The Teton County Library is announcing the lineup for their annual literary festival called Mountain Story 2023.
The festival is devoted to great writing and the great outdoors. It features an in-depth look through film and panel discussion as well as workshops on podcasting, art, and photography.
Mountain Story 2023 is scheduled January 25th through February 9th at various locations around the valley.
Leah Shlachter, the library’s adult program coordinator said that Mountain Story 2023 celebrates the abundant talent and knowledge that exists in Jackson, featuring an all-local lineup of photographers, artists, filmmakers, podcast creators, and avalanche experts.
Mountain Story 2023 Schedule at a glance
- In and Around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Travels in our Backyard by Bike, Foot, and Boat with Don Carpenter
Wednesday, January 25th at 6:00 PM at the Alta Branch Library
A 1200-mile bike ride around the perimeter of Yellowstone and multiple trips into the core wilderness areas by foot and boat have given Don Carpenter a unique view of the vast, varied, and complex landscape of our incredible backyard. Join us at the Alta Library to learn about the perspective gained and lessons learned during these remarkable explorations.
- Make Them Laugh, Make Them Cry, But Make Them Wait
Melinda Binks & Matt Hansen
Thursday, January 26th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Ordway Auditorium
This workshop is an introduction to storytelling through podcasting with examples shared from the presenters’ experience with the podcast The Fine Line, explaining how to weave a narrative through complex and emotional topics such as trauma in the backcountry. The workshop also addresses the importance of sound and editing in podcasting, how to approach and conduct an interview, and how to engage an audience in the hectic digital age. Participants should expect a practical component during which they practice interviewing skills.
- The Art of Paying Attention: Documenting A Life at Home and Abroad
with Wendell Locke Field
Tuesday, January 31st from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Ordway Auditorium
Field shares the stories he’s accumulated over decades spent traveling as an artist and living close to the ground in Kelly, WY. He touches on the process and materials he uses in faraway places, how “notes” taken on the road can be expanded upon at home and talks about how creating while traveling slows you down and opens doors to new experiences.
- Mountain Stories: A Painter’s Journey
Wendell Locke Field Exhibit Opening
Thursday, February 2nd from 5:30-7:00 PM in the Library Gallery
Field shows works spanning many years, depicting scenes from the Andes to the Himalayas and the Sangre de Cristos to the Northern Rockies. This exhibit includes oil paintings, watercolors done in remote locations, travel drawings, woodblock prints, and multi-media pieces, revealing both the journey and the destination—how on-location studies in charcoal and watercolor become finished pieces in oil.
Avalanche Film and panel discussion
- “Buried” Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Drew Kneeland, Lanny Johnson, Jen Reddy, Mike Rheam, Lewis Smirl
Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00 PM at the Center for the Arts. Free tickets available on Tuesday, January 24th at tclib.org/mountainstory.
In the early 1980’s, the Alpine Meadows Ski Patrol were the undisputed gods of winter in Lake Tahoe, California. They were a crew full of hubris and a zest for explosives. They were guided by a newly minted avalanche forecaster named Jim Plehn, a stickler for safety at the avalanche-prone resort. The responsibility to keep the skiing public safe was an obsession of the crew, making the day of March 31, 1982 all the more devastating. That’s when the avalanche of broke free. Millions of pounds of snow demolished the resort’ and burying eight.
“Buried” tells the incredible story of how the rescue team persevered, never losing hope for a miracle. A panel discussion follows the film, featuring local avalanche experts and one of the film’s contributors.
- Photo Workshop: Finding Your Own Path
Sofia Jaramillo
Thursday, February 9th from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Ordway Auditorium
Jaramillo takes you through her journey as a photographer. She shares her philosophy on photography and business, to inspires you to take the next step.
Find out more about Mountain Story 2023
Find the full festival schedule and presenter bios at tclib.org/mountainstory.
Library programs are free and open to the public thanks to your donations, large and small, toTeton County Library Foundation & Friends.
You can find Teton County Library online at www.tclib.org, call us at 307.733.2164 or visit us at 125 Virginian Lane, Jackson WY, and 50 Alta School Road, Alta WY.
