The Community Read, presented by Aspen Words and Pitkin County Library, strives to celebrate literature, unite readers around a work of fiction, and ignite meaningful conversation on the vital social issues explored in each year's Aspen Words Literary Prize winning novel.
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad is the 2024 winner of the Aspen Words Literary Prize!
Upcoming Events:
An Evening with Mary Louise Kelly Moderated by Breeze Richardson
Wednesday, October 9 | 6:00pm-7:00pm
At TACAW (400 Robinson St, Basalt, CO 81621)
Join Aspen Words for a conversation with 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize ceremony moderator, novelist and host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Mary Louise Kelly.
Moderator: Aspen Public Radio’s Executive Director, Breeze Richardson.
This event is free and open to all. Register for the event.
DOORS: Open at 5:30 p.m.
EVENT: Conversation 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
SEATING: General admission and available on a first come, first served basis.
Come early and purchase a drink at the TACAW bar.
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Aspen Words Literary Prize 2024 Shortlist:
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal
Witness by Jamel Brinkley
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
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Previous Community Read Books
The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
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Recordings of Previous Author Talks by Aspen Public Radio
Community Read Author Talk with Literary Prize Winner Jamil Jan Kochai
Aspen Words Community Read: Author Talk with Dawnie Walton
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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. The Aspen Words Literary Prize is a $35,000 annual award for an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture. Open to authors of any nationality, the award is one of the largest literary prizes in the United States and one of the few focused exclusively on fiction with a social impact. The inaugural award was presented in 2018 to Mohsin Hamid for his novel Exit West.