Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Denver
- 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Literature of the Land: Dave Showalter’s Colorado River Book at Denver Botanic Gardens
The final book in the Helen Fowler Library’s fall water series turns to the Colorado River. On November 11, adults can join a discussion of Dave Showalter’s Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado without having registered for the earlier meetings.
Three books, a widening view of water
Literature of the Land pairs three books across three months around a subject chosen for each season. For fall 2026, the subject is water and water issues in Colorado and around the world. The series began September 9 with Robert Macfarlane’s Is a River Alive? and continued October 14 with Amy Bowers Cordalis’s The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life.
The November selection brings the sequence to Showalter’s book about the Colorado River. Even the titles mark different points of entry: a question about rivers, an Indigenous family’s fight to protect a river and a way of life, then a specific river in the American West. The event description supplies that broad arc, without promising a particular discussion agenda.
Further reading: Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
A discussion at the library
The Helen Fowler Library hosts the series in person. Its program description treats books as resources for literacy and learning, so this is a library book-club meeting rather than a Gardens tour or a separately advertised author event.
The meeting is in the library on the first floor of the Freyer–Newman Center. That distinction matters for arrival: the Gardens’ main visitor address is 1007 York Street, while the library’s listed location is 1085 York Street.
Further reading: Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Programs | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
The November reading
Showalter’s Colorado River book is the final selection in a series that has moved from broader questions about rivers to an explicitly Indigenous family-centered account and then to a named river in the region.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 · Helen Fowler Library, Freyer–Newman Center
- Book club discussion of Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado by Dave Showalter
Plan for the November session
Wednesday, November 11
The in-person discussion is scheduled for 6:30–8 p.m. The program is listed for adults.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
$5 per session
Register for November 11 alone or for all three fall sessions. The program fee is separate from Gardens admission; no Gardens admission is required to reach the library on the Freyer–Newman Center’s first floor.
The event listing does not say whether participants receive a copy of the book or should bring one. For that detail, contact the library at 720-865-3570.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Programs | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Helen Fowler Library, 1085 York Street
The meeting is in the Helen Fowler Library, on the first floor of the Freyer–Newman Center at Denver Botanic Gardens’ York Street location. Use 1085 York Street, Denver, CO 80206, as the library address.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Check on library-specific access needs
The Gardens says most indoor and outdoor facilities are wheelchair accessible, but the event information does not specify access details for the library meeting space. Contact the library at 720-865-3570 with questions.
Getting to the Helen Fowler Library
Use the Freyer–Newman Center address
The event is in the Helen Fowler Library on the Freyer–Newman Center’s first floor, at 1085 York Street, Denver, CO 80206. This is distinct from the Gardens’ main visitor address at 1007 York Street.
The Gardens says the library is accessible from the center’s first floor without Gardens admission. Its general accessibility information covers most indoor and outdoor facilities but does not give details specific to this meeting space.
York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Transit, cycling and parking
The Gardens lists RTD routes 24, serving York and Josephine streets, and 10, serving 12th Avenue. Bike racks are available at the York Street main entrance.
Limited free parking in the York–Josephine streets parking complex is described for regular operating hours. Because this is an evening program, check whether the complex will be accessible for the session. Posted street parking is available in Cheesman or Congress Park; follow posted restrictions.
Parking, Transportation & Accessibility - York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Before you make a plan
What book is discussed on November 11?
The session discusses Dave Showalter’s Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Do I have to register for all three book-club meetings?
No. The Gardens allows registration for the November session alone or for all three fall sessions.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Is Gardens admission required to attend?
No Gardens admission is required to reach the library on the Freyer–Newman Center’s first floor. The $5-per-session program fee still applies.
York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Where is the meeting?
In the Helen Fowler Library on the first floor of the Freyer–Newman Center, at 1085 York Street, Denver, CO 80206.
Library Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Does registration include a copy of the book?
The event listing does not say whether a copy is provided or required. Contact the Helen Fowler Library at 720-865-3570 to check.
Literature of the Land: Fall Book Club | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Library Programs | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Location & Google Maps
Helen Fowler Library, Freyer–Newman Center, Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street
1085 York Street, Denver, CO 80206
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.