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Mountain of Authors

This guide provides information about a free annual community program for local authors and writers.

2024 CALL FOR AUTHORS - MOUNTAIN OF AUTHORS

2024 Mountain of Authors will be Sat., June 22, 12 - 4:30pm at Library 21c

The 2024 Call for Showcase Authors is open!

 >> APPLY HERE <<

If you are a published author of the Pikes Peak region, we invite you to apply to be a Showcase Author. 

Space is limited to 30 applicants.  Click link above for the day's schedule. We will notify selected authors the first week in April. 

A few things to know:

  • Selected authors will have the opportunity to showcase books, meet other authors and attendees, and sell and sign books.
  • Each author will have a five-foot table for displaying.  Authors are responsible for bringing inventory and selling books.
  • Authors may be self-published or traditionally published.  We welcome new authors and returning authors to apply!
  • Event time is 12 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.  We ask authors to arrive at least one hour before the start of the program.
  • All program activities take place in the Venue at Library 21c.
  • There is no charge for this opportunity!
  • If you have any questions, please email us at moa@ppld.org.

Criteria for Selection

Due to space limitations, we are unable to accept every applicant; authors will be judged in light of but not solely on the following criteria:

• Relevant to community needs and interests,

• Favorable attention of critics, reviewers, and the public,

• Reputation/qualifications of author, artist, publisher, or producer without regard to political, religious, or other affiliations,

• Date of publication,

• Artistic merit, literary value, or recognized award recipient,

• Local or national significance,

• Permanence or timeliness,

• Quality of book presentation in relation to content and audience,

•  Legal, licensing, or copyright issues,

• Representation of various cultures, viewpoints, and interests

2024 Mountain of Authors - Keynote Speaker

18th Annual Pikes Peak Library District's Mountain of Authors

Sat., June 22 - Library 21c, 1175 Chapel Hills Dr., Colorado Springs

WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THIS YEAR'S KEYNOTE SPEAKER:  AUTHOR, WRITER, AND ATTORNEY

ADRIAN MILLER

www.adrianemiller.com

Adrian Miller is a food writer, James Beard Award winner, attorney, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. Adrian is featured in the Netflix hit High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.

Adrian received an A.B. in International Relations from Stanford University in 1991, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1995.  From 1999 to 2001, Adrian served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton with his Initiative for One America – the first free-standing office in the White House to address issues of racial, religious and ethnic reconciliation. Adrian went on to serve as a senior policy analyst for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. From 2004 to 2010, he served on the board for the Southern Foodways Alliance. In June 2019, Adrian lectured in the Masters of Gastronomy program at the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche (nicknamed the “Slow Food University”) in Pollenzo, Italy. He is currently the executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches and, as such, is the first African American, and the first layperson, to hold that position. Adrian is also the co-project director and lead curator for the forthcoming “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” exhibit at the Museum of Boulder.

Miller’s first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time won the James Beard Foundation Award for Scholarship and Reference in 2014. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas was published on President’s Day 2017. It was a finalist for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction,” and the 2018 Colorado Book Award for History. Adrian’s third book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue won the 2022 James Beard Award for Reference, History, and Scholarship and the 2022 Colorado Book Award for History. It was nominated for the 2022 International Association of Culinary Professionals Literary & Historical Writing Award.

In 2018, Adrian was awarded the Ruth Fertel “Keeper of the Flame Award” by the Southern Foodways Alliance, in recognition of his work on African American foodways.  In 2019, Adrian received the Judge Henry N. and Helen T. Graven award from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, for being “an outstanding layperson, whose life is nurtured and guided by a strong sense of Christian calling, and who is making a significant contribution to community, church, and our society.” In 2022, Adrian received an Honorary Doctorate from the Denver Institute for Urban Studies and Adult College.

Connect with Adrian Miller on social media:

Facebook: Soul Food Scholar Page

Instagram: @soulfoodscholar

Twitter: @soulfoodscholar

Website: www.adrianemiller.com

(photo credit: Aaron Colussi)

Mountain of Authors

Mountain of Authors (MOA) is an annual community program that provides an opportunity for the public and local authors to network, listen to notable authors, as well as learn more about the craft of writing and trends in publishing. Click on one of the tabs to the left to discover more information about this library program. It is free to attend, there is no registration, and all are welcome!

Upcoming Author Presentations

UPCOMING AUTHOR PRESENTATIONS AND OTHER PROGRAMS OF NOTE

THROUGH THE PIKES PEAK LIBRARY DISTRICT

PROGRAMS ARE FREE TO ATTEND - PLEASE CLICK ON LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Author Rebecca Boyle presents Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are

Thu., Mar. 21 - Library 21c - Click here for more information

PPLD Presents: Author Hampton Sides

Sat., May 4, 3 p.m., Penrose Library - click here for more information