BY KAREN BOSSICK

Anna-Marie McLemore, author of “The Weight of Feathers” and “Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix,” will deliver the opening keynote for The Community Library’s third annual “To Taste Life Twice” event in early May.

The three-day event offers writers and aspiring storytellers the opportunity to learn from other authors and scribblers via the opening lecture and three-hour workshops covering everything from crafting lyrical essays to prose poetry and legacy stories.

McLemore will deliver the keynote speech at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8. Her books include “Wild Beauty,” “Blanca & Roja, which Time Magazine named to its 100 Best Fantasy novels of All Time list. Her book “When the Moon Was Ours” made the National Book Award longlist selections. McLemore’s adult debut novel “The Influencers” is due out this month.

McLemore’s “The Weight of Feathers” follows the rivalry of families who make their living as tightrope walkers and swimming in mermaid exhibitions. “Self-Made Boys” reimagines “The Great Gatsby” in a modern context with youth of a Latinx background. “When the Moon Was Ours” revolves around four sisters rumored to be witches who covet the roses that grow out of a young woman’s wrists because they believe their scent can make anyone fall in love.

Seats may be reserved at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14172483.

“Anna-Marie has written mostly for young adults, with stories about family, friendship, magic, rivaling sisters and underwater worlds,” said Martha Williams, the library’s director of programs and education. “Her books, though, have found range in their readership and she speaks beautifully to the creative life in a way that we’re excited to open To Taste Life Twice with.”

In addition to McLemore’s address, a handful of Idaho authors will offer workshops. The workshops are limited to 15 participants each and are open to all levels of writers. Participants will have an opportunity to share what they’ve written at an event-ending Storytelling Evening coupled with refreshments.

The workshops:

… Friday, 2-5 p.m., May 9: “Finding the Rhythm of the Wild: Crafting Lyrical Essays,” with CMarie Fuhrman, author of Salmon Weather: Writing from the Land of No Return and other titles. CMarie is an award-winning columnist for the Inlander and the Director of the Elk River Writers Workshop, as well as the Associate Director of the Graduate Creative Writing Program at Western Colorado University, where she teaches poetry and nature writing. She is a former Idaho Writer in Residence and lives in the Salmon River Mountains. Reserve your space at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/13152255.

    … Friday, 2-5 p.m., May 9: “Understanding Your Flash: How To Understand and Execute Short Prose Using Models That Publishers Look For,” with Sam Berman, a short story writer who lives in Boise. Berman has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best American Short Stories. Sam is also the Director of Storyfort, a literary festival held during Treefort Music Fest every March in Boise. Reserve your space at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14171838.

… Saturday, 1-4 p.m., May 10: “Legacy Stories: Writing Beside Your Ancestors with Truth, Beauty, Research, and Intrigue” with Christian Winn, a fiction writer, poet, creative nonfiction writer, teacher and sometimes-journalist based in Boise. He is the author of several short story collections and the forthcoming novels, Crocodile and Amends. He served as the Idaho Writer in Residence from 2016-2019 and has taught at Boise State University, the College of Idaho, College of Western Idaho and The Cabin. He is also at work on an historical memoir, All This Idaho, which takes a deep-dive into his family’s five-generation storied legacy in the Gem State and beyond. Reserve your space at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14172409

… Saturday, 1-4 p.m., May 10: “Prose Poetry and The Power of Place” with Erin Rose, a multi-genre writer who received her MFA in fiction where she wrote Vinegar, her first collection of short stories. Stories from the collection won awards with Glimmer Train and Narrative. She is currently editing her first novel, Culling, and hosting international writing retreats. Reserve your space at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14171887.

… Saturday, 1-4 p.m. May 10: “Revision as Wilding: A Generative Writing Workshop” with Sarah Sentilles, the author of Draw Your Weapons, which won the 2018 PEN Award for Creative Nonfiction, and Stranger Care: A Memoir of Loving What Isn’t Ours, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Idaho Book of the Year. She is the co-founder of the Alliance of Idaho and lives in the Wood River Valley. Reserve your space at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14171856.

Saturday morning, May 10, will kick off with a drop-in Writers Roundtable discussion with the five workshop instructors, who will share and answer questions about their writing lives and practices. Coffee and light pastries will be served.

The event culminates in a Storytelling Event in the Library’s Lecture Hall that evening from 5 to 7 p.m. All attendees and the public are invited to hear readings from seminar participants. Light food and beverages will be available.

There are also opportunities for writers to work with instructors beyond the seminar on manuscript reviews, first chapters, query letters, and more. Visit https://comlib.org/programs/ttlt-2025/ to learn more.

Williams said the seminar title comes from a quote by Anaïs Nin: “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection… to record the journey … to expand our world.’ ”

“Each year we’ve had about 50 participants, building and connecting a community of writers across Idaho. Everyone from high school students to adults, from published authors to writers in the attic--this event is for anyone interested in sharing a story with the world.”

Christian Winn, director of Story Forward and a To Taste Life Twice teaching writer, said it’s been inspiring to experience all the smart, curious, broad-minded creatives who have gathered in the workshops and at the panels, sharing critical ideas and insights, essential narratives and wise artful words over the past two years.

“I can't wait for May when we get to do it all again, further establishing this annual seminar as a welcome, accessible, and important new Idaho literary tradition. Come write with us in May and get a taste of goodness.”