The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (SVWC) Next Chapter Program is the newest initiative supporting students and schools in the Wood River Valley. Each fall, the program donates books by upcoming SVWC authors to local high school classrooms. These titles are thoughtfully selected, in collaboration with participating teachers, allowing students to engage directly with contemporary writers and spark enriching conversation.

By providing these books at no cost, the program strengthens classroom learning and expands access to important literary works, while helping build connections between local students and SVWC.

All books donated through the Next Chapter Program are purchased locally from independent bookstores—including Chapter One Bookstore and Iconoclast Books—reflecting the Conference’s ongoing commitment to supporting the local literary community.

For the 2025-26 school year, educators across the valley incorporated works by Robert Macfarlane, Michael Pollan, and Beth Macy, including Is a River Alive?, A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, and the memoir Paper Girl. 

Stephanie Spindler, an English teacher at Wood River High School, reported that Paper Girl ignited wide-ranging conversations: “This book opened the door to discussions on globalization, ideology, poverty, the Pell Grant, and opioid use, but most importantly, how we learn to listen to each other.”

One of her students reflected: “All in all, Paper Girl taught me to love thy neighbor—not dismiss or blame others—because, as humans, we all only wish to be safe and happy.”

During Conference week, Beth Macy will be the featured speaker at the annual Student/Author Luncheon, giving students who studied her work the chance to engage directly with the writer behind the book.

 

Sun Valley Community School
Phil Huss, Upper School English Department Head, is teaching Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane.

Wood River High School
Stephanie Spindler, AP English, is teaching Paper Girl by Beth Macy.

Silver Creek High School
Emily Thorson is teaching Paper Girl by Beth Macy.

The Sage School
Harry Weeks, Head of School, is leading his staff in reading Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, along with A World Appears by Michael Pollan.

 

Photo credits: David Concannon