Bibliophiles’ Refuge

The Bibliophiles’ Refuge is a comfortable, rustic cabin owned and managed by Blue Ear Books, built in the 1920s and off the beaten track in the beautiful Cuchara Valley in southern Colorado’s Sange de Cristo mountains. Nearby are mountain lakes, breathtaking views including of the landmark Spanish Peaks, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities – perfect for an active family or a quiet getaway for a couple. Full kitchen, comfortable living room with fireplace, two queen beds plus two sleepers, sleeps up to five. Enjoy restaurants and shops in the artsy nearby town of La Veta.

The cabin is available to rent year-round, with preference given to authors and others working on creative projects. Rental proceeds help underwrite the costs of publication for Blue Ear Books authors in need of material and practical support, and a portion of all revenue is donated to Locally Haiti, a Denver-based 501(c)3 nonprofit cofounded in 1989 (as the Colorado Haiti Project) by the father of Blue Ear Books publisher Ethan Casey.

Blue Ear Books staff host two weeklong invitational working retreats with authors and editors at the cabin annually, in spring and in October. If you would like us to consider including you in one of our retreats, get in touch.

The Bibliophiles’ Refuge is amply stocked with an eclectic selection of books. Most of these are free for the taking: Help yourself, enjoy, take a book with you when you leave, with our compliments. And if you bring a book with you and finish it while you’re there, feel free to contribute it, for another guest to enjoy. Think of most of the cabin’s shelves as like a giant Little Free Library: take a book, leave a book. And please, feel free to bring books with you when you visit, to leave for others to enjoy.

Blue Ear Books authors are encouraged to contribute Substack pieces recommending books of particular interest to them, or that have influenced them. See Patrick Rutikanga’s post for a model. Books recommended by authors will be purchased by Blue Ear Books and added to the library at the Bibliophiles’ Refuge. (Or feel free to donate books.)

The bookcases on the south wall of the living room, next to the television, are dedicated to books and other materials from Blue Ear Books. These books are available for purchase via QR code, online payment, or check. Prices are as shown on the Blue Ear Books website.

We proudly display and promote the world-class batik art of Beth and Jonathan Evans, proprietors of Shalawalla Gallery in nearby La Veta and authors of A Book of Batik (Blue Ear Books, 2024). The 40” x 30” wall hanging above the fireplace, by Jonathan Evans, is available for purchase. (Read Beth Evans’s piece “Going Dotty,” on pointillist batik.)

The Bibliophiles’ Refuge is available for booking year-round – for a few days, a week, or longer, for a couple, a family, or a working writer. To discuss booking it, email refuge@blueearbooks.com.