For this extended Write Question conversation, host Lauren Korn is joined remotely by author Daniel Blake Smith, author of RUN: The Wilmot Collins Story—From Liberian Refugee to First Black Mayor in Montana (University Press of Kansas), and the book’s subject, Wilmot Collins.
Note: An edited and shortened version of this conversation aired October 6, 2026, during Here & Now on Montana Public Radio.
Both Dan and Wilmot will be touring RUN around Montana on the following dates:
- October 6, 2026: MT Book Co. in Helena;
- October 7, 2026: Missoula Public Library in Missoula;
- October 8, 2026: Country Bookshelf in Bozeman.
About the book:
This is the inspiring story of Wilmot Collins, who fled the brutal and bloody Liberian Civil War in the early 1990s—where over 250,000 Liberians were killed, including two of Collins’s brothers—and managed to make it to Helena, Montana. Enduring and overcoming racism and xenophobia, he joined the Montana National Guard, became an active member of the Helena community, and in 2017 rose to become mayor of the capital city and the first Black mayor in Montana’s history.
Collins garnered a national attention as a shining example of how being a racial and political outsider in a highly partisan society can be transformed into an effective and engaging form of political leadership.
Collins came from a highly educated family and, when civil war erupted, he was fresh out of college working as a middle school teacher at Monrovia’s SOS Children’s Village School. He had recently found a great companion, Maddie Muna, after college graduation. They became fast friends and soon married. But they first had to negotiate forces threatening their very lives.
Through extensive interviews, author and filmmaker Daniel Blake Smith explores how Wilmot and Maddie, through great perseverance, plenty of ingenuity, and inspiring displays of generosity, journeyed to the United States and have made their new home a better place for everyone. RUN offers an emotional, inspiring, and deeply personal story of survival, racial injustice, political hope, and the challenges one family faced to realize the American dream.
About Dan:
Daniel Blake Smith is the award-winning author of six books and a prize-winning filmmaker. Most recently, he is the writer and producer of the film Mr. Wonderful, adapted from his novel of the same name.
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, producer, and editor.
The Write Question’s 2026-2027 season is supported by a co-op of four independent bookstores, encouraging a lifetime of learning through storytelling and conversation: Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana; Montana Book Co. in Helena, Montana; Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula, Montana; and Bookworks of Whitefish.
Additional funding for The Write Question comes from members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
