Winter Book Fair Returns to the Cody Library

mmartin411
Jan 9
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

The Park County Library Foundation will host a Winter Book Fair on Saturday, January 24, at the Cody Library. This free, public event will celebrate local and regional authors while offering a full morning of writing workshops followed by an afternoon book fair.

Morning Writing Workshops | 9:15 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.

The day begins with a series of writing workshops and classes led by experienced authors and instructors. Sessions will take place throughout the library in Grizzly Hall, the Bison Room, and the Wapiti Room, with attendees able to choose from multiple topics at each time slot.

9:15 a.m. Sessions

Grizzly Hall: Non-Fiction Freelance Writing with Mike Johnson (60 minutes)
Turn what you know into income. Mike Johnson shares practical advice from decades of success in nonfiction writing, including traditional publishing and self-publishing, with time for questions and mentoring.
Bison Room: The Prolific Author with Lydia Yoder (60 minutes)
Learn how authors push past the point where passion turns mundane. Lynn Yoder shares tips and actionable steps she used to complete seven novels.
Wapiti Room: Rip Up the Rules with Linda Rae Sande (60 minutes)
Dreaming of writing your novel? This session explores throwing out traditional writing rules, developing an attention-grabbing beginning, embracing your oddness, and approaching the novel-writing process with fresh perspective.

10:15 a.m. Sessions

Grizzly Hall: Ramping Up the Action in Your Suspense or Thriller Novel with Pauline Baird Jones (60 minutes)
Learn how to raise stakes and pacing in suspense fiction. Award-winning author Pauline Baird Jones shares techniques for creating heart-racing stories.
Bison Room: Writing Memoir: Find Your Vehicle with Michael B. Riley (60 minutes)
Explore how memoir structure shapes meaning by focusing event and defining the narrative vehicle through time.
Wapiti Room: From Conception to Publication with Thomas Young (60 minutes)
A practical overview of putting ideas on paper, editing your work, and navigating the publishing process.

11:15 a.m. Sessions

Grizzly Hall: How to Train ChatGPT to Speak in Your Author Brand Voice with Pauline Baird Jones (60 minutes)
Learn best practices for using ChatGPT to save time while creating effective, on-brand content for your author business.
Wapiti Room: You Wrote a Book — Now What? with Linda Rae Sande (75 minutes)
Authorpreneurship basics covering publishing options, building your author team, marketing essentials, and protecting your work.
Bison Room: Yellowstone Yesterday & Today with Bob Berry (25 minutes)
A brief discussion on the history of imaging Yellowstone through before-and-after photography and presenting this work in book form.

Author Readings Schedule | Beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Short author readings will take place beginning at 12:30 p.m., offering attendees the chance to hear directly from featured writers before the book fair begins.

12:30 p.m. – Michael B. Riley
12:40 p.m. – R.W. Storman
12:50 p.m. – Sue Consolo-Murphy
1:00 p.m. – Sara Vinduska
1:10 p.m. – Linda Rae Sande
1:20 p.m. – K.J. Gillenwater
1:30 p.m. – J.T. Currie
1:40 p.m. – Tam DeRudder Jackson
1:50 p.m. – E.M. Bannock
2:00 p.m. – Millie Copper
2:10 p.m. – Mike Johnson
2:20 p.m. – Iris Morgan
2:30 p.m. – Lydia Rachelle
2:40 p.m. – Pauline Baird Jones
2:50 p.m. - Julian Bradley
3:00 p.m. - Maria Kelson

Afternoon Winter Book Fair | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

The Winter Book Fair will take place throughout the Cody Library from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. More than 20 local and regional authors will be on site, each with a table where attendees can meet authors, purchase books, and have copies signed.

The book fair offers a chance for readers to connect directly with writers, learn more about the creative process, and support authors from Wyoming and the surrounding region.

Pardners Cafe Open for the Event!

Pardners Cafe, located inside the Cody Library, will be exclusively open for the Winter Book Fair, even though it is not normally open on Saturdays. The cafe will be open from 9:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will offer a special, limited breakfast & lunch menu.

This is a great opportunity for attendees to enjoy food and refreshments while participating in the morning workshops and author readings.

Event Details

Date: Saturday, January 24
Location: Cody Library
Cost: Free and open to the public
Hosted by: Park County Library Foundation

All ages are welcome. Attendees may come for a single workshop, spend the afternoon browsing the book fair, or enjoy the entire day of programming.