The 8th Annual High Plains Bookfest

Those that are passionate about the written word will be able to celebrate their love of literature at the 8th Annual High Plains BookFest and High Plains Book Awards. Hosted by the YMCA Writer’s Voice and Parmly Billings Library, this year’s event will be held later this month at various locations around downtown Billings. Featuring presentations by published authors, panel discussions, readings, a nominated authors’ banquet for the High Plains Book Awards, and a mini-film festival, this year’s themes are murder, mystery, and mayhem.The event kicks off at the Western Heritage Center with the Case of the Disappearing Last Stand, featuring Rocky Mountain College professor and historian Tim Lehman. This novel narrates in vividly gruesome detail the battle of Custer’s Last Stand and will forever change your perception of the events that unfolded. And during the evening a unique theatrical production will also be performed that details the mysterious disappearance of Montana’s first governor. The play starts at 7 p.m. at the Babcock Theatre.The 2010 High Plains Book Awards – Purchase TicketsThe 2010 High Plains Book Awards banquet will be held at the MSU Billings Student Union. Western styled Authors from around the country have been selected for honors in six categories including Fiction, Non-fiction, First Book, Zonta (women writers), Poetry and Emeritus, which recognizes one author for an entire body of work. The banquet is open to the public. To purchase tickets visit www.highplainsbookawards.org.Emeritus Award Winner 2010 – Margaret CoelNew York Times best-selling author Margaret Coel is the renowned writer of the Wind River mystery series, which are set among the Arapahos on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. These novels have received full recognition and have been on the bestseller lists of various newspapers including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. Margaret Coel will be honored with the 2010 Emeritus Award at the High Plains Book Awards.For More InformationFor more information about the 8th Annual High Plains Bookfest and to view a more detailed schedule of events, visit www.billings365.com/HighPlainsBookfest.Special Bookfest Room Rate & Host Hotel

Dude Rancher Lodge is the Bookfest host hotel, and all of the event’s authors will be staying here. We are offering a Special Bookfest Room Rate for those in town to attend the festivities.