MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Big Sky Journal
• “Entrepreneurs on the Edges. of Yellowstone,” Summer 2008.
• “One Book at a Time,”Fall 2008.
• “When All the. Fish Were Natives,” Fishing Issue, 2012.
Distinctly Montana
• “Yankee Jim Tangles with Rudyard Kipling,” Winter 2015.
• “Tales of the Belgrade Bull,” Spring 2016.
Montana Quarterly
• “Marriage Bottleneck,” Summer 2014.
• “The Great Agnostic,” Fall 2016.
• “The Montana Pioneer Who Defended the Monster of Andersonville,” Winter 2017.
• “The Ordeal of George Cowan,” Spring 2020.
• “Montana’s First Acid Priest,” Spring 2024.
PRESS KIT
M. Mark Miller is a fifth‑generation Montanan whose writing explores the early visitors to Yellowstone National Park and the American West. A retired journalism professor, he writes narrative nonfiction, mid‑grade fiction, and daily Cyber‑Zen‑Epicurean aphorisms. He is the author of seven books, including Encounters in Yellowstone, a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. Miller is seeking an agent for his ranch‑and‑sixties memoir and is currently working on a novel.
Biography:
Biography: M. Mark Miller is a fifth‑generation Montanan whose writing brings to life the early visitors to Yellowstone National Park and the evolving story of the American West. His work draws on decades of reading, research, and family connection to the region, offering readers vivid accounts of the people who first encountered Yellowstone’s geysers, canyons, and wild landscapes.
Miller’s books include Encounters in Yellowstone, a finalist for the High Plains Book Award for Literary Nonfiction, and The Stories of Yellowstone, which gathers seventy‑two short narratives about characters, mishaps, and moments of wonder from the park’s earliest years. He also writes mid‑grade fiction, including Macon’s Perfect Shot, a novel about friendship, courage, and a boy’s efforts to help a sheriff capture horse thieves.
A contributor to Montana Quarterly, Miller also has work appearing in Big Sky Journal, and his recent work has been accepted by North Dakota Review, reflecting his long engagement with the stories and landscapes of the West. He volunteered as a researcher and guide at the Gallatin History Museum and served on the board of the Gallatin History Association. He spent ten years as a member of the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau, lecturing on Montana and Yellowstone history across the state.
In addition to his work on Yellowstone, Miller maintains a daily Cyber‑Zen‑Epicurean practice, composing short aphorisms that reflect on attention, gratitude, and the quiet disciplines of daily life. His writing blends narrative clarity with a reflective sensibility, inviting readers to slow down and consider the forces that shape memory, place, and personal experience.
A retired journalism professor, Miller lives in Darien, Illinois. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from Michigan State University, has published numerous articles in academic journals related to journalism and public opinion research, and is a past president of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research. He is seeking representation for a completed memoir about growing up on a small ranch and coming of age during the turbulent sixties at the University of Montana. He is also at work on a novel.
Books Overview
Encounters in Yellowstone Narrative nonfiction. The adventures of tourists who tangled with the Nez Perce when the army chased them through the park in 1877.
The Stories of Yellowstone Anthology. Seventy‑two short accounts of characters, mishaps, discoveries, and moments of wonder from Yellowstone’s early years.
Adventures in Yellowstone Anthology. A curated retelling of the 1870 Washburn Expedition based on firsthand accounts, bringing readers into the earliest exploration of the park.
Rediscovering Yellowstone Narrative nonfiction. The story of the Washburn Expedition of 1870 that brought the wonders of Yellowstone to public attention.
Sidesaddles and Geysers Anthology. Tales of danger and fun by adventurous women who visited the park in its first century.
Macon’s Perfect Shot Mid‑grade fiction. A novel about friendship, courage, and a boy’s efforts to help a sheriff capture horse thieves.
Eva at the Ranch Narrative nonfiction. The story of a Montana family hanging on to their ranch during the Great Depression, based on the author’s family diaries and records.
Yellowstone Expertise
Miller has spent decades studying the early visitors to Yellowstone National Park, drawing on historical accounts, diaries, newspapers, and archival materials to bring the park’s first explorers and tourists to life. He has a collection of more than two hundred first‑person accounts of early travel to Yellowstone National Park, many of them obscure or previously overlooked. His work as a volunteer researcher and guide at the Gallatin History Museum, along with ten years of lecturing for the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau, deepened his understanding of the people who encountered Yellowstone in its earliest decades. Through his anthologies and narrative nonfiction, he offers readers vivid, accessible stories that illuminate the human drama behind the park’s geysers, canyons, and wild landscapes.
Speaking Availability
I am available to meet with book groups and other audiences via Zoom to discuss my books and the stories behind them.
Contact
For inquiries, please email: mmarkmilller@mac.com
SUBSTACK
I use my Substack to post daily Cyber-Zen-Epicurean Aphrorisms, excerpts from my archives, and other bits.
BLOG
My Blog is dormant, but there many fun posts still live there.