Library invites public to attend evening with poet laureate

The Belgrade Library and Community Center is inviting the public to attend an evening with poet Allen Morris Jones this week.

“Montana Poet Laureate Allen Morris Jones has used storytelling as a foundation for his work across several literary forms, including novels, children’s books, personal essays, and, of course, poetry,” reads a press release from the City of Belgrade. “Over the course of an hour, Allen will offer a compelling presentation that describes his personal journey toward finding the essential, irreducible elements of storytelling, a reading from his own, autobiographical poetry, demonstrating how we can find narratives in various aspects of our own lives, and a solicitation of stories from the audience, with prompts to help them get started telling their own stories."

The event, part of the Montana Conversations program, is free and open to the public and will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 12, at the library, 205 E. Main St., Belgrade. It’s one of several community events the city is hosting as part of Belgrade Celebrates America 250, a local celebration recognizing the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“Funding for the Montana Conversations program is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, the Heyneman Foundation and private donations,” the release reads. “We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund.”

Jones authored three novels, three children’s books, an award-winning collection of poetry, and more than 100 published personal essays, profiles, short stories, and other incidental pieces. His first novel, “Last Year’s River,” was selected by Barnes and Noble for its Discover Great New Writers program. His second novel, “A Bloom of Bones,” was recognized as a Montana Book Award honor book. His recent poetry collection, “Mumblecusser,” was a High Plains Book Award winner as well as a Montana Book Award honor book.

Jones' first children’s book, “Montana for Kids,” won a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. With William Kittredge, he edited The Best of Montana’s Short Fiction. He has worked as a magazine editor, as an acquisitions editor, small press publisher, and as a communications director for MSU.

Jones is a graduate of Park High School in Livingston and of the University of Montana in Missoula. He lives in Bozeman with his wife and teenage son.