A Literary Guide to Sun Valley (and then some)

Europa/Tonga author Alexander Maksik lives in Iowa City and Paris but he grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho and is back home to participate in the upcoming Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (August 19-22) and to celebrate the publication of his debut novel, You Deserve Nothing (if you’re in the area, be sure to stop by Iconoclast Books tonight at 5 for a launch party and signing).

In honor of Xander’s homecoming we asked for a list of the area’s literary highlights. Book lovers and cocktail drinkers rejoice; the list is lengthy.

1) Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, fifteen minutes south of Sun Valley/Ketchum (October 30 1885) and his home preserved by the Ezra Pound Foundation - corner of Second and Pine street.

2) Iconoclast Books - 335 North Spruce Avenue, Ketchum. Iconoclast is an excellent independent bookstore and fiercely supportive of local authors and visiting authors alike. A great place to work. Open late. Full of smart employees who read. I mean they read books. Novels even. In paper. 

3) Sun Valley Center for the Arts - World class exhibitions, lectures, readings, concerts and classes. Their artistic director, Kristin Poole, is one of my favorite people in the world. They have a beautiful exhibition up now - The Literal line: Minimalism Then and Now including work by Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt and Brice Marden. 

4)  The Community Library -The only public library in the country run without funds from any federal, state or local agency. Entirely supported by the community. Aside from being an excellent library, they regularly bring in world class speakers.

5) Chapter One Bookstore - Run by Cheryl Thomas, Chapter One is another great resource for books of all varieties. An institution in the Valley.

6) Ernest Hemingway first came to Ketchum in 1939 after being invited by railroad scion, Averell Harriman. Hemingway finished “For Whom the Bell Tolls” that same year. That first trip he stayed in suite 205 at the Sun Valley Lodge where he worked on the novel.  

7) Hemingway Memorial - Very pretty little memorial off of Trail Creek Road - a stone bench, a creek running through, a bust of Hemingway and a plaque. 

8) Hemingway’s Grave - Two modest granite panels in the Ketchum cemetery. 

9) Hemingway’s House - Where he killed himself. The house is now owned by the Nature Conservancy and is closed to the public. It’s located off Warm Springs Road.

10) The Casino Club (210 North Main Street, Ketchum). It has been around forever. Hemingway drank here and it’s a bar for serious drinking. 

11) Along with the Casino, he also used to drink at The Alpine Club, which is now Whiskey Jacques - (251 North Main Street, Ketchum). Sundays and Tuesdays are general mayhem thanks to Dollar Nights, where, well drinks are a dollar each. All night long.