Stories Rooted in Wyoming
In Wyoming, creativity often grows quietly. Not loudly announced or polished for attention, but built slowly through observation, imagination, resilience, and a life deeply connected to people and place.
Here in Gillette, a growing community of children’s authors is proving that meaningful storytelling can come from places often overlooked on the map.
Rooted in Wyoming values, these writers are creating stories shaped by wide open landscapes, small town connection, family, adventure, faith, imagination, and heart. Their work reflects the culture of the region in an authentic way, reminding readers that creativity belongs just as much to ranch roads and prairie towns as it does to big cities.
Whether inspired by the silence of the prairie, the lessons learned through hardship, the wonder of childhood, or the simple beauty of everyday life, each author brings a unique voice to the page. Despite their differences, all share a common purpose: creating stories that encourage, inspire, and connect.
Let’s Meet the 5 Local Writers We Visited With...
Laura Tetrault
At the center of Laura Tetrault’s writing is a simple but powerful belief: “This isn’t about me.”
Like many authors, Laura understands the vulnerability that comes with releasing creative work into the world. Yet whenever self-doubt begins to creep in, she returns to the purpose behind her writing.
For Laura, children’s books are not about recognition or personal achievement. Instead, they are about helping young readers believe in themselves. Encouraging confidence. Sharing important messages. Creating stories that help children see their own value and potential.
If even one child feels inspired, encouraged, or understood because of something Laura has written, she considers that a success.
Her work reflects a deep sense of compassion and purpose, reminding readers that stories have the power to shape how children see themselves and the world around them.
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Laurin Jensen
When Laurin Jensen first began creating stories, her goal was simple: write something meaningful, imaginative, and enjoyable for the children in her life.
Her book Curly Q. Makes Wishes Come True grew from the playful imagination of her nieces and nephews. Their make-believe playtime helped inspire a story full of wonder, creativeness, and a gentle lesson about being careful what you wish for.
For Laurin, storytelling is a way to capture the creativity of childhood while also sharing messages that are wholesome, thoughtful, and true to her values. She believes children’s books can be fanciful and fun while still offering lessons that families can appreciate.
Her stories - although not directly centered around Wyoming - reflect the heart of a local author who values family, imagination, and stories that children can enjoy time and time again.
Matthew Mordecai
For Matthew Mordecai, writing became a place where a busy mind could finally find peace.
Growing up with ADHD, Matthew often felt like his thoughts were moving faster than the world around him. He describes his mind as a “racing bunny,” constantly hopping from one idea to the next. Focus was often a challenge, but writing offered something different. It became a place where his imagination had room to breathe and where his thoughts could finally take shape.
When he writes, the noise quiets. Ideas that once felt overwhelming become stories. Creativity becomes focus. What began as a personal outlet eventually revealed itself as a hidden talent.
Today, Matthew embraces the imaginative side of himself that writing helped uncover. Through storytelling, he shares the creativity, humor, and wonder that have always been part of who he is, proving that sometimes, our greatest strengths come from the very things that once felt like obstacles.
Lora Egbert
For Lora Egbert, authentic storytelling begins with paying attention. The small moments. The everyday interactions. The values that quietly shape a community.
Living in Gillette has given her a deep appreciation for the pace of life, the connection between neighbors, and the sense of belonging that defines many Wyoming communities. Those experiences naturally find their way into her stories.
Her books celebrate simplicity, outdoor adventure, curiosity, and connection. They remind children that meaningful adventures do not always require distant destinations. Sometimes, the greatest discoveries can be found right where they are.
Through relatable characters and grounded storytelling, Lora captures the spirit of Wyoming life while encouraging young readers to appreciate the beauty and wonder already surrounding them.
Robin Popp
Pen Name: Robin Gail Bunn
For Robin Popp, Wyoming is more than a place to live; it is a landscape rich with story, history, and possibility.
She finds inspiration in the scale of the land, the silence between the hills, and the feeling that the past still lingers across the plains. While her body of written work spans many settings, Wyoming’s deep sense of place and culture continually offers Robin a meaningful source of reflection and creative inspiration.
She has written 19 books - stories that have taken readers beyond Wyoming, including several set in Texas. Robin’s more recent work, including Why Wyoming?, turns a closer eye toward the state she calls home, exploring its character, beauty, and distinctive spirit.
Robin’s hope for her newer work is that Wyoming readers may recognize pieces of home within these stories, while readers from elsewhere gain a greater appreciation for the state’s landscape, history, and enduring sense of wonder.
A Creative Community
Together, these authors represent something larger than books alone.
They represent a creative culture quietly growing across Wyoming. One built not on trends or attention, but on sincerity, imagination, and connection to community. Their stories reflect the same values often found throughout Gillette itself: resilience, authenticity, family, hard work, creativity, and heart. Perhaps that is what makes their work feel so special.
These are not stories trying to escape our state; they are stories deeply proud to come from it.
And in every page, they offer something that feels increasingly rare: a reminder that some of the best stories are still being written, right here at home.
Written by: Savannah Maddocks
Photography by: Tonya Bennett
