Since our founding in 2013, Elk River Arts & Lectures (ERAL), a 501(c)(3) organization, has brought people together to cultivate and celebrate the literary arts in Park County. We began by inviting an array of world-class authors to share their perspectives in free public lectures, then interact with students in local classrooms here in Park County. Since hiring a part-time executive director in 2021, ERAL has done more and more to enrich and engage our community through increasingly collaborative literary programming. Our free programs enlist the many writers and creative individuals who give our community its unique character to share their knowledge and passion with others. We support youth-driven creative endeavors, such as our teen writing club and their zine. And we have more plans in the pipeline to deploy the literary arts to foster a sense of connection among people of all ages throughout Park County.

Our flagship program is our LECTURE SERIES, in which we host renowned authors for free public lectures and visits to our local schools. We frequently partner with other organizations - from the Park High Green Initiative to the Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation - to host writers from near and far.

POETRY IN THE CLASSROOM brings local poets into fourth-grade classrooms, providing them opportunities to explore new creative tools and modes of expression while developing the skills to carry a creative project to completion. Look out for our 2024 chapbook and video featuring student poems!

Our STORYTELLING NIGHTS foster community connection through the age-old art of storytelling. The turnout at these events is a testament to their power: the average audience size at our Storytelling Nights is 125 people. Our STORYTELLING POP UP CLUB, a collaboration with the Community School Collaborative, brings the program to middle schoolers.

Our youth writing club, LIVINGSTON LITERARIES, is a space where middle and high school-aged writing enthusiasts can build skills while building community. Members are hard at work on the second issue of their literary magazine, which features their writing and artwork.

The ELK RIVER WRITERS WORKSHOP, ERAL's only fee-based program, brings aspiring writers together with the nation's best literary educators to refine their craft. Located at Chico Hot Springs, the five-day workshop includes readings and panels that are free and open to the public.

We at ERAL believe - and research shows - that the opportunity to gather and engage with diverse perspectives is a powerful antidote to the feelings of hardship and isolation so many in our community experience.

We owe the success of these programs to this amazing community. Thank you for your financial support, for venturing out to events, for being part of the conversation - all key to sustaining the literary arts in our unique corner of Montana.

Literary Livingston lives on!