Community Calendar

Join us in an informal poetry circle to read, share, or just listen to some local poets.

Environmental Historian Char Miller will speak of natural disasters, including flood and fire, in the context of West Texas.

The full line-up for the 14th annual Kansas Book Festival is available now, just click here. On Saturday, September 20, all events will take place at Washburn University, hosted by the Washburn Library. The 2025 Festival involves an amazing lineup of 50 speakers, including NY Times Bestsellers and winners of national book awards. Their presentations cover fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s books. The festival always includes outdoor performances, a book-art exhibit, food trucks, and exhibitor tents with 40+ publishers, nonprofits, and individual authors.

The Kansas Book Festival is for all ages and interests, and all events are free. A number of presentations and performances are aimed at young attendees! For instance, we host the youth awards of the Kansas Authors Club, a high school open mic, and a presentation by the winner of the Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award. We also offer outdoor children’s activities in partnership with the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and the Mulvane Art Lab.

More information at www.kansasbookfestival.com

Come join the fun!

As a participant, we agree:

* to share our own poetry or the works of others, acknowleding the poet
* to listen and offer constructive and helpful comments
* to limit our reading time to accommodate all readers,
* to encourage new poets, and
* to respect the work, time, and commitment of all in attendance.

Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest continuously run groups of its kind in the United States, will hold a two day conference, New Frontiers in Writing, for writers of all stripes to come together with industry VIPs.The conference will be held from 7:00 AM Saturday, September 27 to 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 28 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Amarillo (550 S Buchanan St, Amarillo, TX) and the surrounding area (with provided shuttles).
An additional pre-con will be held from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM also at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, culminating in a Grown-up Book Fair 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the
Embassy Suites ballroom. The book fair will be included in the conference price or the general public can buy tickets. Tickets are $25 for book fair and one drink;
$35 for book fair and two drinks.
Enjoy multiple speakers from all over the country. The keynote speaker will be Taylor Moore.

Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest continuously run groups of its kind in the United States, will hold a two day conference, New Frontiers in Writing, for writers of all stripes to come together with industry VIPs.The conference will be held from 7:00 AM Saturday, September 27 to 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 28 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Amarillo (550 S Buchanan St, Amarillo, TX) and the surrounding area (with provided shuttles).
An additional pre-con will be held from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM also at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, culminating in a Grown-up Book Fair 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the
Embassy Suites ballroom. The book fair will be included in the conference price or the general public can buy tickets. Tickets are $25 for book fair and one drink;
$35 for book fair and two drinks.
Enjoy multiple speakers from all over the country. The keynote speaker will be Taylor Moore.

Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest continuously run groups of its kind in the United States, will hold a two day conference, New Frontiers in Writing, for writers of all stripes to come together with industry VIPs.The conference will be held from 7:00 AM Saturday, September 27 to 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 28 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Amarillo (550 S Buchanan St, Amarillo, TX) and the surrounding area (with provided shuttles).
An additional pre-con will be held from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM also at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, culminating in a Grown-up Book Fair 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the
Embassy Suites ballroom. The book fair will be included in the conference price or the general public can buy tickets. Tickets are $25 for book fair and one drink;
$35 for book fair and two drinks.
Enjoy multiple speakers from all over the country. The keynote speaker will be Taylor Moore.

In the final session of our Building & Scaling Businesses with AI series, Parker Settle, co-founder of Synapse AI Solutions, will explore how small businesses can use AI to improve customer communication, follow-up, and conversions, without needing a full sales team.

You’ll get a practical look at how AI is changing the way businesses connect with potential customers, including:
• A beginner friendly intro to conversational AI (with a live demo of a real AI sales assistant)
• How to embed simple chatbots into your website to answer FAQs and engage visitors
• Using AI to personalize customer responses and automate follow-ups
• How data dashboards help interpret customer behavior and improve your strategy over time

You’ll leave with tools and ideas to help you capture more leads, build trust with customers, and make smarter decisions, all with less effort.

Join us in an informal poetry circle to read, share, or just listen to some local poets.

As a participant, we agree:

* to share our own poetry or the works of others, acknowleding the poet
* to listen and offer constructive and helpful comments
* to limit our reading time to accommodate all readers,
* to encourage new poets, and
* to respect the work, time, and commitment of all in attendance.