Aspen Summer Words
2016-06-19 16:00 - 2016-06-24 12:00 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
Recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings, Summer Words is a six-day celebration of words, stories, and ideas held annually in Aspen. Advanced workshops with renowned authors and teachers are an intimate place for writers to develop a manuscript, while introductory workshops invite participants to explore the craft of writing. Literary agents and editors meet one-on-one with workshop participants, while public panel discussions provide inspiration and insight for writers and readers alike. Evening events include readings, receptions, and the Aspen Words Annual Beneﬁt Dinner, featuring a special guest author.
MORE INFOPublic Events ScheduleReaders’ Retreat Beginning Writing WorkshopSummer Benefit Featuring Lucy Kalanithi + Ann Patchett

SUMMER WORDS PANEL - WE ALL START SOMEWHERE
2017-06-19 15:30 - 16:30 | CO, United States
You all ventured away from your writing desks 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.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE DOOR OF THE EVENTDOORS OPEN @ 3PM
Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of four memoirs: Hourglass, Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, Devotion, and Slow Motion; and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Shapiro’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, One Story, Elle, New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, and has been broadcast on “This American Life.” Her recent essays on the lures and dangers of the internet and social media have stirred up controversy and gone viral, and are now being taught in many universities. She is co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy and a contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveler.
Hannah Tinti is a writer, editor and teacher. Her short story collection Animal Crackers was a runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her bestselling novel The Good Thief won the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, an American Library Association Alex Award, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In 2002, Tinti co- founded the award-winning literary magazine One Story, and for the past fourteen years has been its editor-in-chief. She teaches creative writing at New York University’s MFA Program and the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy, which she co-founded with Dani Shapiro, Michael Maren, and Antonio Sersale. Her new novel, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, has been optioned for television and will be published in March 2017 by the Dial Press.

SUMMER WORDS PANEL - CRAFTING CHARACTER
2017-06-20 16:00 - 17:15 | CO, United States
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.Moderator: Sara NelsonTICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE DOOR OF THE EVENTDOORS OPEN @ 3:30PM
George Hodgman is the author of the memoir, Bettyville, and a veteran editor in books and magazines. He has worked at Simon and Schuster, Henry Holt, Houghton Mifflin, Vanity Fair, and the start-ups of Talk and Details. He has recently been a guest professor in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Missouri.

Jane Hamilton’s novels have won literary prizes, been made into films, and become international bestsellers; and two of them, The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World, were selections of Oprah’s Book Club. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Allure, O: The Oprah Magazine, Elle, and various anthologies. She’s married to an apple farmer and lives in Wisconsin.

Ben Fountain’s novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk won the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Award, and the L.A. Times Book Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Ang Lee directed the film adaptation of Billy Lynn, which was released in November 2016 and starts Steve Martin, Vin Diesel, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Tucker. Fountain is also the author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara (Stories), which won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for Fiction, and a Whiting Writer’s Award.

SUMMER WORDS STUDENT OPEN MIC
2017-06-21 16:30 - 18:00 | CO, United States
Listen to short readings by the Summer Words workshop students! Wine and crostini specials will be available for purchase.

SUMMER WORDS PANEL - THE TAKE AWAY
2017-06-22 16:00 - 17:15 | CO, United States
Moderator: Jamie KravitzPanelists: Carole DeSanti, Hannah Tinti, Jane Hamilton, Jericho Brown, Jess WalterNow 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.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE DOOR OF THE EVENTDOORS OPEN @ 3PM

The State of the Publishing Industry - Part of the Summer Words Craft Panel Series
2023-06-19 13:30 - 14:30 | CO, United States
Purchase a pass for $30 to gain access to all events in the series.
Publishing experts will help you navigate the book business, give advice on how to get published, and discuss challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.
Panelists: Millicent Bennett, Kirby Kim and Dana Murphy
This event is free to summer words students! Your student badge serves as your pass.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Millicent Bennett
Millicent Bennett, Executive Editor, acquires primarily literary fiction, upmarket book club fiction, and voice-and character-driven narrative nonfiction, including memoir, with an emphasis on marginalized and underrepresented voices. She joined Harper in 2021 as part of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt integration, where she served as editorial director, and after seventeen years as editor at PRH, S&S, and Hachette.

Kirby Kim
Kirby Kim, a native of Los Angeles, California, attended Pomona College and got his JD at UC Hastings College of the Law. Kirby has worked for Charlotte Sheedy Literary, Vigliano Associates, WME, and Janklow & Nesbit. He represents both literary and commercial authors. He’s most interested in receiving manuscripts that straddle the fence a bit, with upmarket expression combined with a genre element or plot device. When it comes to straight literary work, he’s alternatively drawn to rich, sweeping stories that try to encompass a time or a place or tightly written, narratively innovative stories or voices with award potential. His commercial interests include thrillers, mysteries, and speculative fiction. He also represents a range of nonfiction, working with leaders and journalists in the areas of science, culture, business, and current affairs. Some of his clients include award-winning science fiction writer Ted Chiang, Edgar Award winner James A. McLaughlin, Bloomberg Businessweek journalist Lauren Etter, rapper/actor Common, two-time National Book Award winner in the Philippines Gina Apostol, and debut novelists Ling Ling Huang and Adam White. Kirby is currently a board member of the Asian American Writers Workshop. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and two kids.
Dana Murphy
Dana Murphy represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction for both adult and teen readers. She joined Trellis Literary Management in 2022, after a decade building her list at The Book Group. Books by her clients have been New York Times and international bestsellers and chosen as Barnes & Noble Discover, Book of the Month, Read with Jenna, Indie Next and NYT Editors’ Choice picks. Across genre, Dana falls in love at the story and line-level simultaneously. She’s always searching for language and plot that move in equal measure, and novels with a soft heart, a sense of humor, and a deep earnest affection for their characters and story. In non fiction, she loves well-researched cultural criticism — especially if it reckons with “low” and “unworthy” pop culture in a smart, serious way or interrogates the power structures that shape our collective understanding of “good” taste.

Apply for Summer Words by Wednesday, February 26
2025-02-26 08:00 - 17:00 | CO
Summer Words Writers Conference (June 22-27, 2025)
Deadline to apply for juried workshops: Wednesday, Feb. 26
$35 application fee and writing sample required for all juried workshops.
Please carefully read the manuscript guidelines before applying.

Juried Workshops:

Fiction: Led by Steve Almond, Vanessa Chan,
& Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Memoir: Led by Héctor Tobar
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Led by P. Djèlí Clark

Screenwriting: Led by Christina Lazaridi
Apply for Juried Workshops Here

2025 Summer Words Writers Conference
2025-06-22 08:00 - 2025-06-27 17:00 | CO
Join us June 22-27 2025, in Snowmass Village for inspiring workshops, readings and craft talks at the Viewline Resort.
General admission workshops including Book Branding, Generative Writing and a Readers Retreat are filled on a first come, first served basis until capacity is reached. Register today!
Recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings, Summer Words is a six-day celebration of words, stories and ideas held annually in an idyllic Rocky Mountain setting.
Summer Words 2025 will return to Snowmass Village, Colorado, a vibrant community just 9 miles from Aspen, with incredible mountain vistas in addition to 2.8 million adjacent acres of wilderness open for activities and exploration. Snowmass is home to 30+ restaurants, shopping, unique special events and music.
The faculty lineup and workshop descriptions for Summer Words 2025 are now available.
Learn more about Summer Words here.

Book Branding: From Manuscripts to Momentum with Taryn Roeder -- Register Today!
2025-06-22 09:00 - 2025-06-27 11:00 | CO
Registration for general application workshops is open now!

General admission workshops including Book Branding and Generative Writing are filled on a first come, first served basis until capacity is reached. Register today!
Daily workshops Monday – Friday from 9-11am.

Taryn Roeder is executive director of publicity at Abrams Books, leading the publicity departments for the Adult and Children’s divisions. Taryn has 20+ years of experience in book publicity and has worked with major figures in politics, science, art, and music, as well as on literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. Taryn was previously senior director of publicity at HarperCollins. While managing a team of publicists there, Taryn worked on many titles, including the instant New York Times bestseller “A Sacred Oath” by former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and “Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times” by Azar Nafisi. Prior to that, Taryn was at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 17 years, rising in leadership to become the vice president, director of publicity. She worked with New York Times bestselling authors Temple Grandin, Guy Raz and Sinead O’Connor, and on Lori Gottlieb’s “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.” She led the publicity campaigns for many beloved debut novels, including instant New York Times bestsellers “Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour and“Friday Black ”by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, as well as on Adrienne Brodeur’s highly acclaimed memoir “Wild Game.” While it is true that some books are easier to promote than others, Taryn swears she loves all of her authors equally
REGISTER NOW
Workshop Description
From Manuscript to Momentum: Elevate Your Book’s Success
You’ve written (or nearly completed) your book—so what’s next? How can you set yourself up for success and best shepherd your book into the world? And what does success truly mean for you? In this dynamic and interactive workshop, we’ll demystify the world of book publicity and promotion and equip you with actionable tools to navigate the process confidently. You’ll receive personalized guidance to craft a compelling elevator pitch and uncover your most engaging hooks and talking points. We’ll explore strategies to amplify your author platform, strengthen your media savvy, and build your press contacts. You’ll gain insider insights into the book publicity timeline, learn how to create impactful press kit materials, and discover opportunities to write and place book-adjacent content such as opinion pieces and curated reading lists. We’ll also dive into the value of author tours, festival appearances, and other events, and how to make them work for you. Through hands-on exercises and tailored assignments, you’ll leave this workshop with clear strategies to confidently promote your book while staying true to your goals and values as an author.
This is a 5-day workshop, meeting for 2-hours a day.
2025 Tuition:
2025 5-Day Inside the World of Book Publishing & Book Branding: $1,150
Tuition Includes:

Faculty instruction and materials
Access to all public panels throughout the week
Breakfast and lunch at the Viewline Resort (Monday through Friday)
Opening and closing receptions
Discounted lodging rates at our conference site, the Viewline Resort in Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Social activities such as guided hikes, an open mic evening and informal gatherings.

More About The 2025 Summer Words Writers Conference

June 22-27 in Snowmass Village, CO

Join us June 22-27 2025, in Snowmass Village for inspiring workshops, readings and craft talks at the Viewline Resort.
Recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings, Summer Words is a six-day celebration of words, stories and ideas held annually in an idyllic Rocky Mountain setting.
Summer Words 2025 will return to Snowmass Village, Colorado, a vibrant community just 9 miles from Aspen, with incredible mountain vistas in addition to 2.8 million adjacent acres of wilderness open for activities and exploration. Snowmass is home to 30+ restaurants, shopping, unique special events and music.
The faculty lineup and workshop descriptions for Summer Words 2025 are now available, and applications are open!

Generative Writing with Laura Zigman -- Register Today!
2025-06-22 09:00 - 2025-06-27 12:00 | CO
Registration for general application workshops is open now!

General admission workshops including Book Branding and Generative Writing are filled on a first come, first served basis until capacity is reached. Register today!
Daily workshops Monday – Friday from 9am-12pm.

Laura Zigman is the author of six novels, including “Small World,” “Separation Anxiety”(which was optioned by Julianne Nicholson and the production company Wiip (“Mare of Easttown”) for a limited television series); and “Animal Husbandry”(which was made into the movie “Someone Like You,” starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd). She has ghostwritten/collaborated on several works of non-fiction, including Eddie Izzard’s New York Times bestseller, “Believe Me”; been a contributor to The New York Times,and was the recipient of a Yaddo residency.  She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she consults for bookstores and literary events, and helps clients via Zoom, phone and sometimes in person with their writing. She is also at work on two new novels
Workshop Description
Most workshops focus on polishing and fine-tuning finished work (a short story, chapters of a novel). This workshop starts at the opposite end of the process– at the beginning–with an idea, a first line, a voice, an exchange of dialogue. Stories are built, sentence by sentence, scene by scene, and this workshop will cover some of the fundamental elements of storytelling: point of view, conflict, character arc, narrative structure, why a story begins where it does. Who is telling the story and can they be trusted? What do they want? What are the points of conflict? Where is the heart and soul of the story and what do we want the reader to feel? Whether you’rejust starting out or are a more experienced writer looking to gain new insight into the craft and process of writing, this generative workshop intends to inspire you to explore new work without fear of judgment, to embrace the joy and freedom of creativity in order to spark fresh ideas, and ultimately to help you find your way into the story you most want to tell.
This is a 5-day workshop, meeting for 3-hours a day.
REGISTER NOW

2025 Tuition:
2025 5-Day Generative Writing:  $1,925
Tuition Includes:

Faculty instruction and materials
Access to all public panels throughout the week
Breakfast and lunch at the Viewline Resort (Monday through Friday)
Opening and closing receptions
Discounted lodging rates at our conference site, the Viewline Resort in Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Two professional consultations with an agent and/or editor for most juried and book branding workshop participants (*generative writing and screenwriting students will have two alternative activities instead of one-on-one consultations)
Social activities such as guided hikes, an open mic evening and informal gatherings.

More About The 2025 Summer Words Writers Conference

June 22-27 in Snowmass Village, CO

Join us June 22-27 2025, in Snowmass Village for inspiring workshops, readings and craft talks at the Viewline Resort.
Recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings, Summer Words is a six-day celebration of words, stories and ideas held annually in an idyllic Rocky Mountain setting.
Summer Words 2025 will return to Snowmass Village, Colorado, a vibrant community just 9 miles from Aspen, with incredible mountain vistas in addition to 2.8 million adjacent acres of wilderness open for activities and exploration. Snowmass is home to 30+ restaurants, shopping, unique special events and music.
The faculty lineup and workshop descriptions for Summer Words 2025 are now available, and applications are open!

Attend the Summer Words 2025 Panels
2025-06-23 13:30 - 2025-06-26 17:30 | CO
The Viewline Resort | Snowmass Village, CO
100 Elbert Ln, Snowmass Village, CO 81615
Tune In to the Summer Words 2025 PanelsJoin us at the Viewline Resort in Snowmass Village for an exciting lineup of panels featuring acclaimed Summer Words faculty, literary agents, and editors.
Purchase your Panel Pass here!Your Panels Pass includes access to six engaging panels designed to inspire and inform writers at every stage.
View the full schedule and your order summary below:
Panel ScheduleMonday, June 23 | 1:30–2:30 p.m.Publishing Unpacked: What Every Writer Needs to Know
From landing an agent to shaping your manuscript, to making sense of marketing, this panel pulls back the curtain on the publishing process. Expect candid insights, smart strategies, and a few myths busted along the way.
Speakers: Amy Guay, Kayla Lightner, Rakesh Satyal, Michael Taeckens
Moderator: Sally Wofford-Girand
Tuesday, June 24 | 3:30–4:30 p.m.Narrative Architecture: Structure and POV
Structure and POV shape every story, but how do you choose the right approach? This panel explores how structure enhances theme, how POV builds intimacy and tension, and how both work together to keep readers hooked.
Speakers: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Joshua Mohr, Héctor Tobar
Moderator: Mitzi Rapkin
Wednesday, June 25 | 3:30–4:00 p.m.How to Make Plot Your Friend
Plot doesn’t have to be a struggle! In this talk, Steve Almond will demystify how stories build momentum, tension, and emotional payoff—without feeling forced. Expect practical tools and a new perspective on storytelling’s most essential element.
Speaker: Steve Almond

Wednesday, June 25 | 4:10–4:40 p.m.12 Tips for Surviving and Thriving as a Writer (That Have Almost Nothing to Do with Craft)
Writing is an art, but sustaining a writing life is another challenge. Laura Zigman shares twelve hard-won lessons on overcoming self-doubt, redefining success, and staying inspired—even when the words won’t come.
Speaker: Laura Zigman

Thursday, June 26 | 3:00–4:00 p.m.Setting the Hook: Creating Characters That Keep Readers Turning the Page
What makes a character unforgettable? This panel explores how to craft multidimensional, flawed, and compelling protagonists (and antagonists!) who linger in readers’ and viewers’ minds long after the last page.
Speakers: Vanessa Chan, P. Djèlí Clark, Christina Lazaridi,
Moderator: Breeze Richardson

Thursday, June 26 | 4:15–5:30 p.m.Next Chapters: Staying Inspired After Summer Words
What happens after the conference ends? In this closing session, faculty members will reflect on key takeaways from the week, share their own creative routines, and offer advice on maintaining inspiration, discipline, and community in your writing life.
Speakers: Faculty
Moderator: Adrienne Brodeur

2026 Summer Words Writers Conference
2026-06-21 08:00 - 2026-06-26 17:00 | Viewline Resort Snowmass, Autograph Collection, 100 Elbert Ln, Snowmass Village, CO, 81615, United States
Summer Words Writers Conference 2026: June 21-June 26
Aspen Words is excited to welcome writers back to Snowmass Village for the 2026 Summer Words Writers Conference. We look forward to gathering once again for a week of craft, creativity, and connection.
Applications for the Emerging Writer Fellowships open December 10, 2025 and close January 12, 2026.
Juried Workshop applications open January 12, 2026 and close February 26, 2026.
We hope you will join us for another exceptional year. If you have any questions about the application process or general Summer Words inquiries, please reach out to aspenwords@aspeninstitute.org.
Learn more about the Summer Words Writers Conference here!
