Future Come From?

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MDT

1 Steddy Theater

2024 National Book Award Longlister Ernest Scheyder and Land Desk bard Jonathan Thompson take on the most pressing question facing public lands no one is talking about, where will the green future come from? The answer is from the ground and likely beneath our own feet.

Speakers

Ernie Scheyder

Senior Correspondent, Reuters

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent for Reuters covering the green energy transition and critical minerals, as well as the author of the forthcoming book The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power our Lives. He previously covered the U.S. shale oil revolution... Read More →

Jonathan Thompson

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MDT
1 Steddy Theater 606 6th St

Conversation, Free

10:15am MDT

Building Better Roads to Wildlife Restoration

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am MDT

1 Steddy Theater

Winner of the Rachel Carson Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism, Ben Goldfarb and WildEarth Guardians Executive Director, Hop Hopkins discuss the human impacts of 40 million miles of roads around the planet on wildlife and how conservationists are working to restore habitats.

Speakers

Ben Goldfarb

Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, High Country News, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, named one of the best... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am MDT
1 Steddy Theater 606 6th St

Conversation, Free

1:00pm MDT

Return to the Dustbowl

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

1 Steddy Theater

Pulitzer Prize Finalist and MacArthur Fellow Karen Russell joins Colorado State University professor and award winning novelist Ramona Ausubel to discuss Russell’s new novel, The Antidote. Described by Editor and Chief of Knopf as, “a singularly great American novel,” this is a must attend event for Mountain Words 2025.

Speakers

Ramona Ausubel

Ramona Ausubel’s fifth book, The Last Animal was a national bestseller, a Barnes & Noble book of the month and named a best book of 2023 by NPR, Kirkus and the Oprah quarterly. Her previous books are Awayland: stories, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, A Guide to Being Born... Read More →

Karen Russell

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
1 Steddy Theater 606 6th St

Conversation, Free

2:15pm MDT

Godfather Meets Game of Thrones

Saturday May 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

1 Steddy Theater

National Book Award Finalist, Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Paolo Bacigalupi discusses his newest book, Navola with author Olivia Chadha.

Speakers

Olivia Chadha

Olivia Chadha writes science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and literary novels for MG, YA, and adult audiences. She has a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing and her research centers on the history of exile, India’s Partition, precarious borders and boundaries, global folklore... Read More →

Paolo Bacigalupi

Paolo Bacigalupi is an internationally bestselling author of speculative fiction. He has won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, John W. Campbell and Locus Awards, as well as being a finalist for the National Book Award and a winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
1 Steddy Theater 606 6th St

Conversation, Free