Join us for a special evening at Elkstone Farm as we welcome acclaimed Colorado author Claire Boyles for an intimate book club dinner and conversation centered on her remarkable collection, Appraisals. Lauded as a tender and urgent read, Appraisals is a moving portrayal of ecological and financial catastrophe, the powerful generational bonds between women, and the fierce impulse to protect the places we love.
Set against the backdrop of the farm's gardens, fields, and mountain views, we'll gather around a shared farm-to-table meal before diving into a thoughtful discussion of Boyles' work. Through stories that illuminate the complexities of belonging, place, ecology, and human connection, Appraisals offers a rich lens through which to explore our relationship with the landscapes we inhabit and the communities we create.
This is more than a book discussion—it's an opportunity to engage directly with the author, share reflections with fellow readers, and enjoy a nourishing evening of conversation, food, and connection. Whether you've read every page or are simply curious about Claire's work, we invite you to join us for a memorable gathering where literature, land, and community meet around the table. Space is limited, and advance registration is encouraged.
Chef Russell will cook a family-style farm-to-table dinner to accompany our dinner discussion. Our farm manager, Marco Lam, is partnering once again with Danielle Skov, of Off the Beaten Path bookstore, to host a lively discussion. Please order your book in advance and read it. If you don't finish it, you can can still join us for dinner without being embarrassed!
Claire will be joining us for dinner, here is a bit about here:
Claire Boyles is a writer and former farmer. A 2022 Whiting Award winner in fiction, she is the author of Appraisals and Site Fidelity, which won the High Plains Book Award and was longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Award, the Colorado Book Award, and the Reading the West Award. Her nonfiction has appeared in Sierra Magazine and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other journals, and she is a screenwriter with multiple credits on the Hallmark Channel. She splits time between Loveland, Colorado and Ames, Iowa, where she is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and the Environment at Iowa State University.
