Summer Words Writers Conference & Literary Festival
June 18-23, 2023
The Viewline Resort, 100 Elbert Lane
Snowmass Village, Colorado
Recognized as one of the nation’s top literary gatherings, Summer Words is a six-day celebration of words, stories and ideas held annually in an idyllic Rocky Mountain setting.
Summer Words 2023 will take place in Snowmass Village, Colorado, a vibrant community just 9 miles from Aspen, with incredible mountain vistas in addition to 2.8 million adjacent acres of wilderness open for activities and exploration. Snowmass is home to 30+ restaurants, shopping, unique special events and music – all year round.
Overview
The conference offers juried workshops in book editing, fiction, memoir, middle grade, personal essay, poetry and science-fiction/fantasy. Led by acclaimed faculty, the workshops meet every morning over the course of 5 days. A non-juried open writing workshop meets for four mornings and a moderated readers retreat meets for three mornings. Afternoons include panel discussions, craft talks and meetings with publishing professionals, among other activities.
- Juried workshops are limited to 10 writers. The open writing workshop and readers retreat will have a maximum of 20 participants.
- Panel discussions and craft talks by faculty are open to the public and provide inspiration and insight for writers and readers alike.
- Literary agents and editors meet one-on-one with workshop participants. Participants also have one individual meeting with their workshop instructor.
- The annual Book Ball benefit dinner, held at the Hotel Jerome, is an evening celebration with a special guest speaker (not included in tuition as this is a fundraiser for Aspen Words’ year-round programs).
Applications
- Applications for juried workshops open November 21. The deadline to apply is February 17, 2023, by midnight MST.
- All workshops are juried except for Open Writing and the Readers Retreat. Registration for non-juried workshops opens January 12, 2023 and is first come, first served.
- Juried workshops require an application form and a 10-page writing sample. Please see the application page for manuscript specifications.
- There is a $35 application fee for juried workshops.
- Notifications are sent by early April 2023.