CCPL Fireweed LitArts Festival
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Campbell County Public Library (CCPL) in Gillette, WY, invites authors, artists, and the community to turn up the creative heat at Fireweed LitArts Festival! Join us for an opening reception hosted by The Library Foundation Inc. and Friends of the Library on Friday, August 7 (details coming soon), followed by a full day of celebrating writers, artists, and wild ideas that bloom in the heat on Saturday, August 8, 10am to 4:30pm. We're excited to welcome bestselling authors Anne Hillerman, Craig Johnson, James Chandler and Reavis Wortham as our featured authors!
🖊️ Authors, Artists & Vendors: Sign up today! tinyurl.com/CCPLFireweedRegistration
🖊️Learn about other attending authors and artists!
tinyurl.com/CCPLFireweedParticipants
This celebration brings together writers, artists, and creative thinkers from across the region for a lively festival of stories, art, and imagination. Inspired by the resilience and brilliance of ideas that thrive in unexpected places, the Fireweed LitArts Festival highlights the bold creativity blooming in Campbell County and beyond. Whether you're an avid reader, aspiring writer, art lover, or simply curious, there’s something to spark every imagination.
•Q&A with authors Anne Hillerman, Craig Johnson, James Chandler, and Reavis Wortham
•Dark Winds screening and discussion with Anne Hillerman
•Longmire screening and discussion with Craig Johnson
•Plotting a Thriller writing workshop with James Chandler
•The Road to Publication, and Other Great Disasters presented by Reavis Wortham
•Author readings and book signings
•Artist booths
•Panel discussions
•Opportunities to connect with creators of all kinds
Anne Hillerman, bestselling New York Times author, is acclaimed for continuing the beloved Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mystery series – the latest title, Shadow of the Solstice, was published in January, 2026. Hillerman will take part in a special in-conversation Q&A titled “Why Libraries Made Me a Writer," where she will reflect on the powerful role libraries have played in her life and career. The festival will also feature a screening of an episode of Dark Winds, followed by a discussion comparing the television adaptation with Tony Hillerman’s original work.
Craig Johnson is one of Wyoming’s own New York Times bestselling authors and just released number 22 in his full-length Longmire adventures, The Brothers McKay. In addition, Johnson's mysteries are the inspiration for the hit Netflix series, Longmier. Johnson has received numerous awards, including the 2025 Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Contributions to Western Literature, Western Writers of America Spur Award, Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award, and France’s Prix du Roman Noir.He makes his home in Ucross, Wyoming (population 25).
James Chandler, bestselling Wall Street Journal author, welcomes all aspiring writers to his writing workshop, Plotting a Thriller. Chandler, also known as Wyoming Circuit Court Judge Paul Phillips, is the author of the Sam Johnstone legal thriller series, known for its fast-paced courtroom drama and Western settings. The latest in the series, Reasonable Suspicion, was released in April 2026. All are welcome to Chandler's workshop to explore what keeps readers turning pages late into the night! Learn about the essential elements of crafting a gripping thriller: suspense, pacing, twists, and rising tension that will keep your audience guessing until the very end. Perfect for writers of all experience levels, his workshop will provide practical insight into crafting compelling fiction.
Reavis Z. Wortham retired in 2011 and now works harder than before as the author of the critically acclaimed Red River historical mystery series. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top 12 Mysteries of 2011. True West Magazine included Dark Places as one of 2015’s Top 12 Modern Westerns. The Providence Journal said “Unraveled is a hidden gem of a book that reads like Craig Johnson’s Longmire on steroids.” Wortham is the author of 20 novels, starting with the historical Red River mysteries, the high octane contemporary western series featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke, the traditional Cap Whitlatch westerns, and his new western horror series that kicks off with Comancheria. He’s the winner of two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and six Will Rogers Medallions. In addition, he received the Benjamin Franklin award for his first novel, The Rock Hole.
Full Festival schedule coming soon! For more information, contact Campbell County Public Library at 307.687.0009.
🖊️ Authors, Artists & Vendors: Sign up today! tinyurl.com/CCPLFireweedRegistration
🖊️Learn about other attending authors and artists!
tinyurl.com/CCPLFireweedParticipants
This celebration brings together writers, artists, and creative thinkers from across the region for a lively festival of stories, art, and imagination. Inspired by the resilience and brilliance of ideas that thrive in unexpected places, the Fireweed LitArts Festival highlights the bold creativity blooming in Campbell County and beyond. Whether you're an avid reader, aspiring writer, art lover, or simply curious, there’s something to spark every imagination.
•Q&A with authors Anne Hillerman, Craig Johnson, James Chandler, and Reavis Wortham
•Dark Winds screening and discussion with Anne Hillerman
•Longmire screening and discussion with Craig Johnson
•Plotting a Thriller writing workshop with James Chandler
•The Road to Publication, and Other Great Disasters presented by Reavis Wortham
•Author readings and book signings
•Artist booths
•Panel discussions
•Opportunities to connect with creators of all kinds
Anne Hillerman, bestselling New York Times author, is acclaimed for continuing the beloved Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mystery series – the latest title, Shadow of the Solstice, was published in January, 2026. Hillerman will take part in a special in-conversation Q&A titled “Why Libraries Made Me a Writer," where she will reflect on the powerful role libraries have played in her life and career. The festival will also feature a screening of an episode of Dark Winds, followed by a discussion comparing the television adaptation with Tony Hillerman’s original work.
Craig Johnson is one of Wyoming’s own New York Times bestselling authors and just released number 22 in his full-length Longmire adventures, The Brothers McKay. In addition, Johnson's mysteries are the inspiration for the hit Netflix series, Longmier. Johnson has received numerous awards, including the 2025 Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Contributions to Western Literature, Western Writers of America Spur Award, Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award, and France’s Prix du Roman Noir.He makes his home in Ucross, Wyoming (population 25).
James Chandler, bestselling Wall Street Journal author, welcomes all aspiring writers to his writing workshop, Plotting a Thriller. Chandler, also known as Wyoming Circuit Court Judge Paul Phillips, is the author of the Sam Johnstone legal thriller series, known for its fast-paced courtroom drama and Western settings. The latest in the series, Reasonable Suspicion, was released in April 2026. All are welcome to Chandler's workshop to explore what keeps readers turning pages late into the night! Learn about the essential elements of crafting a gripping thriller: suspense, pacing, twists, and rising tension that will keep your audience guessing until the very end. Perfect for writers of all experience levels, his workshop will provide practical insight into crafting compelling fiction.
Reavis Z. Wortham retired in 2011 and now works harder than before as the author of the critically acclaimed Red River historical mystery series. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top 12 Mysteries of 2011. True West Magazine included Dark Places as one of 2015’s Top 12 Modern Westerns. The Providence Journal said “Unraveled is a hidden gem of a book that reads like Craig Johnson’s Longmire on steroids.” Wortham is the author of 20 novels, starting with the historical Red River mysteries, the high octane contemporary western series featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke, the traditional Cap Whitlatch westerns, and his new western horror series that kicks off with Comancheria. He’s the winner of two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and six Will Rogers Medallions. In addition, he received the Benjamin Franklin award for his first novel, The Rock Hole.
Full Festival schedule coming soon! For more information, contact Campbell County Public Library at 307.687.0009.
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Where is it happening?
2101 S 4-J Rd, Gillette, WY, United States, Wyoming 82718
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherCampbell County Public Library
