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Aspen, CO (May 19, 2017) – Tickets and passes go on sale today for the public events at the Aspen Summer Words Writing Conference and Literary Festival, which will be held June 18-23rd. The conference, which was founded in 1976, includes juried and non-juried writing workshops, networking with publishing agents and editors, and a readers’ retreat, while the author panels provide an opportunity for locals and visitors to participate in the literary festivities. Three afternoon panels will take place at The Gant (conference headquarters), while evening events will be hosted at The Belly Up. $75 Aspen Words member passes and $25 tickets to the evening events can be purchased in advance at the Wheeler Box Office or at aspenshowtix.com; tickets to the afternoon events at The Gant must be purchased at the door.
In a nod to the new Aspen Words Literary Prize, the first Belly Up evening panel on Monday, June 19th will focus on “Literature with Impact.” Chinelo Okparanta (Under the Udala Trees), Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), and Saïd Sayrafiezadeh (Brief Encounters with the Enemy) will discuss the ways in which literature can forge connections and shape public conversation around critical issues. The featured authors’ works explore a variety of contemporary topics ranging from LGBTQ issues, to war and veteran’s issues, to immigration, and political unrest. Their conversation, moderated by Viking Penguin Executive Editor Carole DeSanti, will highlight the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.
Headlining the Tuesday evening event at The Belly Up are Dani Shapiro, Jess Walter, and Jericho Brown, in conversation with moderator and Aspen Words Executive Director Adrienne Brodeur on the topic “Living the Creative Life.” Shapiro just released a much-anticipated new memoir, Hourglass, on marriage and memory, which was named a Boston Globe bestseller. Jess Walter is the author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling novel Beautiful Ruins, and charmed Aspen audience members during his Winter Words event in 2014. Poet Jericho Brown was a Whiting Writers Award Fellow, and has had poetry published in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology, among other publications. They will discuss the challenges and joys of making a life as an artist.
Afternoon panels at The Gant Conference Center include: “We All Start Somewhere,” “Crafting Character,” and the annual classic, “The Take Away.” Complete event descriptions and panelist bios are available at aspenwords.org. Tickets and passes are on sale at the Wheeler Box Office or aspenshowtix.com.
For participants looking for a deeper dive into the Summer Words experience, space is available in the Readers Retreat exploring Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, as well as a generative writing workshop with Chinelo Okparanta. Also on sale at this time: tickets and tables to the Annual Summer Benefit on June 21 at the Hotel Jerome featuring Hidden Figures author Margot Lee Shetterly.
SUMMER WORDS PUBLIC EVENT DETAILS
MONDAY, JUNE 19
We All Start Somewhere
The Gant | Maroon Room | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
$25 Tickets available at the door only
Panelists: Dani Shapiro, Hannah Tinti
You all ventured away from your writing desk to the Rocky Mountains for a week…now what? Dani Shapiro and Hannah Tinti give advice on how to utilize this week to seek progress in your writing life.
Literature With Impact
The Belly Up | 5:15pm – 6:30pm
$25 Tickets available at aspenshowtix.com or the Wheeler Box Office
Panelists: Chinelo Okparanta, Ben Fountain, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
The $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize was launched this year to honor an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue. How can literature forge connections and shape public conversation around critical issues, without polarizing readership? Chinelo Okparanta, Ben Fountain, and Saïd Sayrafiezadeh will discuss the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.
TUESDAY, JUNE 20
Crafting Character
The Gant | Maroon Room | 4:00pm – 5:15pm
$25 Tickets available at the door only
Panelists: George Hodgman, Jane Hamilton, Ben Fountain
We all have those characters we know and love, that live on in our imaginations long after we finish reading a story. George Hodgman, Jane Hamilton, and Ben Fountain share their advice on writing compelling characters.
Living the Creative Life
The Belly Up | 6:00pm – 7:15pm
$25 Tickets available at aspenshowtix.com or the Wheeler Box Office
Panelists: Jess Walter, Dani Shapiro, Jericho Brown
Making a life as an artist has its joys, just as it has its frustrations. Rejection, confusion, disappointment – can all make a creative career an uphill battle. Simply finding time to create can seem impossible. Hear from three authors on their experience of finding ease and clarity in the creative life.
THURSDAY, JUNE 22
The Take Away
The Gant | Maroon Room | 4:00pm – 5:15pm
$25 Tickets available at the door only
Panelists: Carole DeSanti, Hannah Tinti, Jane Hamilton, Jericho Brown, Jess Walter
Now what? After a week of full immersion into the art of fiction, memoir, and poetry, what will happen when you return to the blank page? Summer Words faculty share their advice for reentering the day-to-day writing life.
READERS’ RETREAT EXPLORING THE NEAPOLITAN NOVELS
June 19-21 | 9am – 12pm
The Gant, 610 S W End Street
$375, includes lunch and all public events
More info
BEGINNING WRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHINELO OKPARANTA
June 18-23
The Gant, 610 S W End Street
$1,375, includes lunch and all public events
More info
Questions or requests for interviews can be directed to:
Caroline Tory
Senior Program Associate - Communications
Aspen Words | The Aspen Institute
[email protected]
Phone: 970-925-3122 ext 3#
* Click here for the press release regarding the Aspen Words Benefit Dinner, held on June 21 during Summer Words with featured speaker Margot Lee Shetterly, author of HIDDEN FIGURES.
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