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Keona Blanks opens her computer and zooms into a map of Wyoming populated with colorful bubbles. She clicks on a pink bubble in Park County marking the Chamberlin Inn in Cody.
Up pops a photo of the boutique hotel where Ernest Hemingway finished the manuscript for his 1932 nonfiction book about Spanish bullfighting, “Death in the Afternoon.”
It’s one of a growing number of entries on the Wyoming Literary Map, a crowdsourced online tool Blanks started to create while working as an intern for Jackson Hole Writers.
From landmarks to bookstores and book clubs, Blanks hopes the map becomes a space for writers and readers to connect; think Facebook or LinkedIn for bookworms, only you can’t pay for more visibility.
“This map just shows everyone equally on equal footing,” she said. “Small organizations, big organizations, even book clubs are represented equally.”
The map features a growing number of literary landmarks, bookstores and festivals and users can submit entries reviewed for clarity and completion.
“We wanted something interactive and visual,” she said, “to show that Wyoming really does have a vibrant literary community, even though it’s not centered around a major city.”
The Wyoming Literary Map is now live and accepting submissions.
