New Mexico State Library, the J. Cloyd Miller Library at Western New Mexico University, and the Public Library of Silver City present a book talk with New Mexico Great Reads authors Caroline Starr Rose and Philip Connors.
What: Join New Mexico's National Book Festival authors Caroline Starr Rose and Philip Connors for a conversation exploring their newest books that were shaped by life perched high above New Mexico in a fire watch tower. "The Burning Season" by Caroline Starr Rose and "The Mountain Knows the Mountain: A Fire Watch Diary" by Philip Connors were selected as the New Mexico Great Reads books for the National Book Festival, held in Washington, DC on August 22. In the juvenile fiction book, "The Burning Season," twelve-year-old Opal is preparing to become a fourth-generation fire lookout on Wolf Mountain in the New Mexico wilderness but has to overcome her fear of fire to carry on the family tradition. In Philip Connors' book, "The Mountain Knows the Mountain," he shares his experiences and renewed intentions as he returns to a fire lookout post in the Gila Wilderness after a year-long recovery from an injury. The book talk is free and open to the public.
New Mexico State Library, J. Cloyd Miller Library at Western New Mexico University, and Public Library of Silver City
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, 10 a.m. - noon
J. Cloyd Miller Library, Western New Mexico University, 1000 W College Ave., Silver City, NM 88061
This event offers New Mexicans a chance to hear from the authors selected for the 2026 New Mexico Great Reads. Each year, the Library of Congress invites state Centers for the Book to select titles that represent their state's literary landscape. These books are showcased at the National Book Festival, celebrating the importance of reading and storytelling.
