Aspen Words, a local nonprofit, is gearing up for its 27th Annual Winter Words series, which will take place between the Paepcke Auditorium in Aspen and TACAW in Basalt from Jan. 11 through Mar. 14.
Aspen Words is dedicated to encouraging readers, inspiring writers and connecting the people of The Roaring Fork Valley through the power of storytelling.
“We truly believe that reading, writing and storytelling increases people’s empathy and willingness to learn about lives that are not theirs,” expressed Adrienne Brodeur, the executive director of Aspen Words. “You only need to read a novel; and you can’t do that without getting out of your own head and into the character’s head, right?”
Brodeur has been with Aspen Words for nearly 11 years.
This year’s events will feature five different authors with diverse works ranging from fiction to memoirs and poetry.The featured writers for 2024 include the owner of Parnassus Books and Faulkner award winner Ann Patchett, who will open the series along with New York Times best-selling author and friend, Elizabeth McCracken. The two will have a discussion about their recent works at Paepcke Auditorium, with a Q&A session to follow, on Jan. 11.
Brodeur explained that Patchett has been a local favorite of Aspen Words, who the community has adored for many years. Because Patchett and McCracken are good friends, they were enthusiastic to collaborate. The other authors for the 2024 series include: Sasha DiGiulian, Safiya Sinclair and Abraham Verghese.
Each year at Winter Words, authors worldwide are invited to discuss their written works with the Valley’s community. All of the writers in this year’s lineup have new pieces out and are making a stop in the Valley while on the road for their respective press tours.
“It takes a lot of reading for this selection process,” Brodeur said, when it comes to selecting authors for any given year. “I would say I easily read over 100 books a year … But this isn’t a process I do alone. The team at Aspen Words are all book enthusiasts, and we all talk about our favorites and who we hope will come — from there, we create a list.”
In addition to being an environmentalist and having been featured in publications like National Geographic, DiGuilian is an avid, world-traveling rock climber who served on the Women’s Sports Foundation board for six years. She is also a global athlete ambassador for Right to Play, Protect Our Winters and Up2Up Sports. Her memoir, “Take The Lead,” will be the focal point during a discussion on Feb. 6 at Paepcke Auditorium.
Brodeur described how she became personally acquainted with Sinclair and her works. “I had a book of my own coming out last June, and we happened to both be at the Winter Institute Conference where I heard her talking about this book,” Brodeur explained, referring to “How To Say Babylon,” Sinclair’s recent memoir. “It’s an amazing story, and she is brilliant,” Brodeur added. Sinclair’s memoir and poetry discussion will occur at TACAW on Feb. 29.
Verghese has been on Brodeur’s mind ever since she read his novel, “Cutting For Stone,” about 10 years ago. Verghese will close out the series on March 14 at Paepcke Auditorium at 6pm. Mitzi Rapkin, host of the “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing” podcast, will moderate the event.
Those attending the speaker series can anticipate an intimate and entertaining talk about each published work. The audience is “going to experience top writers talking about their wonderful works.
Most of our Winter Words writers are very open about their writing process and what inspired them to write,” concluded Brodeur. “I think we can all agree that hearing others’ stories, whether real or fiction, gives us a greater sense of connection to one another.”
All scheduled events occur at 6pm. Season passes for the author speaker series have already sold out, but other ticket options are still available. For more information, visit www.aspenwords.org