The American West is a rich literary landscape which inspires great works in all genres, from poetry to journalism. The Pulitzer Prizes have been honoring many of those great works for 100 years now, and in celebration of that centennial, Colorado Humanities created a three-part reading and conversation series on "The American West as Living Space."

It will start on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Pine River Library and continue on Oct. 12 and 19. All sessions run from 6 to 8 p.m.

The conversations will be facilitated by local scholar Duane Smith and local poet William Pitt Root. On Oct. 5, the discussion will be based on the poetry and journalism selections, Oct. 12 will feature non-fiction, and Oct. 19 will focus on fiction.

Advanced sign-up is required to receive a free copy of the reader. Register at the library information desk or call 884-2222, ext. 510.

The readings and conversations will be focused on work by Pulitzer-recognized authors and were selected in consultation with Dr. Ronald Edgerton, University of Northern Colorado history professor emeritus and avid reader about the West. Pine River Library was one of the libraries chosen to host a conversation series.

Participants will receive a free reader which includes excerpts from important texts like The American West as Living Space by Wallace Stegner; Los Angeles Times feature articles on California's dust bowl and wildfires; In Close Range, Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx; The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich; and Turtle Island by Gary Snyder.

This program is part of the Pulitzer Prizes Centennial Campfires Initiative, a joint venture of the Pulitzer Prizes Board and the Federation of State Humanities Councils in celebration of the 2016 centennial of the prizes. The initiative seeks to illuminate the impact of journalism and the humanities on American life today, to imagine their future and to inspire new generations to consider the values represented by the body of Pulitzer Prize-winning work.