Aspen, CO (July 2, 2019) – Novelist Zinzi Clemmons will spend the month of July in Woody Creek, CO, as part of Aspen Words’ 2019 Writers in Residence program. Clemmons is the author of the acclaimed debut novel “What We Lose” and also teaches writing at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She will discuss her work with local author and residency partner Daniel Shaw on Tuesday, July 16 at Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar in Aspen.

 

Raised in Philadelphia by a South-African mother and an American father, Clemmons shot onto the literary scene in 2017 with “What We Lose,” a coming-of-age story about an African-American woman dealing with the illness and eventual loss of her South-African mother and struggling with her sense of being an outsider caught between identities. The book was shortlisted for the 2018 Aspen Words Literary Prize and named Debut Novel of the Year by Vogue Magazine. Additionally, it was a finalist for the California Book Award First Fiction, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Novel and the National Book Critics Circle Leonard Prize. In 2017, Clemmons was a National Book Award 5 Under 35 honoree. 

While in Woody Creek, Clemmons will be working on a collection of essays. Free copies of “What We Lose” are available to the community at the Aspen Words office in the Red Brick building through the organization’s Catch & Release program.

Following Clemmons, August’s resident will be poet Samyak Shertok. The complete lineup with author bios and event dates is available at aspenwords.org. 
 

 

ZINZI CLEMMONS EVENT DETAILS

 

WHEN: Tuesday, July 16 I 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar I 301 E Hopkins Ave 

THE EVENT IS FREE and open to the public. Donations at the door are encouraged. 

Questions or requests for author interviews can be directed to: 
Mallory Kaufman
Program Coordinator
Aspen Words | Aspen Institute

 

 

Aspen Words was founded in 1976 as a literary center based in Aspen, CO. A program of the Aspen Institute, its mission is to encourage writers, inspire readers, and connect people through the power of stories. For more information, visit www.aspenwords.org.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C; Aspen, CO; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.