By Moira Blazi
On August 30 and 31, two delightful Montana authors are coming to the area to read from their latest works.
Caroline Patterson and Beth Judy, will be at Aunt T’s Coffee Corner in Libby at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 30 and at Real Art Works (RAW) in Troy on Friday, August 31 to read excerpts from Ballet at the Moose Lodge, a collection of short stories, and Bold Women in Montana History, a set of 16 short biographies of women who have made a difference in Montana.
After the readings on Friday, Judy will lead a native plant walk on the Callahan Creek historic trail. The walk will leave the RAW gallery at 5 p.m. and will encompass a four mile round trip stroll that will be easy to moderate difficulty.
Patterson, who taught creative writing workshops at the Lincoln County Library last year, has been writing for over 30 years, and is best known for her award winning anthology, Montana Women Writers; a geography of the heart. Also, the author of children’s book, Bright Bones and a collection Montana Noir stories, Patterson will be reading from her latest work; a collection of short stories.
Judy, who was “the plant detective” on Montana Public Radio for 18 years, will be reading from her first published book, Bold Women in Montana History. The book is a wide-ranging chronicle of extraordinary Montana women who have made a difference, spanning two centuries. It begins with Blackfeet warrior Running Eagle (1820-1850) and spans a wide breath of chronology to include ranchers, homesteaders, artists and warriors up to the present day.
Longtime friends, the two women met at a creative writing workshop at the University of Montana. They soon discovered their mutual interest in Montana women in history. Both authors have worked extensively as freelance magazine writers and they have supported each other’s careers for over 20 years. “Beth had the idea to come here, she made arrangements with the Montana native plant society, and then the readings just fell into place. I am very glad to come back to this beautiful part of the state,” Patterson told The Montanian.
Both women will have plenty of copies of their books on hand to sign.
For more information on the native plant walk and the book readings, please contact Pat McLeod at 293-1343.
Photo of Beth Judy courtesy of the author herself.