Shortening Wyoming’s Long Streets: A Literary Map for the Whole State

April 1, 2026

By Keona Blanks

If you’ve spent much time in the West, you likely know the adage, “Wyoming is a small town with long streets.” Jackson Hole Writers has been working to shorten them for the state’s literary community through the Wyoming Literary Map—a crowdsourced digital repository of literary contacts, organizations, and resources created to foster a vibrant statewide community of writers. 

The map is an opportunity for Wyoming authors, bookstores, presses, event planners, and other literary entities to get connected. While bookstore owners and librarians can use the map to find writers to invite for readings and events, presses and agents can use the map to discover local talent. Writers can use the map to find potential venues for readings, signings, and author visits. And it's a great place for lovers of the literary life to find out just how much Wyoming has to offer. Readers can use the map to find their next great Wyoming-authored read, and locals and tourists alike can stay on the pulse of literary events. 

map of Jackson, Wyoming, showing where literary figures an assets are located
Click the map to enlarge.

“Jackson Hole Writers remains very excited about the connectivity possible through the Wyoming Literary Map,” said Matt Daly, executive director of Jackson Hole Writers. “We have tried to make the process for getting on the map as simple as possible, and the interface easy to use to discover and make literary connections across Wyoming. Especially in a big state like ours, community among writers across wide distances is essential to a happy and healthy writing life. The Wyoming Literary Map helps make that community happen.”

The project was born from a partnership between literary arts entities across four counties: Jackson Hole Writers, Wyoming Writers Inc., the Wyoming Center for the Book, the Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival, and the Jackson Hole Book Festival. Using the natural reach of their cross-county partnership, Jackson Hole Writers built and tested map prototypes with local writers before launching the map in May 2025. 

Since launch, the Wyoming Literary Map has attracted over 100 entries featuring authors, nonprofits, independent bookstores, presses, archives, writing residencies, events, and even literary landmarks like the Chamberlin Inn where Ernest Hemingway finished writing Death in the Afternoon. 

“In a state so vast, I am hopeful that the Wyoming Literary Map will be a source of connection and support for writers, because every literary work is a communal act,” Blanks explained. “Practically speaking, we hope the map will connect literary professionals and organizations with resident and visitor audiences, who could be their future readers or clients.”

Map of Wyoming sowing locations of various literary figures and resources
Click map to enlarge.

 

Visit the map at bit.ly/WYLitMap and watch this video for a map walkthrough with Keona Blanks, Wyoming Literary Map project coordinator. To submit an entry to the state’s newest resource for growing and connecting its statewide literary scene, fill out this brief form. 

To keep the conversation going or connect with Jackson Hole Writers about the map, join the nonprofit’s Discord at discord.com/invite/ZRyYFDUsa.

The project was made possible in part by grants from Wyoming Humanities and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

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