Writer in Residence: Lija Fisher
2017-05-16 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
DOORS OPEN AT 5PM — Arrive early to purchase drinks or food so as not to disrupt the author talk. While these events are free and open to the public, donations at the door are encouraged.Lija Fisher was born in Istanbul, Turkey and raised in the mountains of Colorado. She received her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder and has performed on stages across California, Colorado, New York and Alaska. She has lived in London, LA, and NYC but currently calls Colorado home. The first book in her debut middle grade series Clivo Wren and the Fall of the Phoenix will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2018.
Catch & Release books are not available for this event.

Writer in Residence: Grant Faulkner
2017-07-18 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
DOORS OPEN AT 5PM — Arrive early to purchase drinks or food so as not to disrupt the author talk. While these events are free and open to the public, donations at the door are encouraged.Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the cofounder of 100 Word Story. His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including The Southwest Review, 14 Hills, Green Mountains Review, and Puerto del Sol. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers Magazine, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. He recently published a collection of one hundred 100-word stories, Fissures, two of which are included in The Best Small Fictions 2016. His book of essays on creativity, Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo, is forthcoming from Chronicle Books in the fall of 2017.
FREE copies of Fissures are available through our Catch & Release program. Pick up a copy from the Aspen Words office in the Red Brick Building at the beginning of the month. Read it, pass it along to a friend, and come meet the author at their public event!

Writer in Residence: Chigozie Obioma
2017-08-15 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
DOORS OPEN AT 5PM — Arrive early to purchase drinks or food so as not to disrupt the author talk. While these events are free and open to the public, donations at the door are encouraged.
Chigozie Obioma is a Nigerian writer from Akure, Nigeria. The Fishermen (Little, Brown, 2015), his debut novel won numerous awards, including the FT/Oppenheimer Awards and an NAACP Image Awards, and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book award. The novel has been translated in 26 languages and is being adapted into a stage play. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where he is a professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
FREE copies of The Fishermen are available through our Catch & Release program. Pick up a copy from the Aspen Words office in the Red Brick Building at the beginning of the month. Read it, pass it along to a friend, and come meet the author at their public event!

Writer in Residence: Tatjana Soli
2017-09-19 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
DOORS OPEN AT 5PM — Arrive early to purchase drinks or food so as not to disrupt the author talk. While these events are free and open to the public, donations at the door are encouraged.
Tatjana Soli is a novelist and short story writer. Her bestselling debut novel, The Lotus Eaters won the James Tait Black Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2010, and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Her second book, The Forgetting Tree, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2012. Her third novel, The Last Good Paradise, was a Millions Most Anticipated Book for 2015. Her stories have appeared in Zyzzyva, Boulevard, and The Sun. Her work has been twice listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories.
Soli will hand in the final draft of her forthcoming novel, The Removes, to Farrar, Straus & Giroux on October 2 for a publication date of June 2018. She will spend her September residency making the last tweaks to the manuscript.
FREE copies of The Last Good Paradise are available through our Catch & Release program. Pick up a copy from the Aspen Words office in the Red Brick Building at the beginning of the month. Read it, pass it along to a friend, and come meet the author at their public event!

Writer in Residence: Erica Bauermeister
2017-10-24 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | CO, United States
DOORS OPEN AT 5PM — Arrive early to purchase drinks or food so as not to disrupt the author talk. While these events are free and open to the public, donations at the door are encouraged.
Erica Bauermeister is the bestselling author of three novels, The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. Her fiction has been published in over 25 languages. She is also the co-author of two non-fiction works, 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide and Let’s Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. She has a PhD in literature from the University of Washington and has taught there and Antioch University. She lives in Port Townsend, WA.

Spring Workshop: How to Write Great Dialogue
2018-05-16 17:45 - 18:45 UTC | CO
Pitkin County Library in Aspen
Learn the essentials of crafting compelling dialogue in a one-hour workshop presented by award-winning novelist Tiffany Quay Tyson, who will join us via Skype from Denver, where she teaches at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. The session will include lots of practical advice as well as hands-on exercises.

Agent/Editor Consultations at Summer Words
2018-06-19 17:00 - 2018-06-21 20:00, 2019-06-18 08:00 - 2019-06-20 17:00 UTC | CO
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.

Publishing Talk with Novelist Amy Meyerson
2018-07-19 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CO
Bookbinders in Basalt
Novelist Amy Meyerson will discuss everything you need to know about what happens after you finish writing your book–but before it’s published. She’ll talk about what’s it like to work with an agent + editor and how to market a book as a first-time author, among other topics.

Fiction Writing Workshop with Daryl Gregory
2018-10-13 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CO
Pitkin County Library in Aspen
Award-winning author Daryl Gregory’s college acting teacher once told him that you can’t play running from a bear—you can only run to what’s going to save you: the tree, the shotgun or that spot just past your slower brother Louie. In this workshop you’ll learn how to create compelling stories by focusing on the essence of drama: characters who want something specific and fail to get it–or realize it’s not what they needed after all. Through exercises and discussion you’ll learn practical techniques for creating dynamic plots, believable characters and scenes that matter.

How to Promote Your Writing
2019-02-28 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | CO

Practice Your Pitch
2019-05-21 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | CO
Aspen Institute Campus
This session is for anyone who’s interested in the art of talking about and selling a book, whether you’re just beginning to think about the publishing industry or want to meet with an agent at Summer Words this June. Members discuss tips for crafting and delivering the right message, while also taking the opportunity to practice their own pitches with Aspen Words Executive Director Adrienne Brodeur and local author Scott Laser.

How to Write a Page-Turner: A Workshop for Fiction, Memoir + Narrative Nonfiction Writers
2019-10-19 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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 | CO
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.
