Event:

Jenny Bevill, John Knight, and Janet Fox

To celebrate the re-launch of One Book Montana, 2025 Great Reads from Great Places youth award winner Janet Fox will be in conversation with librarians. After reading from her novel The Mystery of Mystic Mountain Janet will take questions and reflect on the statewide read and plans for next year.

Janet Fox is the award-winning author of twelve books for young readers, including three YA novels, 3 middle grade novels, two picture books, and one middle grade non-fiction, with more books coming. Her most recent books include the middle grade Carry Me Home (Simon & Schuster 2021) about a pair of unhoused sisters, and picture book Wintergarden (Neal Porter Books 2023, illustrated by Jasu Hu) which received four starred reviews. The middle grade The Mystery of Mystic Mountain (Simon & Schuster 2024) is a kid-driven hunt for a long-lost outlaw treasure set on an aging dude ranch in Montana and is a finalist in the Juvenile category for the 2025 Edgar Award from Mystery Writers of America. Janet is a book coach and teacher and has an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives with her husband and their friendly yellow Lab in the Montana mountains. She's represented by Erin Murphy of Aevitas Creative. You can find more at www.janetsfox.com and follow her on writing craft here: https://janetfox.substack.com/

Jenny Bevill, Humanities Montana's Program Development Director, has worked to revitalize the Montana Center for the Book since 2021. A dynamic educational leader with three decades of experience working in public schools, museums, and non-profit organizations in New York City and Montana, Jenny spent 10 years at the Guggenheim Museum and 3½ years at the Missoula Art Museum where she helped develop the virtual learning platform, Museum as Megaphone. Jenny has created content for many statewide arts organizations in Montana including the Office of Public Instruction and the Montana Arts Council. She joined the Humanities Montana speaker bureau in 2016 and was brought on staff in 2021. As the Program Development Director, she also oversees the other programs including the award-winning Democracy Project. Jenny is passionate about the role of libraries in our culture and is also a musician and songwriter.

John Knight, Humanities Montana's Interim Executive Director and former Programs Director, has been a close collaborator in all aspects of the Montana Center for the Book. As a steward of the humanities and nonprofit professional based in Missoula, John led and expanded several well-loved statewide programs including Montana Conversations and the Speakers in the Schools Bureau, and the Democracy Project, paying particular attention to bringing these offerings to rural parts of the state. Before joining Humanities Montana, he served as the Missoula Art Museum’s Registrar and founded and directed several successful art galleries in the Northwest. A practicing artist himself, John is passionate about building dialogue, fostering connection, and advancing culture and uses this passion to drive his commitment to communities across Montana.