The Lewistown Public Library is excited to host Missoula author Caroline Patterson for Montana Women Writers Workshop, a two-part event, on Thursday, November 18 and Thursday, December 2 from 6-8PM. The workshop will take place in the upstairs Meeting Room of the Library and Caroline will join us virtually. This Montana Conversations program is brought to the Library by Humanities Montana as part of Hometown Humanities, a yearlong event focused on bringing humanities-based programming to Lewistown.

Caroline is an accomplished and talented author of fiction and nonfiction, with publications in Seventeen, Southwest Review and Sunset. Her books include two children’s books on natural history, the collection “Ballet at the Moose Lodge”, and the anthology “Montana Women Writers: A Geography of the Heart.” She edited “Montana Women Homesteaders: A Field of One’s Own”, “Border to Border: Historic Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana”, and “Fra Dana: American Impressionist in the Rockies.” Her novel “The Stone Sister” is the winner of the 2020 Big Moose Prize from Black Lawrence Press and was released in September. Caroline writes about the West, the inspiration of remarkable women, and the fragility of daily life through a poignant and introspective voice. In addition to her impressive work, Caroline is also a teacher of writing, bringing her talents and passion to the creative writing program at the University of Montana, the Missoula Writing Collaborative, and Humanities Montana.

I first met Caroline in 2013 when I took a creative writing course from her at the University of Montana. As a biological anthropology major, I rarely got to indulge my creative side as a writer, so I took her class purely for fun. Every class was a joy for me, whether we were discussing a reading, workshopping a classmate’s story, or drinking beers on Caroline’s front porch. Not only was her love for storytelling apparent, but also her passion for bringing out the best storytelling in her students, which she absolutely did. There were stories shared in that class that I will never forget, and I often go back to my memories of Caroline’s course as I prepare for leading my Teen Writers groups. Needless to say, I’m extremely excited to bring Caroline to the Library for this program.

Mark your calendars for November 18 and December 2. If you have questions, please contact the Library.