Aspen Writers’ Foundation Reaches for the Stars with Winter Words XV

Aspen Writers’ Foundation Reaches for the Stars with Winter Words XV
Geraldine Brooks, Michael Chabon, Kathryn Stockett, Ann Patchett, and Tracy Kidder Headline 15^th Season

November 21, 2011, Aspen, CO— The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), already elevated at 7,809 feet in the Colorado Rockies, goes stratospheric this ski season as its 15th annual Winter Words literary performance series draws the stars of the writing world to Aspen from February through April, 2012.

This sparkling season features a Pulitzer Prize-rich lineup of novelists, short story writers, journalists, nonfiction masters, and a poet who inhabit the magical intersection of critical acclaim and popular success, where award podiums and bestseller lists meet. The AWF, a program of the Aspen Institute, announces authors Kathryn Stockett, Geraldine Brooks, Tony Horwitz, Michael Chabon (interviewed by Andrew Sean Greer), Tracy Kidder, Ann Patchett, Daniyal Mueenuddin, and Jonathan Wells for its Winter Words program, which will be held at downtown Aspen venues. Individual tickets, season passes, and Author Salon packages, starting at $20, are available from Aspen Show Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com and 970.920.5770  beginning December 1.

“We always shoot for the stars when it comes to Winter Words, and this year we exceeded our goal,” said AWF executive director Lisa Consiglio. “We consider all lovers of literature to be rock stars, and this line-up proves that Aspen is the place to be for anyone who is passionate about the written word.”

The season schedule is as follows:

• Feb 7, Ann Patchett, Wheeler Opera House
  Orange Prize winner; bestselling author of Bel Canto; renowned for her brilliance on the page and podium

• Feb 21, Michael Chabon in conversation with Andrew Sean Greer, Wheeler Opera House
  One of the most celebrated writers of his generation; the genius behind The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; winner of the Pulitzer Prize

• Feb 27, Geraldine Brooks and Tony Horwitz, Wheeler Opera House
  Pulitzer Prize-winning masters of form: fiction, journalism and nonfiction; bestselling authors of People of the Book (Brooks) and Midnight Rising (Horwitz)

• Mar 1, Tracy Kidder, Wheeler Opera House
  Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner; nonfiction powerhouse; bestselling author of Strength in What RemainS

• Mar 8, Daniyal Mueenuddin, The Little Nell
  Debut author of In Other Rooms, Other Wonders; Story Prize winner; finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Award

• Mar 19, Jonathan Wells, The Gant
  Author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection, Train Dance; finalist for the   Pushcart Prize; expert on the poetry of rock n’ roll

• Apr 3, Kathryn Stockett, Wheeler Opera House
  Author of the international sensation, The Help; the literary inspiration for the #1 box office hit film; book club phenomenon

The Details
Winter Words events take place at 5:30pm (doors at 5pm). Tickets are $20/event or $110/season subscription with deeper discounts available for AWF members, Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, students, and educators.

Immediately following the public talk by each author, a private party for the guest of honor will be held at a downtown art gallery. Author Salons are a rare opportunity to break bread and share conversation with a renowned author, all while participating in a private viewing of the gallery’s art collection. Author Salon Packages include an event ticket with reserved seating at Winter Words 2012 and a pass to the private after-party. These special gatherings are sponsored by Aspen Peak magazine.

Tickets, passes and packages may be purchased starting December 1 from Aspen Show Tickets at 970.920.5700 and through www.aspenshowtix.com.  More information is available from the Aspen Writers’ Foundation at 970.925.3122 and www.aspenwriters.org.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF) was founded in Aspen in 1976 as a cutting edge poetry conference and literary magazine. Today the Aspen Writers’ Foundation is one of the nation’s leading literary centers and a stage for the world’s most prominent authors, reaching over 1,150,000 literary enthusiasts globally. AWF programs employ literature as a tool for provoking thought, broadening perspectives, fostering connections, inspiring creativity, and giving voice. Since 2009, the AWF has partnered with the Aspen Institute, underscoring the highest humanistic ideals of Aspen Institute founder Walter Paepcke: to better understand human challenges by cultivating one’s inner life through the exchange of words, stories, and ideas.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

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STORY SWAP INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS TO ISRAEL WITH FIRST MIDDLE EAST STORY EXCHANGE SEPTEMBER 19-23

THE ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION AND GLOBAL NOMADS GROUP PARTNER TO BRING ARAB AND JEWISH YOUTH OF ISRAEL TOGETHER

(Northern Israel, September 6, 2011) — Arab and Jewish high school students of Israel — from two communities that are minutes apart but rarely interact — will come together for the first time this month to engage in Story Swap International (SSI), a ground- breaking program that employs the art of storytelling to build bridges of understanding. The collaborative project, founded by the Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF) and expanded to an international level in partnership with Global Nomads Group (GNG), will take place September 19-23 in one of the most controversial regions of the globe. “Nowhere else does a program like Story Swap hold the potential, not to end the conflict, but rather to build a dynamic that might allow a resolution to survive,” said Mickey Bergman, SSI advisor and director of Middle East Programs at the Aspen Institute.

“Story Swap is powerful precisely because it harnesses storytelling — the most accessible and universal of all human activities — to open the doors of communication that might otherwise be closed,” said Lisa Consiglio, executive director of the AWF. “It works because when listening to stories, we suspend argument, engage our imagination, and, walking in the shoes of another, build compassion.”

The 24 participants of SSI’s inaugural Middle East Swap, selected from a Jewish high school in Haifa and an Arab high school in Nazareth, will be paired together for a five- day creativity exchange that is part of a two-year storytelling initiative in the region by the AWF and GNG. Over the next couple of weeks, the students will begin preparing for individual exchanges with their partners by taking classes in storytelling, creative writing, active listening, and media skills (such as interactive videoconferencing and digital storytelling). The Swap week will culminate with face-to-face exchanges between partners on September 23 that will provide the groundwork for future community outreach, including digital storytelling presentations by students to their communities in November.Story Swap is based on the simple premise that by knowing the story of another we are better able to understand each other.

“The program’s model taps into the creativity of youth and engages them not through the lens of their conflict, but rather through their storytelling and listening. The methodology allows participants to genuinely take in perspectives without the ‘threatening’ proposition of agreeing with one another,” said Bergman.

During the swaps, participants open their minds to difficulties, joys, hardships, and successes that are not their own. They share stories of family, landscape, and cultural and emotional differences (and, notably, similarities) that challenge their perceptions. They experience their shared humanity and, in doing so, create bridges of understanding. Past swaps have demonstrated that the transformative effect of the program lies in imagining the potential in their partner, which allows swappers to imagine the potential in themselves and, in turn, the world.

“When young people engage in dialogue through directly exchanging personal stories, we have seen it lead to greater empathy and mutual understanding, which is a building block towards positive, social change,” said Chris Plutte, Global Nomads Group’s executive director. “Youth leadership skills are also developed as a result of participating in SSI, where young people can act as positive role models for others in their local communities.”

The Middle East Swap has been in the works for several months, since the first international collaboration between the AWF and GNG that was held for student survivors of natural disasters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and New Orleans, Louisiana, following the Haitian earthquake of 2010. This successful partnership, brokered by the Bezos Family Foundation (BFF) chronicled in the documentary “Story Swap,” forged a bond and a common mission between the literary arts organization and the educational NGO to take Story Swap to a global level. The two independent nonprofits share a humanistic approach and a belief in the power of stories. Together, they aim to break down isolation, increase interaction, encourage compassion, and raise awareness through storytelling.

Founded in 2007 by the AWF, Story Swap was first implemented between students from Basalt High School in Basalt, Colorado. Recognizing the wider application of this unique storytelling process, Story Swap was expanded to the community at large. By 2012, thanks to the Bezos Family Foundation, the Goldrich Family Foundation, and an anonymous donor, approximately 20 swaps will have taken place within neighborhoods, across economic divides, over state lines, and among countries.

More information is available from Natalie Lacy, Programs Manager of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation, at Natalie@aspenwriters.org and 970.925.3122, ext. 3#. Please visit www.aspenwriters.org to learn more about Story Swap.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF) was founded in Aspen in 1976 as a cutting edge poetry conference and literary magazine. Today the Aspen Writers’ Foundation is one of the nation’s leading literary centers and a stage for the world’s most prominent authors, reaching over 1,150,000 literary enthusiasts globally. AWF programs employ literature as a tool for provoking thought, broadening perspectives, fostering connections, inspiring creativity, and giving voice. Since 2009, the AWF has partnered with the Aspen Institute, underscoring the highest humanistic ideals of Aspen founder Walter Paepcke: to better understand human challenges by cultivating one’s inner life through the exchange of words, stories, and ideas.

The Bezos Family Foundation (BFF) is a private, independent foundation established by Jackie and Mike Bezos, who along with their children and spouses, serve as directors. BFF’s vision is that all young people are prepared to achieve their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to society. The Bezos Family Foundation supports rigorous, inspired learning environments for young people, from birth through high school, to put their education into action. Through investments in research, public awareness and programs, the foundation works to elevate the field of education and improve life outcomes for all children.

Established in 1998, Global Nomads Group (GNG) is an international NGO that creates interactive programs for young people around the world. By exploring the similarities and differences that define who we are, GNG programs provide tangible opportunities to build bridges and foster meaningful dialogue through collaborative projects. In its 12- year history, GNG has conducted interactive videoconferencing programs in more than 50 countries on all seven continents, and reached more than one million young people.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

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Khaled Hosseini and Mona Eltahawy to Headline Aspen Writers’ Foundation’s Middle Eastern Literary Festival

“To understand the people of the Middle East, we must move beyond headlines

and look towards its literature, for that is where the soul lies.”

— Firoozeh Dumas

Khaled Hosseini and Mona Eltahawy

to Headline Aspen Writers’ Foundation’s

Middle Eastern Literary Festival

Aspen, CO, May 31, 2011  As revolution — carried on the wings of poetry and social media — dawns across the Middle East, all eyes are on the fabled region, including, auspiciously, those of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF). Celebrating “the magical literature of the modern Middle East” next month during the 35^th annual Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival, the AWF and its boundary-defying festival have once again found themselves at the leading edge of literature today. The 2011 festival, with the official theme, “Papyrus,” will feature some of the most important Middle Eastern spellbinders of our time — Khaled Hosseini, Mona Eltahawy, Firoozeh Dumas, Assaf Gavron, and Reza Aslan among them — weaving stories of their homelands and illuminating timeless themes in ways that shed new light on old worlds. Aspen Summer Words will be held June 19 through 24 at the Doerr-Hosier Center, the Aspen Summer Words’ headquarters on the Aspen Meadows campus. Early bird passes, starting at $150, are available now from Aspen Show Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com and 970.920.5770.

“We look forward to sharing these magnificent storytellers whose trail of words extends across the Middle East, from Pakistan to Israel to Egypt to the U.S.,” said Lisa Consiglio, executive director of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation. “I can guarantee that this will be an eye-opening, insider view of a long-misunderstood part of the world.”

 Firoozeh Dumas, a festival advisor and featured author of Papyrus, adds: “Festivalgoers will come out of this experience with an expansive outlook, and, perhaps, a craving for hummus.”

 Featured Theme & Authors

The Papyrus theme, which puts a spotlight on the ancient lands where paper was born and poetry has flourished since yore, will provide a platform for an international mash-up of authors who by definition offer a dynamic mix of perspectives. East will meet West and time-honored will encounter cutting edge when Papyrus’s eight Middle Eastern authors convene on stage. This diversity — the authors hail from seven countries of origin and write in as many genres — will assure unexpected combinations and a measure of levity for a region that is typically viewed from the West with stereotypes and gravity.

“Even though the Middle East is in the headlines every day, the soul of the region remains a mystery,” says Firoozeh Dumas.  “Aspen Summer Words 2011 promises four days of stories, laughter, poetry and the types of discussions that only take place at a festival dedicated to broadening minds.”

Dumas is among the roster of distinguished Middle Eastern authors who will be performing at Aspen Summer Words. All guest authors write in English:

• Born in Jordan to Lebanese parents, Rabih Alameddine is a painter and bestselling author of four books of fiction, including the Roma Prize-winning novel, The Hakawati.
• Iranian-American Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, bestselling author of No god but God, and the editor of the Middle Eastern literature anthology, Tablet & Pen.
• Peter Cole is a celebrated American poet and translator who divides his time between Israel and the U.S. and whose anthology, The Dream of the Poem, won the National Jewish Book Award.
• Iranian-born Firoozeh Dumas is the author of two books of nonfiction stories, Laughing Without An Accent and Funny in Farsi, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
• Egyptian Mona Eltahawy is an international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues and an award-winning columnist for Qatar’s Al Arab newspaper, Israel’s The Jerusalem Report, and Denmark’s Politiken.
• Israeli Assaf Gavron is an internationally acclaimed novelist, essayist, translator, and singer/songwriter whose novel Hydromania won the 2011 Israeli Prime Minister’s Creative Award for Authors.
• Khaled Hosseini is the author of two runaway international bestsellers, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both of which are set in his native Afghanistan.
• Daniyal Mueenuddin is an award-winning fiction writer raised in Pakistan and Wisconsin, whose debut story collection, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, won The Story Prize and was a Pulitzer finalist.

 Other special guests, who will also serve as writing faculty, include:

• Colum McCann: National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin and four other acclaimed novels
• Nikky Finney: poet and author of four heralded poetry collections including Head Off & Split and On Wings Made of Gauze
• Erica Jong: internationally bestselling author whose 20 books include works of nonfiction; memoir; novels; volumes of poetry; and the megahit Fear of Flying
• Elinor Lipman: author of nine critically acclaimed novels including The Family Man, My Latest Grievance, The Pursuit of Alice Thrift, and Isabel’s Bed
• and many more

 Program Highlights

During the weeklong literary extravaganza, booklovers may choose from a schedule of over 12 hour-long events that offer rare opportunities for intimate dialogue with authors, behind-the-scenes glimpses into the publishing industry, and lively interaction between readers and writers. During a typical day, a festival passholder may partake in up to three literary events (choosing from author readings, artist conversations, craft talks, and panel discussions); take a yoga class; attend a book party; and, with their mornings off, still have time to explore Aspen’s recreational, sightseeing, dining, or shopping prospects. A full festival schedule will be available online June 1 at www.aspenwriters.org. Highlights from the program include:

 Revolutionary Literature  //  On the streets of Iran, Tunisia, Egypt and beyond, poems are being used as rallying cries for revolution while social media have become the vehicles for delivering them. Mona Eltahawy and Reza Aslan give voice to literature mirroring the ills of society and poets transforming into journalists, historians, and cultural critics.

 Backstory  //  This sparkling afternoon of on-stage chemistry will feature friends Khaled Hosseini and Firoozeh Dumas sharing the backstories of their lives: who they were before they became writers and how their paths, from Afghanistan and Iran, respectively, led them to this very moment.

 Alter Egos  //  In the tradition of doctor-poet William Carlos Williams, two authors who have hyphenated their time between writing and another fully engaged profession (in this case, artist Rabih Alameddine and farmer Daniyal Mueenuddin) discuss what it means to have a creative and professional alter ego.

Writing Retreat

Complementing the literary festival that is held during the afternoons and evenings, a morning writing retreat offers beginning through advanced workshops and classes to the registered Aspen Summer Words student. Among the workshop faculty are celebrated author-educators: Colum McCann, Ron Rash, Elinor Lipman, and Derek Green (fiction); Erica Jong (memoir); Nikky Finney (poetry); and Randall Kenan (Young Writers). The AWF will also offer two seminars for literature lovers (no writing experience necessary): a five-day Digital Storytelling course and the 2-day Readers’ Retreat with Mona Eltahawy. All workshops and classes are open to the public. As of press time, limited space is still available in the following workshops: Beginning Fiction, Readers’ Retreat, and Digital Storytelling. To register, visit www.aspenwriters.org or contact Lauren Lowinger at 970.925.3122 ext. 4#.

 The Details

Early bird passes, starting at $150, and discounted lodging are available now through June 1. Starting June 2, individual event tickets go on sale and pass prices go up to $200. Both are available through Aspen Show Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com and 970.920.5770.

 Lodging deals, with rates as low as $115 (a savings of up to 58%), can be found through the AWF’s official lodging partners, The Molly Gibson and Hotel Aspen. To reserve these rates, contact either hotel by June 1 and mention code: ASW2011. More information is available from www.mollygibson.com and www.hotelaspen.com.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

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BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOYCE MAYNARD WRAPS UP WINTER WORDS ON MARCH 24

Aspen, CO, March 8, 2011 — On March 24, bestselling author Joyce Maynard brings a triumphant close to Winter Words 2011, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation’s 14^th annual literary performance series.  The award-winning author of 11 books that span half as many genres, Maynard is an apt choice for the final author in the organization’s “Off The Page” season that, like Maynard, has overflowed with literary talent of all stripes — novelists, performance artists, poets, memoirists, singer-songwriters, magazine journalists, and comedians, among them. The genre-bending Maynard will give a reading and talk, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing, at 5:30 pm (doors at 5pm) at the Little Nell. Tickets start at $15 and are available from Aspen Show Tickets.

“Joyce Maynard’s dexterity across genres is a testament to her storytelling prowess,” said Lisa Consiglio, executive director of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF). “She is beloved by her readers for writing novels that seem real enough to be memoir and memoirs that are gripping enough to be novels.”

Author Profile

Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of The New York Times cover story, “An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a

freshman at Yale. Since that auspicious debut, the hard-working writer has built a career as a reporter and columnist for The New York Times; a contributor to the CBS program “Spectrum;” a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in over 50 papers nationwide; a storyteller for The Moth; and a regular contributor to NPR and national magazines including O, The Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, and many more. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hard Ball, Charlie Rose, and (on NPR) on Fresh Air. Always ahead of her time, Maynard was a pioneer in the blogging movement even before it had a name, becoming one of the first authors to communicate to her readers directly and regularly, using an online discussion board (and later posts on her website) since the late 90s.

She is well known for her numerous books, including the bestsellers Labor Day (a 2008 novel), At Home in the World (a 1999 memoir about her relationship with J.D. Salinger), and the 1992 novel To Die For (whose film adaptation by Gus Van Sant, starring Nicole Kidman, earned a Golden Globe Award). Her novel, The Usual Rules, a story about surviving loss, has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the Ten Best Books of The Year for Young Readers. She has been touring for her most recent novel, The Good Daughters, which Elizabeth Berg called “hard to put down and impossible to forget.”

As a writer who works across genres – which, in addition to novels and memoir, include young adult, children’s literature, and true crime – she has said: “I approach it always as storytelling. Sometimes the story actually happens, sometimes you invent the story, but my goal as a writer has not changed; it’s to tell a story well.”

The mother of three grown children and two recently-adopted girls from Ethiopia, she spends her time in Mill Valley, California; in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala; and in various retreat centers, where, in addition to pursuing her own work, she runs and teaches writing workshops.

Winter Words & The Great Read

Joyce Maynard is the last of five authors who together formed the 2011 Winter Words literary performance series that launched on January 5^th with Terry Tempest Williams. In addition to these five events, the AWF’s “Off The Page” season included The Great Read community reading program, featuring dozens of events celebrating F. Scott Fitzgerald’s modern American classic, The Great Gatsby. Upcoming Great Read events include: Jazz Downstairs at the Little Nell presented by Jazz Aspen Snowmass (March 26), Jazz Poetry Night presented by the Aspen Poets’ Society at the Hotel Lenado (March 27) and the Plum TV’s Speakeasy (March 31).

The Details

Tickets to Joyce Maynard’s Winter Words event are $15. Discounts are available for AWF members, students and educators (with current school I.D.), and groups. Also available are tickets to the Author Salon series of Winter Words private after-parties honoring each author ($40/event, which includes event and party, with AWF or Society of Fellows membership). Tickets to Winter Words and the Author Salons may be purchased from Aspen Show Tickets at 970.920.5770 and through www.aspenshowtix.com.  More information is available from the AWF at 970.925.3122 and www.aspenwriters.org.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, one of the West’s pioneering literary centers and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000+ literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

 

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2011 ASPEN SUMMER WORDS FACULTY ANNOUNCED!

Now celebrating its 35th year, Aspen Summer Words features hands-on instruction with some of today’s most notable authors and educators.  We are pleased to announce the faculty for the following 2011 Aspen Summer Words workshops:  Advanced Fiction with Colum McCann; Advanced Fiction with Ron Rash; Fiction with Elinor Lipman; Beginning Fiction with Scott Lasser; Poetry with Nikky Finney; Poetry with Marie Howe; Memoir with Erica Jong; Digital Storytelling with Daniel Weinshenker and Allison Myers; and the Young Writers Workshop with Randall Kenan.  Applications will be available online beginning February 1st; stayed tuned for full course descriptions and faculty bios to be posted on www.aspenwriters.org soon!

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ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION PRESENTS AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR ANN PATCHETT IN A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT

Aspen, CO August 2, 2010 ­­–– The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), a program of the Aspen Institute, and the Basalt Regional Library are pleased to present PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Ann Patchett in a free reading and talk on Tuesday, August 10, at 5:00 pm at the Basalt Library.

In her first Roaring Fork Valley appearance since previewing her novel Run during AWF’s 2007 Winter Words series, Ann Patchett will once again offer a sneak preview of new work. The best-selling author of Bel Canto plans to read from and discuss her latest book of fiction, entitled State of Wonder, slated for publication in June 2011.

“We are delighted to provide local audiences with this very special treat,” says Aspen Writers’ Foundation executive director Lisa Consiglio. “It is a rare opportunity to hear one of today’s most acclaimed novelists read from new work – several months ahead of the rest of the world! Presenting Ann Patchett in a free event at the Basalt Regional Library is our way of thanking the community for another great year of celebrating the literary arts in the Roaring Fork Valley.”

Ann Patchett is the author of five novels and a memoir: The Patron Saint of Liars, which received a James A. Michener/Copernicus Award for a book in progress; Taft, winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for the best work of fiction; The Magician’s Assistant, which earned her a Guggenheim Fellowship; Bel Canto, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Truth and Beauty, a memoir of her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy; and most recently the New York Times bestselling novel Run.

“Ann Patchett has become a dear friend to the AWF,” says Consiglio. “She is among the most dazzling speakers we have had the pleasure to present, and we are thrilled to be able to share her prodigious talents with the Roaring Fork community.”

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute’s mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

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ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION PRESENTS CONVERSATION WITH NOVELIST MONA SIMPSON

Aspen, CO. July 26, 2010 – The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), a program of the Aspen Institute, presents novelist Mona Simpson in conversation with Walter Isaacson. Ms. Simpson will appear at the Institute to discuss her new book, My Hollwood on Friday, August 13 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Paepcke Auditorium and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets are on sale through the Wheeler Opera House at www.aspenshowtickets.com or by calling 970-920-5770.

Mona Simpson was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and moved to Los Angeles as a young teenager. Her father was a recent immigrant from Syria and her mother was the daughter of a mink farmer and the first person in her family to attend college. Simpson went to UC Berkeley, where she studied poetry. She worked as a journalist before moving to New York to attend Columbia University’s MFA program. During graduate school, she published her first short stories in Ploughshares, The Iowa Review and Mademoiselle. She remained in New York to work as an editor at The Paris Review for five years while finishing her first novel, Anywhere But Here. After that, she wrote The Lost Father, A Regular Guy and Off Keck Road.

Her work has been awarded several prizes: a Whiting Prize, a Guggenheim, a grant from the NEA, a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, a Lila Wallace Readers Digest Prize, a Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, a Pen Faulkner finalist, and most recently a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ms. Simpson worked for 10 years on My Hollywood. “It’s the book that took me too long because it meant too much to me,” she said. She lives in Santa Monica with her two children and their dog Bartelby.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

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ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION TO PREMIERE STORY SWAP DOCUMENTARY DURING ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL

Aspen, CO, July 6, 2010 – The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF) is proud to announce the premiere of the short documentary film “Story Swap,” that chronicles the first-ever international Story Swap program between students from New Orleans, Louisiana and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The film will show during the event “Walk in My Shoes: Students from Haiti and New Orleans Rebuild Lives,” as part of the Aspen Ideas Festival on Friday, July 9^th at 8:30pm at the St. Regis Hotel. Five extraordinary students from New Orleans and Port-au-Prince will take the stage with moderator, Anna Deavere Smith, to talk about Story Swap, share their stories, and steal your hearts with their words, wit, and wisdom.

From April 19-23 of this year, AWF Story Swap educators, videographers, and field producers traveled to New Orleans and Port-au-Prince to facilitate the first-ever, face-to-face international Story Swap program thanks in large part to major support from the Bezos Family Foundation (BFF).  The AWF partnered with the Global Nomads Group (GNG), an international nonprofit organization, to establish web videoconferencing between twelve students from Sci Academy: New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy in New Orleans, and twelve students from Cours Privé Edme in Port-au-Prince.

Established by the AWF in 2007, Story Swap uses storytelling, creative writing, and the visual arts to foster understanding among diverse populations. By pairing individuals from different backgrounds, this cross-cultural storytelling exchange breaks down isolation, increases interaction, raises awareness, and encourages compassion. Students share stories of family, landscape, and emotional experiences that broaden their perception of the world and their surroundings.

The Details

Single tickets are $20 and may be purchased through the box office at the Wheeler Opera House: www.aspenshowtix.com / 970.920.5770. In the case that the event is sold out, we will begin a waitlist at the door of the event 45 minutes before the scheduled start time. For more information on Story Swap, please visit aspenwriters.org or call 970.925.3122.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute’s mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.

The Bezos Family Foundation is a private, independent foundation established by Jackie and Mike Bezos, who along with their children and spouses, serve as directors. The Foundation works to strengthen educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of economic circumstances, and cultivate learning as a life-long process that begins in early childhood.

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ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION HONORS AMERICAN LEGEND ERNEST J. GAINES

The Elder Statesman of Southern Letters Receives 2010 Aspen Prize for Literature
Aspen, CO, June 15, 2010 – The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), a program of the Aspen Institute, is honored to present the 2010 Aspen Prize for Literature to Louisiana writer, Ernest J. Gaines. Mr. Gaines will accept the award during the AWF’s 34th annual Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival, to be held June 20-25 at the Doerr-Hosier Center on the Aspen Institute campus. The theme of this year’s conference is “Crossroads: A Literary Intersection of the American South.”

“There was no contest in selecting this year’s candidate for the Aspen Prize for Literature,” says AWF executive director, Lisa Consiglio. “Ernest Gaines – who represents the absolute best of Southern writing today and is revered by writers and readers alike – was at the top of our list from the very beginning. We are honored that he has chosen to accept this award.”

Mr. Gaines is considered an American literary legend and the elder statesman of Southern letters. He is best known for his 1993 novel, A Lesson Before Dying, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won the Best Fiction Award from the National Book Critics Circle, the Southern Writers Conference, and the Louisiana Library Association. It is the story of a young black man wrongly condemned to Louisiana’s electric chair by a white jury in 1948 and of the teacher who tries to help him meet his death – as a man and not as “a hog,” the characterization given him by his defense attorney’s summation to the jury.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) named A Lesson Before Dying part of its 2008 Big Read National Reading Program. The NEA states, “His works tackle the issues of manhood for men of color, the breakdown in personal relationships as a result of social pressures, the history and folklore of a distant past, and illustrate the thirty years before the civil rights era.”

Many of his novels are set in the plantations of the Deep South and offer understanding for readers of all colors, backgrounds and classes. Among his bibliography of nine works of fiction are the critically acclaimed novels The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Gathering of Old Men. His most recent publication is Mozart and Leadbelly, a collection of stories and essays on writing.

Mr. Gaines has been credited with “the ability to convey through his work the insidious effect of racism – without moralizing” and “the utter lack of overwrought emotion with which questions of race relations are treated.” His work has been aptly described by his longtime publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, as “capturing the soul of a black community whose circumstances make even the slightest assertion of self-respect an act of majestic – and sometimes suicidal – heroism.”

Gaines was born on January 15, 1933 on the River Lake Plantation in Oscar, a hamlet in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, which is the Bayonne of all his fictional work. He was raised by his maternal aunt, Augusteen Jefferson, who served as the principal role model for his best-known character, Miss Jane Pittman. Since there was not a high school he could attend in Pointe Coupee Parish and because it was against the law in Louisiana in the 1940′s for people of color to enter public libraries, Gaines joined his mother and step-father in California to continue his education at the age of fifteen.

Mr. Gaines visited a public library for the first time at age 16. He says, “I discovered the Russians, Turgenev, Gogol, who spoke of the peasants. Then the French, Flaubert, Maupassant, Zola. But no one was telling me the story of my people. Thus, a teenager, I decided to write. At San Francisco State University I continued reading, James Joyce, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. I studied creative writing at Stanford University with Wallace Stegner and worked and worked.”

Today the author makes his home in Louisiana with his wife, Dianne Saulney, an attorney. He is currently the Writer-in-Residence Emeritus at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, which is in the midst of establishing the Ernest J. Gaines Center that will be an international center for research and scholarship on Mr. Gaines and his work. In 2000, then-President Clinton bestowed Mr. Gaines with one of the highest honors the United States can confer: the National Humanities Medal.

Mr. Gaines will appear on stage via live videoconference during the award event, “Stories From the Front Porch: A Tribute to Ernest Gaines,” on Tuesday, June 22nd at 5:30pm. Joining him will be fellow Southern authors Dorothy Allison, Robert Bausch, Nikky Finney, Randall Kenan, Ron Rash, and Kathryn Stockett, who will pay tribute to Mr. Gaines by telling stories in his honor. On that evening, Mr. Gaines will join the elite order of authors who have received the Prize since its inception five years ago: Paul Muldoon and Edna O’Brien (2005), N. Scott Momaday (2006), Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Wole Soyinka (2008), Salman Rushdie (2008), and Ron Carlson (2009).

Editor’s Note: For press passes to the Festival, please contact Nicole Hernandez at nicole@aspenwrtiers.org or 970-925-3122, ext 2#.

The Details
Aspen Summer Words Festival passes (guaranteed entry to all Festival events) are $150 for retreat students and members of the AWF and Aspen Institute, and $200 for the general public. Passes may be purchased through the Belly Up box office: www.bellyupaspen.com/ 970-544-9800. For a list of currently confirmed speakers, schedule of events, and passholder information, please visit www.aspenwriters.org.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute  mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.

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ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES ASPEN SUMMER WORDS LITERARY FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Aspen, CO, June 3, 2010 – The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), a program of the Aspen Institute, is pleased to announce the official schedule for the Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival, which will be held at the Doerr-Hosier Center from June 20-25. The schedule of events is available for viewing at www.aspenwriters.org. Single tickets and Festival passes are on sale now through the Belly Up box office. More details on how to purchase different tickets are listed below.

Aspen Summer Words 2010 will highlight the American South and its legendary writers during the five-day Festival under the banner, “Crossroads: A Literary Intersection of the American South.” Confirmed authors include:

• Ernest J. Gaines: the elder statesman of Southern letters, author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated A Lesson Before Dying, and the recipient of the 2010 Aspen Prize for Literature
• Kathryn Stockett: breakout author of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel, The Help
• Dorothy Allison: finalist for the National Book Award and bestselling author of Bastard Out of Carolina
• Richard Bausch: past chancellor of the fellowship of Southern Writers and Pen/Faulkner nominated author of Peace
• Ron Rash: critically acclaimed poet and author of Serena, The New York Times Notable Book of the year
• Nikky Finney: award-winning poet and the recipient of the PEN American Open Book Award
• Randall Kenan: prize-winning author of five books including Let the Dead Bury Their Dead
• Walter Isaacson: president and CEO of the Aspen Institute and the author of three works of historical nonfiction

In addition, the AWF is pleased to present two performances of John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders featuring Festival authors and the AWF’s 2010 Writer-In-Residence, Colum McCann. Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders will appear at the annual AWF Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, June 23 at 6pm at a private home and again on Thursday, June 24 at 7pm at the Belly Up.

The Details

• Aspen Summer Words Festival passes (guaranteed entry to all Festival events) are $150 for retreat students and members of the AWF and Aspen Institute, and $200 for individuals, and may be purchased through the Aspen Writers’ Foundation: www.aspenwriters.org or 970-925-3122.
• Single tickets are $15-$20 and are available through the Belly Up box office: www.bellyupaspen.com or 970-544-9800.
• Tickets to the annual Benefit Dinner are $300 and may be purchased through the Aspen Writers’ Foundation: www.aspenwriters.org or 970-925-3122.
• Tickets to John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders public performance at the Belly Up are $25/$28 the day of the show and may be purchased through the Belly Up box office: www.bellyupaspen.com or 970-544-9800.
• For a list of currently confirmed speakers, schedule of events, and passholder information, please visit www.aspenwriters.org.
• Discount lodging for all Summer Words participants is available at the Aspen Meadows: http://www.dolce-aspen-hotel.com or 800-452-4240.

The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners.

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