Community Calendar

Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival will return to Lander October 9-11, 2026, bringing together writers, readers, artists and storytellers for a weekend celebrating the literary arts in all their forms.
Described as “an art show for writers, a story festival for readers,” Bookmarked continues to create a welcoming space for the community to experience stories on the page, on stage and, this year, through visual and cinematic arts.
The Keynote presentation “Scaling Adaptation: Taking Chomolungma from Stage to Screen,” will be hosted in the Carnegie Room at the Lander Library at 6:30 p.m. This event is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.
The presentation will explore the collaborative process of adapting Chomolungma from a stage play into a short narrative film. It will feature a read-through of the screenplay, and a panel comprised of playwright Molly Jones, theater director Anne Mason, filmmaker Sophie Barksdale and artists Oakley Boycott and Sarah Ortegon HighWalking. Together, they will discuss how a story evolves as it moves between artistic forms and how writing, performance, visual art and filmmaking each contribute to building its world.

A highlight of the festival is the yearly Bookmarked Book Fair from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, October 10, at the Lander Senior Center, 205 S.10th Street. The fair will give readers an opportunity to meet featured writers, discover new work and celebrate the region’s literary community.

A free family afternoon at the foot of Shell Canyon, out in the backyard at the Old Shell Store.

Hay rides through the Shell valley with the Shell Valley Volunteer Fire Department. A petting zoo with goats, sheep and friends. Free face painting by Benjiporn Helburn. Pumpkin bowling, axe throwing and backyard games.

Live music featuring Holland Dotson.

The kitchen is serving dinner, there's local beer on tap, and the bakery makes cakes and cookies just for the day.

All activities weather permitting.