Presented by Book of the Month and produced by Aspen Words, the first ever Aspen Literary Festival brings a weekend of literary programming to Aspen.

Aspen, CO – August 12, 2025 — Aspen Words, a program of The Aspen Institute, announces the official schedule for the first ever Aspen Literary Festival (ALF) – a three-day celebration of books, writing, and the storytellers who shape culture – taking place September 26-28, 2025. Presented by Book of the Month, the festival will transform downtown Aspen into a vibrant hub for literary conversation, inspiration and celebration.

The festival will feature a dynamic, star-studded lineup of bestselling and award-winning authors, including Michael Lewis, Leigh Bardugo, Elin Hilderbrand, Kevin Kwan, Jasmine Guillory, Sebastian Junger, Bonnie Garmus, and many others. Programming includes engaging panel discussions, solo author talks, book signings, and a mix of free and ticketed events.

Events will be hosted at iconic Aspen venues, including the Wheeler Opera House, Pitkin County Library, and Aspen Community Church. Many sessions are free and open to the public with registration; ticketed marquee events ($45/event) will be held at the Wheeler Opera House.

“For one unforgettable weekend, we’re bringing the literary world to the mountains, where Aspen itself will become part of the story – alive with conversations, beloved authors, and new discoveries,” said, Adrienne Brodeur, executive director of Aspen Words. “Whether you’re a lifelong reader, or simply curious, the Aspen Literary Festival is an invitation to celebrate books and the joy of reading together.

Highlights from the weekend include:

• Michael Lewis on the hidden world of government wonks
• Angela Flournoy on friendship and identity
• Leigh Bardugo, Victor LaValle & V.E. Schwab on fantasy, power and world-building
• Kevin Kwan & Nathan Hill on satire and status
• Sebastian Junger on life, death, and everything in between
• Elin Hilderbrand & Jasmine Guillory on ambition, romance and great cocktails

Each day offers conversations that capture the richness and range of today’s literary landscape—from thrilling fiction and sharp satire to moving memoirs and fantastical worlds.

“Great reads, great parties, mountain views and golden-hour hikes—what more could you want?” said Brodeur. “The Aspen Literary Festival is where the hottest voices in literature meet the coolest little mountain town. It’s a weekend for reading, celebrating, and soaking up the magic of Aspen in the fall.”

Moderators include journalist Alisyn Camerota, New York Times Book Review Editor Gilbert Cruz, “Tim Talks Books” host Tim Ehrenberg and Book of the Month Editorial Director Brianna Goodman.

Review the full festival lineup, venues, and more at www.aspenliteraryfestival.org.

Link to download Aspen Literary Festival logos.

Link to download author headshots.

Link to download book jackets.

OFFICIAL ASPEN LITERARY FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 

Bonnie Garmus, Jade Chang & Shelley Read: Charting Their Own Course  

From midcentury science labs to post-war rural towns to viral fame in modern-day Los Angeles, these novels feature women who surmount challenging circumstances and refuse to conform to the futures laid out for them. This conversation explores what it means to overcome personal and societal expectations – and how to live when life takes you in unexpected directions. 

Moderated by: Gilbert Cruz    

@ Aspen Community Church – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 

Kick-off Lunch

Enjoy a food truck lunch on the lawn. Shop the onsite bookstore brought to you by Explore Booksellers. Pose for a photo op at the pop-up photobooth or pick up a coffee at the complimentary espresso bar.

@ Festival Headquarters Tent (Red Brick Center for the Arts Lawn) – 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

James Frey: Reinvention, Risk & the Stories We Tell Ourselves 

Set in a world obsessed with image and reinvention, this provocative new novel follows the dark underbelly of a wealthy Connecticut community. This conversation explores the blurred lines between truth and fiction, the performance of identity, and what storytelling reveals about who we are and who we want to be. 

Moderated by: Alisyn Camerota  
@ Pitkin County Library – 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.                                                                               

Daniel Black & Xochitl Gonzalez: Art, Memory & Becoming 

These novels follow characters coming of age in environments shaped by history, 

expectation, and constraint. Through family legacies, creative awakening, and the quiet rebellion of self-identity and expression, these stories explore how art becomes a means of survival, resistance, and transformation. A conversation about voice, memory, and reclaiming the narratives that shape us. 

Moderated by: Tim Ehrenberg  
@ Aspen Community Church – 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.  

Angela Flournoy: The Company We Keep 

The most profound connections in a lifetime often lie in the tangled, uncertain thicket of friendship. This conversation explores how one writer navigates the ties that bind us across decades – and the unexpected paths to becoming ourselves.     

Moderated by: Gilbert Cruz  
@ Pitkin County Library – 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Michael Lewis:The Secret Life of Bureaucrats 

One of nonfiction’s sharpest storytellers turns his eye to the quiet operators of democracy—the fixers, wonks, and data nerds who make the country work. A fast, funny, and revealing conversation about the unglamorous – and occasionally heroic – people holding everything together.   

Moderated by: Alisyn Camerota   
@ The Wheeler – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.    

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27   

Family Fun
Join us at Pitkin County Library for all of your favorite library programs. Start the day with Tunes and Tales, explore instruments at the Instrument Petting Zoo, create a square for the community quilting project, follow the Story Walk or get your face painted…do it all! This programming is intended for fans of books, music and fun of all ages.
@ Pitkin County Library – 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Hal Ebbott & Rob Franklin: Friends at the Brink 

Decades-long friendships unravel under the weight of betrayal, ambition, and buried truths. This panel explores how intimate bonds can fracture in an instant—and what happens when the foundation of trust collapses amid privilege, expectation, and unspoken fault lines. A conversation about loyalty, reckoning, and what’s left when the veneer of closeness slips away. 

Moderated by: Alisyn Camerota  
@ Aspen Community Church – 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.   

Isabel Canas, Patti Callahan Henry, & Adriana Trigiani: The Stories We Inherit 

How do we carry the stories that came before us—and what happens when we search for the ones that were buried or forgotten? In these richly researched novels, the past reaches forward, tangling with identity, creativity, and belonging. From vanished matriarchs and family secrets to ancestral homelands and haunted legacies, this conversation explores how fiction traces the invisible threads between generations—and how writing becomes its own form of excavation.  

Moderated by: Tim Ehrenberg   
@ Pitkin County Library – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.   

Leigh Bardugo, Victor LaValle & V.E. Schwab: Power, Imagination & the Architecture of Fantasy 

Six dangerous outcasts trying to pull off an impossible heist, a woman with a mysterious past in 1915 Montana, and vampires bound by blood and vengeance across centuries and continents— three titans of fantasy fiction explore how they build immersive worlds and craft complex moral systems, and why their stories resonate so fiercely with readers of all ages.  

Moderated by: Gilbert Cruz  

@ The Wheeler Opera House – 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.   

Jane Hamilton & Jess Walter: Ambition, Scope & the Modern American Novel 

From sweeping epics to fierce interior dramas, these authors take on the challenge of writing the “big novel” in an era of distraction. A wide-ranging conversation about ambition, voice, emotional risk, and the evolving expectations of the American reader.   

Moderated by: Tim Ehrenberg  

@ Aspen Community Church – 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.   

Elin Hilderbrand & Jasmine Guillory:Love, Ambition & A Good Martini  

Whether their characters are navigating breakups, making power plays, starting over, or falling hard, these two mavens of modern fiction write women who are unapologetic about wanting more. This is a conversation about ambition, desire, and the joy of stories that don’t hold back.   

Moderated by: Alisyn Camerota  
@ The Wheeler Opera House – 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.  

Explore Books Celebrates Jane Austen’s Birthday

Miss Jane Austen would turn 250 years old this year, so Explore Books is celebrating her birthday! There will be cake and light appetizers. Beverages will be available for purchase. Costumes welcome. Free admission for all.

@ Explore Books – 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28   

Kristin Koval, Anika Jade Levy & Eliana Ramage: The Debut Journey 

This conversation explores the challenges and triumphs of writing a debut novel. From discovering a distinctive voice to crafting a compelling narrative, our authors share their journeys from unpublished to published, and ultimately to Book of the Month selections—offering candid insights into craft, perseverance, and the moments that made it all worthwhile.  

Moderated by: Brianna Goodman  
@ Pitkin County Library – 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.   

Walter Mosley, Chris Pavone & Brendan Slocumb: Plot Twists & Pacing — Building a Thriller 

From high-stakes symphonies to elite Manhattan addresses, to the shadowy corners of Los Angeles, these accomplished storytellers craft thrillers that pulse with tension and insight. In this dynamic conversation, they unpack the mechanics of suspense—how structure, character, and moral ambiguity create stories that not only grip us, but reveal something essential about the world we live in.  

Moderated by: Gilbert Cruz

@ The Wheeler Opera House – 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.   

Sebastian Junger: On Life, Death & What Comes After  

A gripping conversation about facing death firsthand – and what it reveals about consciousness, connection, and the fragility of being human. After a near-fatal medical emergency, this bestselling author reckons with what we know, what we believe, and how to live more honestly in the face of the unknown.    

Moderated by: Alisyn Camerota   
@ Aspen Community Church – 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.   

Kevin Kwan & Nathan Hill: Satire, Status & the Stories Beneath  

Two of fiction’s most entertaining social critics take on the absurdities of modern life — from high society in Singapore to wellness culture in America, this conversation delves into how we perform identity, chase status, and find meaning in the mess. A witty, sharp, and big-hearted look at the stories behind the spectacle.  

Moderated by: Tim Ehrenberg 

@ The Wheeler Opera House – 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.   

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Sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of levels. For more information, please contact Adrienne Brodeur: [email protected].

Aspen Words was founded in 1976 as a literary center based in Aspen, CO. A program of the Aspen Institute, its mission is to encourage writers, inspire readers and connect people through the power of stories. For more information, visit www.aspenwords.org.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Book of the Month is the leading U.S. book subscription service with a mission to bring the best new fiction forward to readers. Founded in 1926, Book of the Month has a long history of inspiring and shaping culture by championing works that have gone on to become American classics. For more information, visit bookofthemonth.com/about-us.

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