Winter Words Author Series: Robert Kolker
Join us for a conversation with best-selling author Robert Kolker, who will discuss his latest book, “Hidden Valley Road,” which was an Oprah’s Book Club Pick and named one of the Top Ten Books of 2020 by The New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, NPR and TIME, among others.
“Hidden Valley Road is an extraordinary scientific detective story and family saga…” – Oprah Winfrey
Robert Kolker is the New York Times bestselling author of “Lost Girls,” named one of the New York Times’s 100 Notable Books and one of Slate’s best non-fiction books of the quarter-century, and most recently “Hidden Valley Road,” an instant #1 New York Times best-seller.
“Hidden Valley Road” is the heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease.
Robert will be in conversation with Rebecca Skloot.
Rebecca Skloot is the best-selling author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” She spent more than ten years doggedly uncovering the truth about the life, death, and ultimate “immortality” of a poor Black tobacco farmer named Henrietta Lacks. Her phenomenal book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” has sold nearly 3 million copies to date. Part detective story, part scientific odyssey, and part family saga, “The Immortal Life” raises haunting yet urgent questions about race, class, autonomy, and bioethics in America.
Skloot has a BS in biological sciences and a MFA in creative nonfiction. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Discover, Columbia Journalism Review, Seed, New York Magazine, Slate, Popular Science, The Chicago Tribune, and other publications. Her work has been anthologized in several collections, including Best Food Writing and Best Creative Nonfiction. She served as co-editor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 and has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s Radiolab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW.
Individual event registration* – $10
*Individual registrations also grant access to the recording of the selected event
Season Supporter pass** – $275
**All passes include access and recordings to all six events
+ a book bundle of three self-selected titles from this year’s lineup
+ a tax-deductible donation to Aspen Words
Registrants can expect to receive an event link 24 hours in advance and an hour before each scheduled talk. Late registration (less than 24 hours prior) may not issue an automatic link and require the attendee to submit their name and email to get access to the event.
If you experience any issues or have additional registration questions, please reach out to ellie.scott@aspeninstitute.org.