Shelley Read

Shelley Read is an acclaimed author whose debut novel, Go as a River, has touched readers around the world. The book, which has become an international bestseller, has been translated into thirty-four languages and is currently being adapted for film by Mazur Kaplan. Recognized for its depth and lyrical power, Go as a River earned the High Plains Book Award, the Reading the West Book Award, and was selected as an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Debut.

A fifth-generation Coloradan, Shelley lives with her family in the scenic Elk Mountains on Colorado’s Western Slope. For nearly thirty years, she shaped young minds as a Senior Lecturer at Western Colorado University, teaching writing, literature, environmental studies, and honors courses. Shelley holds advanced degrees in writing and literary studies from the University of Denver and Temple University’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing. She continues to share her voice through regular contributions to Crested Butte Magazine and the Gunnison Valley Journal.