Boise, ID – Together with The Cabin and Boise Public Library, the Boise City Department of Arts & History is thrilled to announce that writers Kim Cross and Don Zancanella have been selected as the 2025-2026 Boise City Writers-in-Residence.
Resident writers were selected through a competitive application process, which included review by a selection panel consisting of members representing the Arts & History Commission, Boise Public Library, and The Cabin, all with backgrounds in literary arts. The panel reviewed and scored 24 applications based on responses to application questions, writing samples, and programming proposals and selected Kim Cross and Don Zancanella for the two terms offered in fiscal year 2026.
Kim Cross
Writer-in-Residence October 2025 – March 2026
Kim Cross is a New York Times best-selling author, journalist, and historian known for cinematic scenes, page-turning narratives, and character-driven stories that guide readers through some complex, nuanced issue. Her first book, What Stands in a Storm, was one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2015 and a finalist in the GoodReads Choice Awards. Her most recent book, In Light of All Darkness, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the Truman Capote Prize for Distinguished Work of Non-Fiction.
Cross teaches feature writing for Harvard Extension School’s graduate program in journalism, the Larry McMurtry Literary Center in Archer City, Texas, and the Sawtooth Writing Retreat in Idaho. Find her at kimhcross.com, @kimhcross, or writing at Oldspeak in Garden City, Idaho.
Don Zancanella
Writer-in-Residence April 2026 – September 2026
Don Zancanella is the author of three novels: CONCORD, A STORM IN THE STARS, and ANIMALS OF THE ALPINE FRONT. He received the John S. Simmons/Iowa Short Fiction Award for his book WESTERN ELECTRIC and has won an O.Henry Prize.
Zancanella was born in Laramie, Wyoming, and has lived in Virginia, Colorado, Missouri, and New Mexico, where he taught at the University of New Mexico for nearly three decades. He lives in southeast Boise with his wife and their dogs. Find him at donzancanella.com.
The selected residents will be responsible for developing and facilitating free public programs at all Boise Library branches and the Erma Hayman House in downtown Boise. The Writers-in-Residence will also receive a one-time $5,000.00 stipend to support their creative work and time to develop these programs, which may be themed or open writing workshops, reading series, writing explorations, or other literary experiences. Program details are forthcoming.
About the Boise City Writer-in-Residence Program
Founded in 2023, the Boise City Writer-in-Residence is a collaborative program between the Boise City Department of Arts & History, Boise Public Library, and The Cabin. Funded by the City of Boise, these six-month residencies offer local writers dedicated time and stipend to support their creative practice and connect them to the community through free monthly literary public programs and events. The Boise City Writer-in-Residence call for applications opens annually in the summer.
About the Boise Public Library
The Boise Public Library’s mission is to provide access and opportunity for everyone by connecting people to ideas, information, and community. We welcome and serve everyone by providing information, services, and programs that are free and open to all. More information: boisepubliclibrary.org
About The Cabin
The Cabin is a literary arts nonprofit organization in Boise, Idaho. We forge community through the voices of all readers, writers, and learners. Our workshops, readings, lectures, camps, and other literary programs provoke creativity and experimentation, foster literary excellence, and inspire a love of reading and writing in children and adults alike across the Treasure Valley and beyond. More information: thecabinidaho.org
