Sun Valley Writers' Conference

Sun Valley Writers' Conference Engage with writers. Reflect on ideas. Be astonished. Mark your calendars: July 19-21, 2025 We call ourselves SVWC for short. You bet.

We are a once-a-year community of discerning readers and writers who come together to consider ideas set forth in fiction, nonfiction, journalism, poetry, and film making. While covering a great breadth of subjects, the conference is always anchored by important literary figures and frequently includes policy makers who have authored respected books. We often liken SVWC to a four-day literary hous

e party that takes place in Sun Valley, Idaho, a gorgeous Western resort nestled under the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. As the weekend unfolds you will become aware of our unique staff, which is a never-say-no group that makes all things possible; if you ask for help you’ll get a guiding hand and a big smile. You’ll meet the members of our exceptional audience – generous individuals who flock here from all over the country. Like you, they believe in the importance of books in all forms, of civil discourse and teaching, of coming together to laugh, cry, listen and learn from the authors of the written word. And you will get to know some of our generation’s finest writers. Are we different from other literary events? Until you have had “the Sun Valley experience” you won’t know what the best writers’ conference in the country is all about.

Join us at The Argyros July 18-20! Passes $25 per day and go on sale June 23 at 9am MST.At the Live Watch Party at The A...
06/05/2026

Join us at The Argyros July 18-20! Passes $25 per day and go on sale June 23 at 9am MST.

At the Live Watch Party at The Argyros Theater, we are bringing the best of SVWC directly to downtown Ketchum—transforming an ordinary summer afternoon into a vibrant, literary event for our community. With high-quality audio and visuals, surprise guest appearances, music, drinks, and plenty of fellow book lovers, it’s more than a broadcast—it’s a celebration. Learn more at svwc.com/watchparty.

Subscribe to our email newsletter for important updates and announcements at svwc.com/subscribe.

📸: courtesy The Argyros

https://svwc.com/watchparty?utm_source=Sun+Valley+Writers%27+Conference

Page to screen. 📖 → 🎬Several books by our authors have made the leap from bestseller to acclaimed film or television a...
06/04/2026

Page to screen. 📖 → 🎬

Several books by our authors have made the leap from bestseller to acclaimed film or television adaptation. Read the book first, then add these to your watch list:

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The American Revolution by Ken Burns
Dopesick by Beth Macy

Check out all the book recs from our 2026 Reading List at: https://svwc.com/news/what-book-should-you-read-next-2026

06/03/2026

If you’re looking to snag a copy one of the books on our 2026 Reading List, swing by The Community Library! They have a whole section dedicated to the SVWC authors. Happy Reading! Let us know which books are your favorite(s) below.

Happy Publication Day to our very own Liaquat Ahamed, Board Chair of the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference! He returns with...
06/02/2026

Happy Publication Day to our very own Liaquat Ahamed, Board Chair of the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference! He returns with a major new work of history out today.

"1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World" traces the origins of a financial crisis that reshaped the global economy—and still echoes today. Ahamed, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World," brings his signature clarity and storytelling to a pivotal moment that changed how the world works.

We can't wait to welcome Ahamed to this July to discuss this sweeping, incisive, and deeply relevant read.

Stay tuned for all the ways to watch his talk. Our full passes to the Writers' Conference have sold out, but we still have our free Community Speaker Series, free lawn talks, free livestreaming, and tickets to our Live Watch Party and Pavilion talks. Subscribe to receive updates about these events at svwc.com/subscribe.

📸 : Amir Bather

Pavilion Passes go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2 at 9am MST! Join us July 18–20 inside the Sun Valley Pavilion for s...
06/01/2026

Pavilion Passes go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2 at 9am MST!

Join us July 18–20 inside the Sun Valley Pavilion for select conversations with some of today’s most celebrated writers and thinkers, plus audience Q&As and book signings.

Created to make the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference more accessible, Pavilion Passes are one of the best ways to experience the Conference without a Full Conference Pass. Passes are $50 for a single talk and $100 for a curated two-talk package. Set your reminder now—they tend to sell out quickly...

To learn more, view the packages, and purchase passes, visit svwc.com/pavilion-pass.

Did you know that Edward III’s last parliament invented impeachment? That cancel culture in universities actually began ...
05/29/2026

Did you know that Edward III’s last parliament invented impeachment? That cancel culture in universities actually began at Oxford and in Paris in the 14th Century? That Edward II’s parties would have made Diddy’s freak-offs look like kindergarten parties by comparison? And then there’s the Magna Carta, which supposedly limited the power of the monarchy and established the principle that everyone, including the king, is subject to the law. In this episode – recorded live at – bestselling British historian Dan Jones, author of such books as The Plantagenets, The Templars, and Henry V, and host of the podcast This Is History, brings us in riveting fashion into the weirdly prescient now of the Middle Ages.

—

Welcome to Beyond the Page: The Best of the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. Over the past 30 years, SVWC has become the gold standard of American literary festivals, bringing together contemporary writing’s brightest stars for their view of the world through a literary lens. Every month, Beyond the Page curates and distills the best talks from SVWC, giving you a front row seat on the kind of knowledge, inspiration, laughter, and meaning that we are known for.
To listen to other talks from the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, subscribe now on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or listen directly on our website.

📸 :

Ilyon Woo is a storyteller of rare power—bringing hidden histories into unforgettable focus.Her Pulitzer Prize–winning M...
05/27/2026

Ilyon Woo is a storyteller of rare power—bringing hidden histories into unforgettable focus.

Her Pulitzer Prize–winning Master Slave Husband Wife—an instant New York Times bestseller and one of the year’s most celebrated books—recounts one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, Ellen and William Craft made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bo***ge in Georgia to the free states of the North.

With a gift for uncovering lives that history tried to overlook, Woo’s work doesn’t just illuminate the past—it reshapes how we see it. We can't wait to see her in July at !

Stay tuned for all the ways to watch Woo's talk. Our full passes to the Writers' Conference have sold out, but we still have our free Community Speaker Series, free lawn talks, free livestreaming, and tickets to our Live Watch Party and Pavilion talks. Subscribe to receive updates about these events at svwc.com/subscribe.

📸 : Michael Wilson
https://svwc.com/writers-presenters/ilyon-woo

SVWC is committed to supporting and inspiring the next generation of outstanding literary talent. Our Writing Fellows Pr...
05/26/2026

SVWC is committed to supporting and inspiring the next generation of outstanding literary talent. Our Writing Fellows Program invites emerging writers from around the nation to attend the Conference each year, scouted from literary programs such as the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, WriteGirl LA, the Institute of American Indian Arts, Boise State University’s Creative Writing MFA Program, and more. While at the Conference, they attend talks, private dinners, and often have one-on-one time with our visiting speakers who provide them with inspiration and direction as they embark on their creative journeys.

We are excited to welcome these talented up-and-comers, our 2026 Writing Fellows, to !

Oh, hello summer... 👀 📸:
05/25/2026

Oh, hello summer... 👀

📸:

Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai returns with a novel already making waves. From "The Inheritance of Loss"—winner of both...
05/20/2026

Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai returns with a novel already making waves. From "The Inheritance of Loss"—winner of both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award—to her new novel "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny," shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2025, Desai’s work is known for its emotional depth, global scope, and razor-sharp insight into identity and belonging. Publishers Weekly described her latest work: “A sweeping page-turner, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a kind of Romeo and Juliet story for a modern, globalized age.” And from Sandra Cisneros: “A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again.”

A major literary voice and a rare talent, she is one you won’t want to miss. We can’t wait to welcome her to this July 18-20.

Stay tuned for all the ways to watch this talk. Our full passes to the Writers' Conference have sold out, but we still have our free Community Speaker Series, free lawn talks, free livestreaming, and passes to our Live Watch Party and select Pavilion talks. Subscribe to receive updates about these events at svwc.com/subscribe.

📸 : Michael Sharkey

Address

PO Box 957
Ketchum, ID
83340

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+12087265454

Website

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