On Feb. 11, 2019 The Ellen Theater hosted a celebration of the publication of Bozeman from the Heart.

Paula Beswick MC’d the event, introducing June Safford, her co-editor, and the following contributors:  Steve Kirchoff; Chrysti Smith (aka Chrysti the Wordsmith); Greg Keeler; Carolyn Pinet; Valerie Hemingway; Keith McCafferty; Al Kesselheim and John Ludin.

The Eric Funk Quintet, featuring Jeni Fleming (vocals), Jake Fleming (saxaphone), Eddie T. (bass) and Michael Gillan (percussion) could not be included in this edition, due to copyright/royalty regulations. Their music was greatly appreciated by those in attendance.

On the evening of January 30, 2019 an enthusiastic audience of Bozemanites gathered at The Country Bookshelf to celebrate the publication of the book, BOZEMAN FROM THE HEART, edited by June Safford and Paula Beswick. Four contributors shared their stories: Valery Hemingway, Glenn Chamberlain, Mark Sullivan and Jo Anne Troxel. They were introduced by The Country Bookshelf’s Jessica Hahl.

With typical self-deprecation, Al Kesselheim calls himself a “journeyman writer.” That would account for the broad range of his work, from family memoir to fiction to to poetry to journalistic storytelling. But it hardly hints at the deep awareness of the human and natural environment that infuses his writing and his conversation. Listen to him discuss his approach to writing and read from a rounded selection of pieces.