Keynote Event: A Conversation with Willy Vlautin

Nevada Humanitiesconnects and transforms communities by sharing and amplifying the stories, ideas, experiences, and traditions of the diverse people of Nevada.

Nevada Humanities

Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl presents a special Keynote Event with author Willy Vlautin in conversation with Gailmarie Pahmeier

Nevada Museum of Art

<h3>Important Note: This event is sold out. A waiting list is open for tickets that may become available in the future due to cancellations.</h3> <h3>About the Keynote Event</h3>Author Willy Vlautin returns home to Reno as the keynote author for the 2025 Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl. Winner of the Joyce Carol Oates literary prize, Vlautin will discuss his work and his latest novel The Horse with former Nevada Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier. A moderated Q&amp;A session and a book signing will follow the keynote event. Tickets are required for admission; there is a limit of one ticket reservation per person.

<h3>About the Artists</h3><ul><li>Willy Vlautin, born and raised in Reno, Nevada, has published seven novels: The Motel Life (2007), Northline (2008), Lean on Pete (2010), The Free (2014), Don’t Skip Out on Me (2018), The Night Always Comes (2021), and The Horse (2024). Vlautin received the prestigious Joyce Carol Oates literary prize earlier this year. The Motel Life and Lean on Pete have been adapted into major motion pictures, and The Night Always Comes recently completed filming in Portland, Oregon. He also founded the bands Richmond Fontaine and the Delines.</li><li>Gailmarie Pahmeier taught creative writing at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she is now emeritus faculty. Widely published, Pahmeier is the author of three chapbooks and three full-length collections of poetry, the most recent being Of Bone, Of Ash, Of Ordinary Saints (WSC Press). She has received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts from the state of Nevada, has served the City of Reno as its first Poet Laureate, has been inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, and has been recognized by Nevada Humanities as an Outstanding Teacher in the Humanities. In 2021, she accepted the position of Poet Laureate, State of Nevada, and she was a 2022 Laureate Fellow of the Academy of American Poets.</li></ul>

<h3>About the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl</h3>This special Keynote Event is part of the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl. The Crawl returns to Reno on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with a joyful day of panel discussions, book signings, workshops, performances and family-friendly activities that celebrates the written word in all of its forms. All events take place at local businesses and organizations throughout the California Avenue corridor and Downtown Reno. The Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl is open to participants of all ages.<h3>Sponsors and Community Partners</h3>The Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl is supported in part by: The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, City of Reno, Kinross Nevada, UNR Core Humanities, Nevada Arts Council, Nevada Museum of Art, Arts for All Nevada, Washoe County Library System, KUNR Public Radio, (Media Sponsor), Mabble Media, The Discovery, Downtown Reno Library, Sierra Arts Foundation, The Radical Cat, The Holland Project, Black Mountain Institute, 1864 Tavern, Great Basin Community Food Co-op, Bibo Coffee Co., RareTea, The Wheyfarer, Elixir Superfood &amp; Juice, KWNK, Grassroots Books, Thistle and Nightshade, G.I.R.L.S. Rock Reno, Black Rock Press, High Sierra Writers, Sierra Arts Foundation Literary Community, Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company, University of Nevada Press, UNR Lilley Museum of Art, Our Center.

<h3>To Learn More About the Crawl</h3><ul><li>Visit <a href="https://www.nevadahumanities.org/literarycrawl" title="https://www.nevadahumanities.org/literarycrawl" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">nevadahumanities.org/literarycrawl</a> for the full schedule and the latest information.</li><li><a href="https://www.nevadahumanities.org/2025-crawl-app-instructions-public" title="https://www.nevadahumanities.org/2025-crawl-app-instructions-public" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Download the free Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl smartphone app</a> to plan your schedule and Crawl with ease!</li></ul>

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