50 Years With A River Runs Through It - A Conversation with O. Alan Weltzien

50 Years With A River Runs Through It - A Conversation with O. Alan Weltzien
Location: Cooper Room A/B
Wed 7/8/2026 6:00-7:30 PM
Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Norman Maclean's novella, A River Runs Through It, the Missoula Public Library and the Norman Maclean Literary Festival present a conversation with O. Alan Weltzien, the editor of the 2008 The Norman Maclean Reader. Published by the University of Chicago Press, the Reader offers a comprehensive portrait of Maclean, blending his Montana roots with his academic life at the University of Chicago. The Reader is a perfect introduction for readers new to Maclean, featuring previously unpublished materials, essays on his life as a scholar and teacher, letters, and selections from his famous works like A River Runs Through It while offering longtime fans new insight into his life and career. O. Alan Weltzien, a Professor of English Emeritus from Univ. of Montana Western, retired in 2020 after 40 years of full-time teaching. Earlier in his career, Weltzien received two Fulbright Fellowships (Poland, 1989-90; Bulgaria, 1997-98), and two UM International Faculty Exchange Awards (Australia, 2003; France, spring 2010). Weltzien has published five chapbooks and eleven books. In addition to studies of Rick Bass, John McPhee, Norman Maclean, and the biography of Montana novelist Thomas Savage, Weltzien has published a memoir, “A Father and an Island” (2008), and three full-length poetry collections, most recently “On The Beach: Poems 2016 - 2021)". New work includes a poetry chapbook, “Suite Dolomiti” (Bottlecap Press, Bottlecap Features), and a book of travel essays, “Walking Off Well-Beaten Paths” (winter 2027).