Aspen Words

Aspen Words Aspen Words encourages writers, inspires readers, and connects people through the power of stories.

Aspen Words, the nonprofit literary organization known for decades as the Aspen Writers’ Foundation, was founded in Aspen in 1976 as a cutting edge poetry conference and literary magazine. Today Aspen Words (AW) is one of the nation’s leading literary centers and a stage for the world’s most prominent contemporary writers. AW programs employ literature as a tool for provoking thought, broadening p

erspectives, fostering connections, inspiring creativity, and giving voice. Since 2009, we have partnered with the Aspen Institute, underscoring the highest humanistic ideals of Institute founder Walter Paepcke: to better understand human challenges by cultivating one’s inner life through the exchange of words, stories, and ideas.

📢 Free book 📕 alert! 🚨 Hope to see you this Wednesday, June 3, at the Pitkin County Library for the 2026 Community Read ...
05/30/2026

📢 Free book 📕 alert! 🚨

Hope to see you this Wednesday, June 3, at the Pitkin County Library for the 2026 Community Read book distribution party. We are giving away over 300 free copies of the Aspen Words Literary Prize-Winning novel “Endling” by Maria Reva. Bring a friend and join us for refreshments, music and conversation. Reserve your copy at the link in bio. 📚🐌

Start summer off with afternoons full of writing inspiration. The Summer Words Panels Pass includes in-person access to ...
05/15/2026

Start summer off with afternoons full of writing inspiration. The Summer Words Panels Pass includes in-person access to six dynamic talks (June 22-26) exploring everything from revision and character development to narrative strategy and the realities of publishing. Purchase ($40) here: https://support.aspeninstitute.org/event/2026-summer-words-public-panels/e789613

Check out the 2026 panel lineup:

Monday, June 22
🎤 Inside Publishing: How It Actually Works
with Ashley Lopez, Cece Lyra, Ryan Harbage & Rebekah Jett
Moderated by Cindy Uh

Tuesday, June 23
🎤Finding the Form: How Structure Unlocks Story
with Jamel Brinkley & Meghan O’Rourke
Moderated by Mitzi Rapkin

Wednesday, June 24
🎤The Art of Perspective
with Christopher Castellani

🎤Where Meaning Lives: The Hidden Power of Detail
with Hannah Pittard

Thursday, June 25
🎤Characters That Carry the Story
with Lev Grossman & Jade Chang

🎤Revision is Writing: Where the Work Becomes the Work
with Brian Broome, Christopher Castellani & Hannah Pittard
Moderated by Adrienne Brodeur

📍 All panels and craft talks take place on the rooftop deck at The Viewline Resort in Snowmass Village.

BIG book birthday energy today! Three Aspen Literary Festival speakers are celebrating major new releases this week:Fond...
05/12/2026

BIG book birthday energy today! Three Aspen Literary Festival speakers are celebrating major new releases this week:

Fonda Lee returns with THE LAST CONTRACT OF ISAKO
“A gorgeously crafted world.” — Publishers Weekly
Epic fantasy, breathtaking worldbuilding, unforgettable stakes.

Christina Baker Kline releases THE FOURSOME today
A bold reimagining inspired by the astonishing true story of Chang and Eng Bunker.
Jess Walter calls it: “A triumph of empathy and imagination.”

Veronica Roth launches SEEK THE TRAITOR’S SON — the first novel in her new Burning Empire series
According to John Scalzi: “Roth reaches for epic, and grabs it beautifully.”

Fantasy, historical fiction, or epic sci-fi...Which one are you picking up first?

At the end of an evening full of toasts, laughter, and brilliant one-liners, Aspen Words awarded its ninth annual Litera...
04/24/2026

At the end of an evening full of toasts, laughter, and brilliant one-liners, Aspen Words awarded its ninth annual Literary Prize to Maria Reva , author of ENDLING.

During her acceptance remarks, Reva said, “as I was writing my book, I was thinking a lot about why fiction matters and why art matters, right now? And it’s something I’m still grappling with the answer to…but when I went back to Ukraine a year into the full-scale invasion, to see family and conduct research for my book, theatres were full of people…Opera houses were full, people were going to art galleries. People were making art. So that was in itself proof that art is something that sustains us in the best and worst times!”

See her full acceptance speech and enjoy a 40-minute conversation with 2026 finalists moderated by Elisabeth Egan (New York Times Book Review) at the link in our bio.

🏆 ENDLING by Maria Reva () is the 2026 winner!! 🥇 Announced April 23 during a live ceremony at in New York. ENDLING i...
04/24/2026

🏆 ENDLING by Maria Reva () is the 2026 winner!! 🥇 Announced April 23 during a live ceremony at in New York.

ENDLING is a darkly comedic novel that explores survival, love and hope in times of encroaching darkness.  

The 2026 AWLP jury stated: “Endling” is an audacious novel about people fighting many different kinds of extinction. Part metafiction, part war chronicle, part absurdist picaresque, Maria Reva’s book begins with an ecological adventure in pre-war Ukraine involving, of all things, a critically endangered snail species. But the tale soon takes on metafictional twists and turns as real-life Russian tanks and soldiers invade the country. “Endling” becomes a story about women scrambling to save themselves, their families and their country—while also growing into a joyful and astonishing celebration of the novel itself, a literary form given new life and urgency by this groundbreaking, utterly unique work. 

Congratulations to Maria and her team!! 👏🏽🎉

So many book birthdays 🎉 , so little shelf space 📚...Celebrating a handful of our Aspen Literary Festival authors whose ...
04/14/2026

So many book birthdays 🎉 , so little shelf space 📚...Celebrating a handful of our Aspen Literary Festival authors whose newest releases are making waves!

Maria Semple () returns with GO GENTLE — out today! A vibrant, life-affirming novel from the bestselling author of WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE.

Kate Bowler’s () JOYFUL ANYWAY (published in March) offers a profound, funny, and deeply human case for joy that doesn’t depend on everything getting better.

Tayari Jones’ () gorgeous new novel KIN (published in February), a recent Oprah’s Book Club selection, garnered acclaim as a true triumph from the queen herself: “. . .Kin is a masterpiece of a novel that will live with you long after you turn the last page.” — Oprah Winfrey

Poet, educator, producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander () released THE MIGHTY MACY (in February), a children’s chapter book about a young girl finding her voice and discovering the power of speaking up for herself and her community.

Memoirist turned novelest, Jennett McCurdy () released HALF HIS AGE (this January) - and the conversation has not let up! “McCurdy is a fearless and darkly funny writer with an unerring eye for the perfect mortifying detail.”— Tom Perrotta

Congratulations to all of these brilliant writers! We’re counting down the days until we get to hear from them this September!

Which of these is on your reading list?

Congratulations to the five finalists for the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize. These remarkable novels confront some of ...
03/11/2026

Congratulations to the five finalists for the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize. These remarkable novels confront some of the most urgent issues shaping our world today.

The $35,000 award honors fiction that tackles pressing social challenges with courage, insight, and unforgettable storytelling. Each of these finalists demonstrates how literature sparks dialogue, deepens empathy, and inspires change.

Join us in celebrating these outstanding writers and their powerful work!

📙 “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)” by Rabih Alameddine (Grove Press)

📘 “Intemperance” by Sonora Jha (HarperVia Books)

📗 “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron Books)

📕 “Endling” by Maria Reva (Doubleday Books)

📙 “So Far Gone” by Jess Walter (Harper Books)



The winner will be announced April 23, 2026. Register today at aspenwords.org to watch the livestream announcement and a conversation with the finalists, moderated by The New York Times Book Review writer and editor, Elisabeth Egan.





For more information check out: https://www.aspenwords.org/literary-prize/

Snow may be in the forecast ❄️ but we’re dreaming of SUMMER ☀️Applications are now open for the 2026 Summer Words writer...
02/11/2026

Snow may be in the forecast ❄️ but we’re dreaming of SUMMER ☀️

Applications are now open for the 2026 Summer Words writers conference (June 21–27)! See link in bio.

Join us in beautiful Snowmass Village, Colorado for six unforgettable days of words, stories, and ideas at the stunning Viewline Resort in the heart of the Rockies. Summer Words is proud to be recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings — and we would love to welcome you.

✨ 2026 FICTION FACULTY
Jamel Brinkley — author of Witness: Stories, winner of the Maya Angelou Book Award and finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Kirkus Prize, Aspen Words Literary Prize, and Joyce Carol Oates Prize

Christopher Castellani — author of Leading Men, Guggenheim, MacDowell and Massachusetts Cultural Council fellow

Jade Chang — author of What a Time to Be Alive and The Wangs vs. the World, winner of the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award

✨ 2026 MEMOIR FACULTY
Brian Broome — poet, screenwriter, and author of Punch Me Up to the Gods

Meghan O’Rourke — author of The Invisible Kingdom (National Book Award finalist) and the bestselling memoir The Long Goodbye

✨ SCI-FI / FANTASY
Lev Grossman — author of The Bright Sword, a New York Times Notable Book, and the #1 NYT bestselling Magicians trilogy

✨ MASTER CLASS IN CRAFT
Hannah Pittard — author of If You Love It, Let It Kill You, praised by The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune

Whether you’re polishing a draft or starting something new, Summer Words offers craft, community, and inspiration — all in an unforgettable mountain setting.

Apply now and spend your summer with us in Colorado.

Snowmass AspenWords WritersLife

Happy book birthday to Logan Phillips (), AW Creative Council member, poet, teaching artist, and mentor to thousands of ...
02/11/2026

Happy book birthday to Logan Phillips (), AW Creative Council member, poet, teaching artist, and mentor to thousands of young writers throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.

We’ve been lucky to work with Logan for over a decade as part of our Youth Poetry Project - here are some favorite images of him in action at our partner schools, along with a shot from his book trailer.

Can’t wait to read RECKON!

Address

110 E Hallam Street
Aspen, CO
81611

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19709253122

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