Join Nevada’s 2026 Great Reads from Great Places author Joanna Howes and illustrator Alex Bailey for an interactive read aloud presentation from their book Wild Sierra Nevada: A Family Nature Guide. Howes and Bailey will share their work on Wild Sierra Nevada together, then present a hands-on nature craft activity, and book signing following the presentation.
This is a free family-friendly program. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
The Nevada Center for the Book is a program of Nevada Humanities dedicated to promoting literature and literacy throughout the Silver State. The Nevada Center for the Book is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book, housed at the Library of Congress. Nevada Center for the Book programs include the Las Vegas Book Festival, the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl, the National Book Festival, and additional literary programs.
The Radical Cat is a feminist bookstore, cat adoption center, and community space located at 1500 S. Virginia Street in Reno, Nevada. The Radical Cat Bookstore is a cozy, inclusive space full of amazing books, beautiful art, and purring cats. Discover a new author, tell us about your most recent read, and pet a cat. Our community space features author events, community panel discussions, writing groups, workshops taught by local artists, scary movie nights, kids' story times, book clubs, organizing meetings, pop-ups of all kinds, and more. For more information and events calendar visit: https://theradicalcat.square.site
Joanna Howes (author) has taught in Montessori schools for nearly a decade, and most recently was the primary director for a Montessori program. She has a bachelor’s degree in natural history and ecology, as well as a master’s degree in education. Howes grew up in California’s Bay Area, and her fondest childhood memories include climbing granite boulders and wading in creeks on her family’s annual summer trip to the Sierra Nevada. She now lives in Tahoe Vista, California, with her partner and children. Joanna loves exploring in the woods with her daughters, and you can often find her reading, swimming in alpine lakes, and listening for birdsong. She is also busy working on her next book, about the magic of the stunning Colorado Plateau.
Alex Bailey (illustrator) is a Canadian-American artist currently residing in Reno, Nevada. She has a B.A. in Geology and an M.Sc. in Environmental Geochemistry, and has spent the majority of her professional career working as an environmental geochemist. Throughout her life she has maintained a passion for art, and is currently working full time as an artist and scientific illustrator. Alex Bailey’s art is inspired by her scientific background and her curiosity for the natural world, in addition to her adventures hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and backcountry skiing.
