The Montana Artist Refuge in Basin, Montana invites the public to a free poetry reading by nationally known poets Christopher Howell and David Axelrod. Refreshments will be served.

Christopher Howell’s twelfth collection of poems, The Grief of a Happy Life, was published in 2019 by the University of Washington Press. His new volume, Book of Beginnings and Ends, was recently published by Stephen F. Austin University Press. Professor Emeritus of Eastern Washington University's MFA program, he is director and principal editor for Lynx House Press and lives in Spokane, Washington.


David Axelrod is the author of eight previous collections of poetry, most recently The Open Hand (University of Washington Press, 2017). His new collection, Years Beyond the River appeared from Terrapin books in late 2021. He currently is collaborating with Peter Koch and others to bring a books arts and letterpress program to the U of M. He makes his home in Missoula, Montana.

The Refuge Gallery will at the same time be featuring the work of Indigenous Youth from Lame Deer School on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. This collection of work reflects on the process of building relationship between strangers and community through collaborations that rely on trust and encourage student voice.