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SoldnerCenter Dedicated to fostering the Soldner Legacy of Curiosity, Creativity and Community

Paul and Ginny hand built their home and studio, planted all the trees and shaped the landscape. The principle that architecture would improve with age directed their design, and to that end the use of rocks and wood native in the area were used frequently. The Soldner house was one of the first in the area to acknowledge environmental concerns by using the sun’s energy for solar power. The Soldner Center seeks to integrate the arts, architecture, environment, energy and community.

In late May, a new group of poets met in Aspen to begin their year-long writing journey together as part of the Ginny So...
08/31/2026

In late May, a new group of poets met in Aspen to begin their year-long writing journey together as part of the Ginny Soldner Poetry Collaborative. Led by poet and author Heather Swan and joined by visiting poet James Crews, the group formed an exciting, interactive and generative writing cohort that now meets monthly online with Heather Swan and guest poets.

In July, Heather and the poets spoke with Krissy Kludt, author of the collection “I Could Walk Forever and Know So Little”, about finding your wild self and reconnecting with the earthly wild.

In August, Heather and poet Elizabeth Jacobson talked about writing into this moment of environmental crisis with eyes wide open, to both the harm and the balms of this life. Elizabeth is the author of numerous books including “There Are as Many Songs in the World as Branches of Coral”.

Both guest interviews can be viewed through this link, https://www.soldnercenter.com/interviews

FREE public poetry reading! Join poets Heather Swan and James Crews at the Aspen Chapel Sanctuary, 77 Meadowood Dr., Asp...
05/15/2026

FREE public poetry reading! Join poets Heather Swan and James Crews at the Aspen Chapel Sanctuary, 77 Meadowood Dr., Aspen on Saturday, May 30 from 7 to 8 pm with a reception to follow. Heather and James, both nationally published poets, will share their poetry exploring the natural world and human connections. They are warm, generous and open-hearted artists who will bring joy, depth and insight to the evening. Please spread the word and invite your friends!

This public poetry reading is part of a sold out weekend retreat at the Soldner Center that marks the beginning of a new year-long Ginny Soldner Poetry Collaborative “Year of Poetry and Introspection” for a community of writers. For more information about our poetry program, go to www.soldnercenter.com/poetry-collaborative

5 Roaring Fork Military Veterans are invited to join the Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation in Aspen, Colorado f...
04/08/2026

5 Roaring Fork Military Veterans are invited to join the Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation in Aspen, Colorado for a free Music Therapy Retreat with local therapist and musician Mack Bailey May 15 to 17.

The retreat will give each veteran a free guitar and pair them one-on-one with a professional songwriter incorporating mindfulness, self-expression and therapeutic songwriting to help re-frame their military experience.

The veteran participants will engage in four group sessions and two individual sessions over the course of the retreat. Their songs will be performed with the songwriter at the end of the retreat. There will be no cost to the participants.

For more information and to register, go to: https://www.soldnercenter.com/music-retreat






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“Poetry turns the hearts that turn the hands that turn the levers of the world,” shared poet Jane Hirshfield in this wee...
02/14/2026

“Poetry turns the hearts that turn the hands that turn the levers of the world,” shared poet Jane Hirshfield in this week’s “Year of Poetry and Introspection” Zoom interview with Heather Swan. Jane and Heather had a conversation about holding contradictions in this current moment, how suffering and beauty always coexist, and how poetry is a way for us to navigate these really difficult times.

Jane is the author of many collections of poetry, including The Asking: New and Selected Poems (2023). Her work draws from the sciences as well as spiritual, artistic and literary traditions and her poetry has been translated into many languages.

To hear their conversation, click on this link: https://www.soldnercenter.com/interviews

Interested in exploring your own “year of poetry and introspection”? Applications are currently open for our next year-long poetry collaborative which will begin with a 4-day workshop May 29 – June 1 at the Soldner Center in Aspen, CO, and then continue for 11 months via Zoom workshops and poet interviews. For more information, https://soldnercenter.com/a-year-of-poetry

APPLICATION DUE MARCH 1. Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poet...
02/12/2026

APPLICATION DUE MARCH 1. Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poetry workshop May 29 – June 1, 2026 in the inspiring, natural setting of the historic Soldner Center in Aspen, CO. Joining the weekend this year for a reading and a craft talk will be visiting poet James Crews. The May workshop will be followed by semi-monthly Zoom sessions with Heather and your new writing community on Thursday evenings for the next 11 months. The Zoom gatherings will be generative spaces for expanding your writing and will feature a wide variety of guest poets throughout the year. In 2025/26 guest poets included Jane Hirshfield, Nickole Brown, Sean Hill, Cynthia Marie Hoffman, Nick Gulig, CMarie Furhman, and James Crews. Space is limited to 12. For submission guidelines, additional information and to hear past guest poets go to https://www.soldnercenter.com/a-year-of-poetry

Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poetry workshop May 29 – June...
01/27/2026

Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poetry workshop May 29 – June 1, 2026 in the inspiring, natural setting of the historic Soldner Center in Aspen, CO. Joining the weekend this year for a reading and a craft talk will be visiting poet James Crews. The May workshop will be followed by semi-monthly Zoom sessions with Heather and your new writing community on Thursday evenings for the next 11 months. The Zoom gatherings will be generative spaces for expanding your writing and will feature a wide variety of guest poets throughout the year. In 2025/26 guest poets included Jane Hirshfield, Nickole Brown, Sean Hill, Cynthia Marie Hoffman, Nick Gulig, CMarie Furhman, and James Crews. Space is limited to 12. Apply by March 1. For submission guidelines, additional information and to hear past guest poets go to https://www.soldnercenter.com/a-year-of-poetry

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Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poetry workshop May 29 – June...
01/27/2026

Join a 12-month writing journey with poet and author Heather Swan that begins with a 4-day poetry workshop May 29 – June 1, 2026 in the inspiring, natural setting of the historic Soldner Center in Aspen, CO. Joining the weekend this year for a reading and a craft talk will be visiting poet James Crews. The May workshop will be followed by semi-monthly Zoom sessions with Heather and your new writing community on Thursday evenings for the next 11 months. The Zoom gatherings will be generative spaces for expanding your writing and will feature a wide variety of guest poets throughout the year. In 2025/26 guest poets included Jane Hirshfield, Nickole Brown, Sean Hill, Cynthia Marie Hoffman, Nick Gulig, CMarie Furhman, and James Crews. Space is limited to 12. Apply by March 1. For submission guidelines, additional information and to hear past guest poets click the link in our bio.

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This past week Heather Swan talked with CMarie Fuhrman about poetry as a practice of witnessing, joy as a form of resili...
01/10/2026

This past week Heather Swan talked with CMarie Fuhrman about poetry as a practice of witnessing, joy as a form of resilience, and the ways in which we can embrace and celebrate the fact that we are truly a part of miraculous nature. To hear their conversation, click on this link https://zoom.us/rec/play/XPXuuokeoy75uNDYQ_jNUqvd_jzFMmfsPd9z_B7sQXPgENyD-02bxNXK1iqZoOpHfY87_5j2rUjTwqhE.pvns8RGAyAEpIW15?autoplay=true&startTime=1767917011000

CMarie Fuhrman is an award-winning author, poet, and teacher whose work is deeply rooted in the Western landscape. She is the author of the essay collection Salmon Weather: Writing from the Land of No Return, which was chosen as a Great Read from Great Places, and the poetry chapbook Camped Beneath the Dam. A passionate community builder and advocate for the land, she is also the co-editor of two influential anthologies: the multi-award-winning Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, and Poetry and Native Voices: Indigenous Poetry, Craft, and Conversation.

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In our November “Year of Poetry and Introspection” Zoom interview, Heather Swan spoke with Nicholas Gulig, author of the...
12/08/2025

In our November “Year of Poetry and Introspection” Zoom interview, Heather Swan spoke with Nicholas Gulig, author of the poetry collections The Other Altar, North of Order and Orient. They discussed the importance of listening, trusting the internal music, ideas of how poetry can work against empire and can create a sense of home in writers and readers, as well as the wisdom of some of Nick’s poetic ancestors: Lorine Niedecker, Richard Hugo, and John Keats.

Nicholas Gulig is a Thai-American poet from Eau Claire, WI and the 2023-24 Wisconsin Poet Laureate and an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater To hear their conversation, click on soldnercenter.com/interviews

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With our first welcome snowfall blanketing the Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation and today being , this is a p...
12/02/2025

With our first welcome snowfall blanketing the Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation and today being , this is a perfect time to express our gratitude for a wonderful year and thank You, our creative and generous arts community. Please consider continuing your financial support for the Soldner Center in your year end giving. To make a donation go to soldnercenter.com and click on Donate.

Plans for exciting workshops in 2026 are well underway, including our second year of the Ginny Soldner Poetry Collaborative and another Kintsugi Workshop with John Dominico. Public tours are already available for booking through our website soldnercenter.com.

We are very grateful for your financial support to preserve and protect the Soldner Center and for programming into the future.

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