Aspen Words

Agent/Editor Consultations at Summer Words
2019-06-18 08:00 - 2019-06-20 17:00 UTC
The Gant in Aspen
Featuring representatives from the top publishing houses and literary agencies. Each spring, AWN members receive information on how to sign up for a private consultation and how to submit their work.

How to Write a Page-Turner: A Workshop for Fiction, Memoir + Narrative Nonfiction Writers
2019-10-19 10:00 - 16:00 UTC
Red Brick Center for the Arts
High tension is probably the No. 1 reason readers keep reading. Whether you’re writing fiction, memoir or narrative nonfiction, if you can keep your reader on the edge of his or her seat by creating and maintaining tension throughout scene after scene, that reader will stay up way too late reading your book and tell all his friends to go out and buy it. In this workshop, we’ll delve into the interplay of all the elements that raise tension and create conflict and explore how to craft your story to capitalize on each within scenes as well as across your entire plotline. The workshop will include short readings, craft discussion and lots of writing prompts.
Special price for Aspen Writers’ Network members: $40. Non-members: $95.
Registration is closed and the workshop is at capacity. Please email Ellie Scott to be added to the waitlist.

Writing is Rewriting (Virtual Workshop)
2020-05-11 18:00 - 20:30 UTC
Are you lost in the hazy fog of revision? Not sure what to do next? Have you been cutting and pasting, rewriting and moving things around and moving them back? It’s easy to get caught in addressing surface problems rather than evaluating the backbone of the story from a crafting standpoint. The most difficult part of writing is often revisions. In this spring workshop, Rachel Weaver (“Point of Direction”) will discuss concrete stages of revision, help you figure out where you are and what’s next, and discuss solid techniques to make your revisions as efficient and effective as possible. You will leave class with a long checklist of things you’ve done, and things you’ve got left to do.

The Life of a Book (Virtual Panel)
2020-06-09 17:30 - 18:30 UTC
It takes a village to publish a book. This presentation will offer a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into turning a manuscript into a book — from the acquisition process to selecting a cover, distribution channels and the thousand other decisions that are essential to publishing a book.
Presenters: Becky Saikia-Wilson, SVP, trade associate publisher at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt  + Lauren Wein, editorial director at Avid Reader Press.

Personal Essay Workshop (Virtual Workshop)
2020-09-22 18:00 - 2020-09-29 19:00 UTC
Led by award-winning author Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, this generative workshop explored the powerful possibilities of memory, experience and reflection inherent in the personal essay. Through a close study of traditional and more experimental expressions of narrative, participants worked towards creating and workshopping original work that was nuanced, complex and effectively written. The group looked at work from writers like Maggie Nelson, Rebecca Solnit, Gloria Anzaldúa and others for inspiration. Participants were asked to look closely at their own lives to find the tremendous potential hidden in their stories.

AWN – Third Thursdays Zoom Writing Meetups
2020-10-31 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Writing is a solitary endeavor that can leave us feeling isolated. What has this meant for you in your writing life during this time when we’ve all been asked to isolate and stay at home?
The theme for these 60-minute informal gatherings is “Communing”. We ask that writers (that are comfortable) to share 1-3 ways that they’re nourishing their creativity and writing practice with the group. Feel free to bring a beverage!

Self Publishing Zoom Workshop
2021-05-20 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Self-publishing workshop with editor, typographer and designer
Barbara Scott (Be). Engage in a conversation about the process and design stages of taking your project from manuscript to finished book, via Amazon. This workshop is intended to answer writers’ questions about what it takes to self-publish a book.

Practice Your Pitch
2021-08-03 17:30 - 18:30 UTC
Red Brick Center for the Arts
To help prepare for the upcoming agent, editor meetings at Aspen Autumn Words we are hosting “Practice Your Pitch” at the Red Brick Center for the Arts (Dance Studio space). This session is for AWN members who are interested in the art of talking about and selling their book, whether you’re just beginning to think about the publishing industry or have a meeting scheduled with an agent or editor at Autumn Words this fall. We’ll practice with one another, go over some tips and hear some input from Adrienne Brodeur, executive director of Aspen Words and former editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Members should reach out to Marie Chan (marie.chan@aspeninstitute.org) to indicate your interest and confirm your AWN membership is up to date

Agent/Editor Consultations at Autumn Words
2021-10-01 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
The Gant in Aspen
Featuring representatives from the top publishing houses and literary agencies. Each year, AWN members receive information on how to sign up for a private consultation and how to submit their work.

Presentation by Author Rachel Weaver
2022-01-20 19:00 UTC
Kick off the new year by joining AWN for a zoom meeting with author and editor Rachel Weaver as she shares tips on writing in 2022, and meet other local writers from the Roaring Fork Valley. You will also learn more about the exciting in-person programs AWN has planned for 2022, starting in February! This virtual meeting is open to anyone interested in AWN. All genres welcome.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Weaver is the author of the novel Point of Direction which Oprah Magazine named a Top Ten Books to Pick Up Now. She is on faculty at Regis University’s low-residency MFA program, and at Lighthouse Writers Workshop where she won the Beacon Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018.

In-Person Group Meeting: Writer Introductions and Optional Readings
2022-02-17 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Think Aspen Writers’ Network might be a good fit for you? Learn about the exciting in-person programs AWN has planned for 2022, weigh in on what you’d like to see from the program this year, and meet your fellow Roaring Fork Valley writers. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided. An interest poll will be conducted for future meeting topics.
After introductions, there will be short readings from interested members. Slots are limited.
To read at this meeting (not required), either email Mark Tompkins (MarkLTom@icloud.com) or sign up when you arrive. Readers can receive feedback from the group if desired; indicate your preference when you sign up.
Non-AWN members are welcome to attend their first meeting to see if they want to join; however, all attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

State of the Publishing Industry
2022-03-17 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Todd Doughty, SVP, Publicity and Communications at Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group will be in-person at this meeting to discuss the state of the publishing industry. This is an incredible opportunity to hear from a longtime publishing professional on the state of the industry. Moderated by Adrienne Brodeur, author and Executive Director of Aspen Words. Q&A will follow. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Todd Doughty is currently SVP, Publicity and Communications, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and has worked at Penguin Random House for more than two decades. A graduate of Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and former bookseller, he lives with his partner in Westchester County, New York.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Adrienne Brodeur is the author of the memoir, “Wild Game,” which is in development for film. During her 15 years in the publishing industry, she founded the literary magazine “Zoetrope: All-Story” with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, was an acquiring editor at Harcourt and HMH Books, and served as a judge for the National Book Award, among other literary contests. Her essays have appeared in Glamour, O Magazine, The National, The New York Times, Vogue and other publications. She has been with Aspen Words since 2013.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

Craft workshop with Rachel Weaver
2022-04-14 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
*Note: this is the 2nd Thursday of the month
Rachel Weaver will provide a short, targeted craft workshop for the first hour. The second hour will be personal writing time. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
20 Questions to Strengthen Your Novel or Memoir
This class will cover twenty important questions that will help you identify and strengthen weak points in your novel or memoir with regards to structure, characterization, arc, scene work and thematic elements. This is appropriate for writers of all genres at any point in the drafting process. Open to fiction and memoir writers of all levels.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel is the author of the novel Point of Direction, which Oprah Magazine named a Top Ten Book to Pick Up Now. She is on faculty at Regis University’s low-residency MFA program, and at Lighthouse Writers Workshop where she won the Beacon Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018

Practice Your Pitch Workshop
2022-05-19 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
This is a great opportunity to practice talking about your work. Even if you are not ready to pitch your book/essay/poem to publishers/agents, developing a pitch is a great way to determine what is most important in your writing project, which helps you with editing and even finishing the work. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

Member Readings
2022-06-16 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Short readings from members’ work will fill the first hour. Slots are limited. To read at this meeting (not required), either email Mark Tompkins (MarkLTom@icloud.com) signup when you arrive. Readers can receive feedback from the group if desired; indicate your preference when you sign up. The second hour will be personal writing time. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
Non-AWN members are welcome to attend their first meeting to see if they want to join.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

Author Talk with July Writer in Residence Jamaica Baldwin
2022-07-21 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
July writer in residence, Jamaica Baldwin will speak about her writing life, her upcoming book “Bone Language” and her current poetry project which traces the legacy of her female ancestors from the deep south to the west coast. As a bi-racial woman she is particularly interested in how the legacy of colonialism and the global plantation machine impacted her female ancestors on both sides of the racial divide.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamaica Baldwin (she/her) hails from Santa Cruz, CA by way of Seattle. Her first book, “Bone Language,” will be published by YesYes Books in 2023. Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in Prairie Schooner, World Literature Today, The Adroit Journal and The Missouri Review, among others. She is a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, winner of the 2021 RHINO Poetry editor’s prize and winner of the 2019 San Miguel de Allende Writers Conference Contest in Poetry. Her writing has been supported by Hedgebrook, Furious Flower and the Jack Straw Writers program. Jamaica is currently pursuing her PhD in English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a focus on poetry and Women’s and Gender Studies.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Lindsay DeFrates is a former freelance writer and current PR and Media Specialist with the Colorado River District. She lives in Glenwood Springs with her three kids and a husband, and when she is not dragging them all outside for the adventure du jour, she is revising her science fiction novel. www.lindsaydefrates.com

Workshop: Writing Dialogue that Works led by Tiffany Tyson
2022-08-18 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623) & Virtual
Tiffany Tyson will be teaching the workshop virtually. Both in-person and virtual attendees will be able to join.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
Dialogue can be a powerful tool for characterization, motivation, plot advancement, and emotion, or it can be a clunky thing that bogs down the action and takes the reader out of the story. How can you be sure your dialogue elevates rather than deflates? We’ll look at examples of effective dialogue, discuss what makes these examples work, and use what we learn to practice writing dialogue on our own. In the process, we’ll explore subtext, rhythm, pacing, attribution, and more. Students should bring their preferred writing tools.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tiffany Quay Tyson will lead this workshop virtually. AWN members are invited to participate online or in-person at Bonfire Coffee Company in Carbondale.

AWN Member Reading
2022-09-15 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Short readings from members’ work will fill the first hour. To read at this meeting (not required), either email aspenwritersnetwork@gmail.com or signup when you arrive. Readers can receive feedback from the group if desired; indicate your preference when you sign up. The second hour will be personal writing time.
Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
Non-AWN members are welcome to attend their first meeting to see if they want to join.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

A Conversation About Memoirs with authors Adrienne Brodeur and Courtney Maum
2022-11-17 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
The first hour will be a conversation with memoirists Courtney Maum (“The Year of the Horses”) and Adrienne Brodeur (“Wild Game”) about their careers and writing life. They will be joining us virtually.
The second hour will be for AWN members to connect. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Courtney Maum is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking publishing guide “Before and After the Book Deal” and the memoir “The Year of the Horses,” chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A writing coach and educator, Courtney’s mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. You can sign up for her publishing tips newsletter and online masterclasses at CourtneyMaum.com
Adrienne Brodeur is the author of the memoir, “Wild Game,” which is in development for film. During her 15 years in the publishing industry, she founded the literary magazine “Zoetrope: All-Story” with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, was an acquiring editor at Harcourt and HMH Books, and served as a judge for the National Book Award, among other literary contests. Her essays have appeared in Glamour, O Magazine, The National, The New York Times, Vogue and other publications. She has been with Aspen Words since 2013.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
All attendees must upload their proof of vaccination in advance on the ReturnSafe app.

Craft workshop with Rachel Weaver
2023-01-19 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday, January 19 @ 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Rachel Weaver will provide a short, targeted craft workshop virtually for the first hour. The second hour will be personal writing time. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
7 Ingredients for a Compelling Plot: so often as writers we get loads of feedback on small sections of our novels or memoirs. But what about how the book is working as a whole? It’s easy to get lost in the trees and not be able to see the forest. This class will give you the tools you need to take a step back, see the book as a whole, and begin to identify where the tension is sagging, where your reader will start thinking about all that laundry they should probably get started on, and what to do about it. We’ll talk about seven key ingredients that work to create a book a reader has a hard time putting down. Whether you have a lot or a little plot in your novel or memoir, this is a class that will help you strengthen that through thread.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Weaver is the author of the novel Point of Direction which Oprah Magazine named a Top Ten Books to Pick Up Now. She is on faculty at Regis University’s low-residency MFA program, and at Lighthouse Writers Workshop where she won the Beacon Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018.

State of the Publishing Industry
2023-02-16 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Gillian Blake, SVP, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Crown and Currency will be in-person at this meeting to discuss the state of the publishing industry. Hear from a longtime publishing professional on the state of the industry in 2023. Moderated by Adrienne Brodeur, author and Executive Director of Aspen Words. Q&A will follow. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gillian Blake is SVP, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Crown and Currency. Previously she was Editor-In-Chief at Henry Holt. She also acquires and edits select titles. Her editorial focus is on narrative nonfiction, history, memoir, science, current events, popular culture, and biography. She has edited many prize-winning and bestselling authors, including Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Kolbert, Matthew McConaughey, Susan Cain, Tina Brown, Adrian Nicole Leblanc, Ai Weiwei, Andy Cohen, Elton John, Jaron Lanier, Peggy Orenstein, Pamela Paul, Steven Johnson, Bari Weiss, Russell Brand, Rob Lowe, Brandi Carlile, Kate Walbert, Anthony Doerr, A.J. Jacobs and Harold Bloom.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Adrienne Brodeur is the author of the memoir, “Wild Game,” which was a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, NPR, People, and the Washington Post and is in development as a Netflix film and the novel “Little Monsters,” which will publish in July 2023. She founded the literary magazine, “Zoetrope: All-Story” with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, was an acquiring editor at HMH Books, and served as a judge for the National Book Award. Her essays have appeared in Glamour, O Magazine, The National, The New York Times, Vogue, and other publications. She has been the Executive Director of Aspen Words since 2016.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.

The How To’s of a Non-fiction Book Proposal
2023-03-16 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
From 6;30 – 7:30 p.m. Janklow & Nesbit literary agent, Melissa Flashman will ZOOM in to discuss the how to’s of a non-fiction book proposal. Q&A will follow. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided. The second hour will be personal writing time.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Melissa Flashman is a literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit representing award-winning and best-selling fiction and nonfiction. In nonfiction, she is particularly interested in conversation-changing books including journalism, science, technology, business/finance/economics, memoir/narrative, essays and cultural criticism. Melissa’s authors have won numerous awards including the Pulitzer, the National Book Critic Circle Award, the Whiting Award, the Windham Campbell Prize, the Rona Jaffe Award, the Hugo Award, n + 1 writer’s fellowship, The Robert B Silvers Prize, and The Nation’s Ridenhour Prize among others.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.

Member Readings
2023-04-20 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
Short readings from members’ work will fill the first hour. Slots are limited. To read at this meeting (not required), either email Mark Tompkins (MarkLTom@icloud.com) signup when you arrive. Readers can receive feedback from the group if desired; indicate your preference when you sign up.
The second hour will be personal writing time.
Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
Non-AWN members are welcome to attend their first meeting to see if they want to join

Practice Your Pitch Workshop
2023-05-18 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Bonfire Coffee Company (433 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623)
This is a great opportunity to practice talking about your work. Even if you are not ready to pitch your book/essay/poem to publishers/agents, developing a pitch is a great way to determine what is most important in your writing project, which helps you with editing and even finishing the work. Snacks, coffee, tea, beer, and wine will be provided.
This meeting is for AWN members only; interested writers are welcome to join at the meeting.

Summer Soiree
2023-06-15 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at Village Smithy (26 S 3rd St, Carbondale, CO)
Come together with fellow AWN members to celebrate the accomplishments of local writers and enjoy a summer evening. More details to come!

Author Talk with Brittany Penner, August Writer in Residence
2023-08-17 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
In-Person at The Village Smithy
(26 S 3rd St., Carbondale, CO)
Join us for an in-person author talk featuring Brittany Penner, an Indigenous Métis writer and family physician at Village Smithy in Carbondale (26 S. 3rd St.). Brittany will be in conversation with Daniel Shaw, local writer and program partner.
This event is free and open to all. Registration is requested.
DOORS: open at 6:00 pm.; conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
SEATING: On the porch of the Village Smithy, seating is first come, first served.

An Evening with Adrienne Brodeur, Author of “Little Monsters”
2023-09-21 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
Thursday, September 21 @ 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
In-Person at TACAW
(400 Robinson St, Basalt, CO)
Details to come!

AN EVENING WITH MARY LOUISE KELLY MODERATED BY BREEZE RICHARDSON
2024-10-09 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | TACAW, 400 Robinson St., Basalt, CO, 81621
Join us for a conversation with 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize ceremony moderator, novelist and host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Mary Louise Kelly.
Moderator: Aspen Public Radio’s Executive Director, Breeze Richardson.
This event is free and open to all, registration is requested.
The event is currently at capacity,
if you are interested in attending plan to arrive when the doors open at 5:30 p.m.
DOORS: Open at 5:30 p.m.
EVENT: Conversation 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
SEATING: General admission and available on a first come, first served basis.
Come early and purchase a drink at the TACAW bar.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Louise Kelly is a host of “All Things Considered,” NPR’s award-winning afternoon newsmagazine. Previously, she spent a decade as national security correspondent for NPR News, and she’s kept that focus in her role as anchor. That’s meant taking “All Things Considered” to Russia, North Korea, Iran and beyond.
She’s published two novels, “Anonymous Sources” and “The Bullet,” as well as the New York Times bestselling memoir, “It. Goes. So. Fast. The Year of No Do-Overs.” Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other publications, and she serves as a contributing writer at The Atlantic.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Breeze Richardson joined the Aspen Public Radio team in June 2021. Highly-respected in public media for her strategic planning and communications background, she has a passion for telling stories and producing community-focused programming.
Since arriving in the Roaring Fork Valley, Breeze has been on stage exploring disability and inclusion with 1A’s Jenn White, discussing the importance of local journalism for Aspen Institute’s Society of Fellows, and in conversation with Tockukwu Okafor, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize winner Jamil Jan Kochaifor Aspen Words. In February 2023, she took the stage at the Wheeler Opera House with NPR’s Ailsa Chang to lead a conversation about making big career changes, representation in media, and the impact of investigative journalism.
Breeze currently serves as President of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio coalition, and is an elected member of the Western States Public Radio Board of Directors. In 2024, she completed the Public Media Diversity Leaders Initiative (PMDLI) hosted by the Riley Institute at Furman University, and is a proud alumni of the Aspen Institute Hurst Leaders Forum.
