Susan Orlean cuts a slight but certain figure. When she and moderator Christine Benedetti took the Paepcke Auditorium stage on Jan. 28, no one in the audience could doubt that Orlean enjoys a good conversation. That was how she passed the next hour: Cheerful chatting about her years as a features journalist and her newest […]
writing
Local journalism gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams
Let’s rewind the clocks 21 months. I was in the Roaring Fork Valley between the third and fourth semesters of my graduate studies, which I was pursuing via a small international university in southwestern Germany. In my free time, I was writing — not a new habit — but I was wondering if it was […]
A writing initiation: Awestruck steps into the world of [Aspen] Words
Editor’s Note: Annalise Grueter is a member of the Aspen Writers Network. This column details her recent experience at the Aspen Summer Words juried workshops. If you’ve been reading The Sopris Sun for at least a couple of weeks, you already know that this valley harbors an impressive roster of passionate writers. From local journalists […]
Aspen Writers Network strengthens voices of Valley creatives
Editor’s note: Annalise Grueter is a member of Aspen Writers Network. The third Thursday evening of each month, Carbondale’s Bonfire Coffee bustles with activity. Two to three dozen people mingle, sipping seltzer and wine, grazing from charcuterie boards and eagerly chatting about a shared interest: writing. The Aspen Writers’ Network (AWN) is a creative coalition […]
What it meant to this writer to be seen
I became a writer when I was 18 and never imagined I would continue writing into my 20s. It was my first freelance job for my hometown paper, The Grand Gazette in Kremmling, Colorado. I was a senior in high school, on track to graduate a semester early and was looking to make and save […]
PitCo Community Read features Isabella Hammad’s prize-winning novel
The 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize winner, “Enter Ghost” by novelist Isabella Hammad, is set to captivate local readers through the Pitkin County Community Read program, presented by Aspen Words and the Pitkin County Library.The Sopris Sun corresponded with Adrienne Brodeur, Aspen Words’ executive director, to discuss the merits of the award-winning novel and the […]
Aspen Writers’ Network speaks a writer’s language
Ernest Hemingway, arguably one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, once said of his craft: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” It’s not quite as melodramatic as Hemingway suggests, but you get the gist of his message. Being a writer can, at times, […]
