Aspen Writers Winter Words Lineup

3th ANNUAL WINTER WORDS LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Bringing the book to life without breaking the bank
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(December 7, 2009) Aspen, CO – Head from the lifts to one of the nation’s best literary lounges and indulge in “Après Ski for the Mind” as six world-class writers take the stage between January 26 and March 11 for the Aspen Writers’ Foundation’s 13th annual Winter Words series of author readings and talks. From established household names to a breakout novelist, from an academic scholar to a witty comedian, this year’s line-up has it all and features Jared Diamond, Firoozeh Dumas, Erica Jong, Anita Shreve, Tobias Wolff, and David Wroblewski in unforgettable stand-alone events. Tickets are just $10-$15 per author appearance, and will go on sale on December 18th through the Aspen Writers’ Foundation website at aspenwriters.org.

THE AUTHORS

Self-proclaimed feminist Erica Jong coined the phrase “zipless sex” in her groundbreaking novel Fear of Flying, which has sold over 20 million copies in thirty-seven languages. She has since published twenty books, including eight novels, six volumes of poetry, six books of non-fiction, and numerous articles in magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times, the Sunday Times of London, Elle, Vogue, and The New York Times Book Review. Her popular mid-life memoir, Fear of Fifty, is also a major international bestseller. Her seventh collection of poetry, Love Comes First, was released in January 2009. In 1998, Erica was honored with the United Nations Award for Excellence in Literature. She has also received Poetry magazine’s Bess Hokin Prize for poetry, the Deauville Award for Literary Excellence in France, and the Sigmund Freud Award for Literature in Italy. In June 2009, Erica won the first Fernanda Pivano Prize for Literature in Italy. Jong’s presentation takes place on Tuesday, January 26 at the Given Institute.

With no prior writing experience, Iranian-born Firoozeh Dumas captured the hearts of readers with her witty humor in her debut book, Funny in Farsi. The book topped the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists, was a finalist for the PEN/USA award in 2004, and she was a runner-up to Bob Dylan for the Audie Award for best audio book in 2005. Dumas was also runner-up to Jon Stewart for the prestigious Thurber Prize for American Humor, and the first Middle Eastern woman to be considered for this award. Recently, ABC ordered a pilot of Funny in Farsi to be directed by Hollywood heavyweight, Barry Sonnenfeld. In April 2005, Dumas began touring the country for her one-woman show, “Laughing Without an Accent,” using humor to remind us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences. Dumas’s latest memoir, Laughing Without an Accent, a series of biographical essays, was published in May 2008. Dumas’ presentation takes place on Thursday, February 4 at the Given Institute.

One of the world’s most celebrated scholars, Jared Diamond is the author of eight books including, Guns, Germs, and Steel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, which has been translated into 25 languages, sold millions of copies around the world, and was the subject of a National Geographic documentary that aired on PBS. Other awards include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (“Genius Award”), and the National Medal of Science in 1999. A professor of Geography and Physiology at the University of California, he is equally renowned for his work in the fields of ecology and physiology, and for his groundbreaking evolutionary studies in New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific islands. His other titles include, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, which was translated into 27 languages; The Third Chimpanzee, which was translated into 19 languages and won Britain’s Science Prize; and Why is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality. Diamond’s presentation takes place on Thursday, February 18 at the Wheeler Opera House.

An Aspen Writers’ Foundation platinum success story, David Wroblewski is the author of the breakout novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which he workshopped at Aspen Summer Words in 2005, leading to the book’s ultimate publication. An Oprah Book Club selection and winner of the 2009 Colorado Book Award for Fiction, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle has received high praise from Stephen King and Richard Russo, and The New York Times called it, “the most enchanting novel of the summer.” Wroblewski grew up in rural central Wisconsin on a small and somewhat ramshackle farm. His mother raised dogs in their barn and Wroblewski spent a good part of his childhood doing odd jobs and honing his puppy-wrangling skills. In time, that barn and that land, transported 100 miles to the north, would become the setting for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. He holds a creative writing degree from the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Wroblewski’s presentation takes place on Thursday, February 25 at the Given Institute.

Winter Words continues with critically acclaimed bestselling author, Anita Shreve who is the author of fifteen novels including, Eden Close, The Weight of Water, The Last Time They Met, and The Pilots’ Wife, an Oprah Book Club selection and international bestseller. Her latest novel, A Change in Altitude, was released in September 2009. In 1998, Shreve received the PEN/L. L. Winship Award and the New England Book Award for Fiction. One of her first short stories, Past the Island, Drifting, won the O. Henry prize. In April 2002, CBS aired the film version of The Pilot’s Wife, starring Christine Lahti, and in the fall of 2002, The Weight of Water, starring Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn, was released in movie theaters. Before launching her career as a novelist, Shreve spent three years working as a journalist in Nairobi, Kenya. Shreve has also contributed a number of pieces to publications such as The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, and dozens of others. Shreve’s presentation takes place on Monday, March 8 at the Wheeler Opera House.

Justly celebrated as one of the most distinguished writers of our day, Tobias Wolff’s books include the memoirs This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War; the novel Old School; the short novel The Barracks Thief; and four collections of short stories, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, Back in the World, The Night in Question, and, most recently, Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories. He has also edited several anthologies, among them Best American Short Stories 1994, and The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories. His work is translated widely and has received numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, both the PEN/Malamud and the Rea Award for Excellence in the Short Story, the Story Prize, and the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor of English at Stanford. Wolff’s presentation takes place on Thursday, March 11 at the Given Institute.

THE DETAILS

All Winter Words events are held at 5:30 pm (doors open at 5 pm) and include a public reading and talk followed by a short Q&A and a book signing. After each Winter Words event is the Author Salon, a series of receptions at a private home honoring the author of the evening. The Author Salon is available exclusively for members of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation; annual memberships, starting at $100, are accepted at any time of the year.

TICKETS
Ticket levels include:
· Winter Words single tickets: $15 individual; $10
student/educator with current school I.D.
· Winter Words season subscription (all six events, up to 23% savings): $70 AWF members; $80 non-members
· Author Salon (includes Winter Words reading and talk plus a reception in a private home honoring the author): $40 single ticket; $200 series (all six events and receptions, a 17% savings) – for AWF members only

Tickets, season subscriptions, and Author Salon after-party passes will go on sale Friday, December 18th through the Aspen Writers’ Foundation website at aspenwriters.org. Information and group ticket sales are available through the AWF at 970.925.3122, ext. 5#.

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The Aspen Writers’ Foundation, Colorado’s oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization’s mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation annually serves 20,000+ literary enthusiasts of all ages.