The 36th Flathead River Writers Conference

Thresholds & Frontiers: Writing Your Next Best Story

Masterclass: Friday September 25, 2026
Writers Conference: Sat & Sun September 26-27, 2026
Kalispell, Montana, 30 minutes from Glacier National Park

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2026 Conference Faculty – September 26-27

Saturday’s Keynote Speaker:
Author Michael Punke

Keynote title:
“Writing the Story that Only You Can Write“

Keynote Description:

Sunday’s Keynote Speaker:
Author Peter Stark

Keynote title:
“Lost Cities and the Mystery of Discovering a Story Idea“

Keynote Description:
“The bestselling author of The Lost Cities of El Norte, Stark traces the path that led to this book and to earlier works such as Astoria, illuminating the process by which a story idea emerges. The new release has been chosen by America’s librarians as the April nonfiction choice for their “LibraryReads” program, and chosen by the Los Angeles Times, as one of their Top 10 books to read for April.

Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, a New York Times bestseller and a PEN USA Literary Award finalist. A longtime correspondent for Outside magazine, Stark has also been published in Smithsonian, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Men’s Journal. His other books include Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father, a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize; and Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison’s Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation. He lives in Montana with his wife and children.

Bio:
Peter Stark is an adventurer and historian whose most recent book is The Lost Cities of El Norte: Coronado’s Quest, the Unconquered West, and the Birth of American Indian Resistance (Mariner/HarperCollins, Spring 2026).  Born in Wisconsin, he grew up in an outdoorsy family, graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Wisconsin, then wrote adventure-travel articles for magazines such as Outside, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine, and others.  After paddling a kayak in the harrowing “first descent” of Mozambique’s Lugenda River (2002), and escaping confrontations with hippos, crocs, waterfalls, and black mambas around almost every bend, Stark pulled back from his own edgy adventures and pivoted toward exploration history and first contact between Europeans and Indigenous people.  His other books include The Last Empty Places (2010), At the Mercy of the River (2005), Last Breath (2001), the New York Times-bestseller Astoria (2014), Young Washington (2018),and  Gallop Toward the Sun (2023).

Friday, September 25, 2026
10am-4:30pm

Masterclass with
Robert Petrone

Presentation Title:
Developing the “Internal Narrative” in Memoir Writing

Presentation Description:
What matters most in memoir is not “what happened” in someone’s life but rather the meaning-making the narrator does in relation to what happened. This meaning-making is often referred to as the “internal narrative” and tends to be more challenging for memoirists to develop. In this workshop, we’ll explore the idea of the “internal narrative” by examining examples of published memoirs, engaging in writing activities, and grappling with the core question memoirs must center: What meaning have you made of what happened in your life?

*While this workshop is ideally suited for writers working on any stage of memoir, it will also be useful for writers of other genres interested in first-person point of view narration.

Bio: Robert Petrone, Ph.D., is a creative nonfiction writer and an Associate Professor of English Education at the University of Missouri where he teaches classes on creative nonfiction and writing pedagogy. He is currently revising a coming-of-age memoir, Used Cars, which focuses on his experiences growing up in a large Italian Catholic, New York family amidst parental disability, secrecy, and shame.

Additional Workshop

Title: Writing about Your Writing as an Approach to Revision

Description: Getting a first draft done can be challenging enough. Revising it, however, can often feel even more daunting. This workshop focuses on a process—writing about writing—that supports the necessary “re-envisioning” of your work to open new possibilities for substantive revisions. In this hands-on workshop, participants will engage in a series of writing prompts designed to help them see their work anew and come up with a plan for revisions.

https://cehd.missouri.edu/person/robert-petrone/

Offering the following: Developmental feedback for Memoir, Creative Nonfiction, and Life-writing

 

Agent Julie Stevenson

Presentation Title:
Open Territory: Writing Within and Beyond Category

Presentation Description:
In today’s trade publishing landscape, categories matter. Editors and agents rely on them to position books in the market, reach readers, and make the case for acquisition. But what if you don’t want to fence in your writing?

This workshop explores how genre and category function behind the scenes in publishing: how editors and agents think about them, why they’re essential to the business, and where there is room to stretch. We’ll look at how successful fiction and nonfiction books navigate and blur boundaries, and how writers can remain inventive while still presenting their work in a way that is clear, compelling, and sellable.

Bio:
Julie Stevenson is a literary agent with Massie, McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents in New York. She represents literary and upmarket fiction, suspense, memoir, graphic novels, narrative nonfiction, young adult fiction and children’s picture books. She is drawn to storytelling with unforgettable characters, an authorial command of voice, and a strong sense of narrative tension. She looks for work that explores the depths of human experience, particularly the many facets of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and regional and international backgrounds. She’s agented #1 New York Times and international best sellers, as well as books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Award, the Eisner Honor, and the Caldecott Honor. Before she became an agent, Julie worked in the editorial departments of Tin House and Publishers Weekly. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.F.A in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

Offering pitch sessions if your manuscript is agent ready.

 

Literary Agent Rayhané Sanders

Presentation Title:
The Moment Before Yes: Crossing the Threshold to Representation

Presentation Description:
A pivotal moment in a writer’s trajectory marks the crossing from private manuscript into the professional literary marketplace. In this candid and practical session, literary agent Rayhané Sanders demystifies the passage between writing and representation, offering a clear-eyed view of how projects are evaluated and what distinguishes those that move forward.

At a certain point, craft alone is not enough—the writer must step forward with clarity, authority, and a distinct voice. Sanders explores what agents are truly looking for, how to recognize when a project is ready, and the key elements—voice, structure, and positioning—that signal professional potential.

What happens in the moment before an agent says yes? Sanders addresses how submissions are assessed, how writers can position their work effectively, and what separates projects that advance from those that do not.

Blending industry insight with a clear understanding of what makes a project ready, this session offers a grounded path from draft to submission. Writers will leave with the tools to prepare their work—and the confidence to step into the next phase of their writing lives.

Bio:
Rayhané Sanders is a literary agent at Massie McQuilkin & Altman with over sixteen years of industry experience. She began her career at Newsweek Magazine, before moving to book publishing, working for Penguin Group USA and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on the publisher side, then for William Morris Endeavor (WME) on the agency side. Rayhané has been at MMQA since 2014.  She represents literary, historical, and book club fiction, including short story collections; narrative nonfiction; and select memoir. Her clients include bestselling and award-winning authors Lidia Yuknavitch, Te-Ping Chen, Janet Beard, Ghassan Zeineddine, Daisy Hernández, Matthew Gavin Frank, and more. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents.

As an independent book editor, Rayhané also offers a wide range of editorial and consulting services to non-agency clients.

Offering pitch sessions if your manuscript is agent ready.

 

Mandy Smoker Broaddus

Past Poet Laureate/Author

Presentation Title:
The intersections of memory, relationship, and place in poetry

Presentation Description:
Join us as we trace the threads of memory, the bonds of relationship, and our deep ties to the land through the written word. By engaging with curated poems and creative prompts, we’ll dive into the vivid imagery and fine details that bring our stories—and ourselves—into focus.

Bio:
M.L. Smoker is Nakoda, Dakota and Lakota, a citizen of the Fort Peck Tribes. She served as Montana poet laureate from 2019-2021 with Melissa Kwasny. She received an MFA from the University of Montana, was recognized as an alumna of the year 2019 and an honorary doctorate in 2023. Her collection of poems, Another Attempt at Rescue, was published by Hanging Loose Press in 2005. She also co authored a children’s graphic novel entitled Thunderous (2022). She received a regional Emmy award for her work as a writer/consultant on the PBS documentary Indian Relay. She has worked in Indigenous education for over 20 years in Montana and throughout the country.

Offering consultation or feedback for poetry, children’s books, or graphic novels.

 

Marybeth Lorbiecki

Presentation Title:
Children’s Books Nuts and Bolts

Presentation Description:
Join us for a swift overview of the

• types of children’s book opportunities out there
• what makes a book work well
• tips on the writing, and
• how to break into publication.

There’ll be time for questions and answers.

Bio:
Marybeth Lorbiecki, M.A, brings to her workshop knowledge gained as a children’s book editor and author of over 25 children’s books, most of them award-winners. (She was the Wisconsin Children’s Book Author of the Year 2008 and twice winner of the Living the Dream Award.) She has served as a freelance editor of adult and children’s books, run workshops on memoir and creative writing, and taught literature, writing, and an in-depth exploration of children’s books at the university level as an adjunct instructor. Her musical “Lucette! Paul Bunyan Meets His Match” (formerly subtitled “A Lively Tale of Lumberjacks, Trees & Paul Bunyan”) was workshopped at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and is in process of moving to next steps. One of the actors proclaims Lucette “the new Lorax!”. The work is based on her children’s picture book “Paul Bunyan’s Sweetheart,” where Paul and his lumberjacks are put through three fun love tests to help them have a more holistic view of the trees and forests.

www.marybethlorbiecki.com

Offering consultation or feedback for children’s book development and editing.

 

Becky Parker Geist

Audiobook Producer and Narrator (SOVA award winner)

Presentation Description:
Her two breakout sessions include: The Audiobook Blueprint: Making Smart, Empowered Audiobook Decisions from Manuscript to Marketplace and Beyond Audible: Your 2026 Audiobook Strategy Playbook.

Bio:
Becky Parker Geist is the Founder & CEO of AMPlify Audiobooks and Pro Audio Voices, President of BAIPA (Bay Area Independent Publishers Assn), host of the Audiobook Connection podcast, and co-host of the Indie Authors Tell All podcast. Becky and her team at Pro Audio Voices developed AMPlify Audiobooks, the ground-breaking audiobook platform designed to help authors, listeners, narrators and anyone with a love of audiobooks to connect, build community, and thrive.

Pro Audio Voices typically works with rights-holders who are eager to reach their full potential, widest audience, and increase their impact. Producing, distributing and marketing audiobooks and podcasts, Becky and her team create exceptional audio experiences—from single narrator (pro or author) to full cast immersive projects—and help authors reach more people while providing the tools and higher royalties rights-holders deserve.

Becky is also the author of six independently published books: 3 nonfiction, 2 children’s, 1 novel. She is the recipient of the Publishing Professional Network’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award, the 2025 Inc Female Founders Award, and the 2026 SOVAS Award for Best Audiobook Producer. She presents regularly at book industry events.

Offering Consultation or feedback for audiobook development, project ideas, and next steps.

 

Author Kathy Dunnehoff

Presentation Title: Stop Procrastinating… Tomorrow

Presentation Description:
Writers want to write, but a variety of things get in between us and the page. If we can identify them, we can learn ways to work around them and increase our productivity. We might even stop procrastinating today.

Bio: Kathy Dunnehoff is a National Bestselling women’s fiction & romantic comedy novelist with the ability to bring writing and life together with insight and humor. Her novels include The Do-Over, Back to U, Hollywood Beginnings, and Plan On It, and she’s a produced playwright.

After more than three decades teaching creative writing at the college level, Kathy offers writers a series of friendly guides. The first one, Hello, Writer: Plan to Have Your Best Writing Year Ever! And the second one (which ironically took her a while to finish) Hello, Writer: Stop Procrastinating… Tomorrow!

 

Author Carl Bond Stevens

Presentation Title:
Reading to Write

Presentation Description:
Want to explore new frontiers in your writing? Or just want to strengthen your narrative voice, character development or other craft elements in your work? This session is intended to direct you to proven sources that can illustrate mastery of those story elements that stump you. Where, you ask? To the acknowledged craft masters of literature. Of course, we all have read them, but have we studied how they did it? The heart of this workshop is to present passages from literary works that demonstrate outstanding craftsmanship practices. We will also ask you who you studied to gain clarity in your own work, to share with the group. The overall goal is to remind you of the vast array of resources available to you right there on your bookshelf in a lively, interactive setting.

Bio: Carl Bond Stevens is a ‘recovering’ CPA. After a twenty-year business career, he earned an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College. Since then, he has worked extensively in organizational diagnostics, forensic consulting and analytical writing; his client base ranged from small entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 100 multinational firms. He has taught writing at community colleges in Montana and Alaska. Recently, he has completed two novels. He is a board member of Authors of the Flathead. A native of south Louisiana, he lives there and in Montana. The geography and people of both places are at the core of his writing voice.

 

Author Shayla Paradeis

Presentation Title: Empowered Self Publishing

Presentation Description:
Paradeis will talk about her journey of taking her life experiences of walking across the country five times and turning it into a touring, storytelling career. With the help of Light of the Moon Inc, a mother/daughter company based out of Carbondale, Colorado, Shayla was able to turn her adventure blogs into a book in only 6 months. At an affordable cost and with professional design and support, she published Footprint of a Heart in 2023, made her money back in the first season, and is grateful to own the full rights and build tours that reach the hearts of many nature and community enthusiasts worldwide. In her presentation, we’ll learn about the process of getting her book and business ‘on its feet.’

Bio:
Shayla Paradeis is an ecosystems storyteller who believes in the power of the human heart. She has walked across the country five times and shares songs, narrative, and poetry readings from her book, Footprint of a Heart. Her message is about the beauty of humanity and the profound communion we have with nature.
Her work as a wilderness guide and naturalist in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks has brought her a deep respect for the models nature has displayed of systems that honor every part of the whole. With an ever-expanding passion for the web of life, she walks as an act of deep listening to honor life itself.

 

Tiffany Williams – Speaker