Reading Colorado : A Literary Road Guide

Take a drive into the literary landscapes of Colorado. Meet Kent Haruf’s bachelor farmers in the Eastern Plains, ford the South Platte with Mark Twain, rail against nuclear weapons with Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg, hitch a ride to Denver with Jack Kerouac, climb the highest peaks with Isabella Bird and Enos Mills, explore the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde with Willa Cather. 

Reading Colorado, a high-octane road trip through the diverse literary landscapes of the Centennial State, gathers narratives of exploration, stories from the mining and agricultural frontiers, urban tales reflecting the emergence and growth of Denver and the Front Range, and a diverse range of contemporary voices, from the Plains to the Peaks, who invite readers into their home territory. 

The travel guide format is perfect for exploring Colorado in a hammock strung between some aspens, on the couch with your feet kicked up by the fire, or by hitting the road with your favorite traveling companion. This guide includes many writers not yet anthologized as well as others who have become household names and its place-based focus makes it easy to zoom in on literature that features your favorite locations. It will deepen the map, enhancing road trips for residents, visitors, and armchair travelers alike. 

Peter Anderson’s books include Heading Home: Field Notes, a collection of flash prose and prose poems exploring rural life and the modern day eccentricities of the American West and First Church of the Higher Elevations, a collection of essays on wildness, mountain places, and the life of the spirit. He lives with his family on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado where he launched the Crestone Poetry Festival, an annual gathering of southwestern poets.