ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION PRESENTS AUTHOR ANN PATCHETT — FREE COMMUNITY EVENT

ASPEN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION TO PRESENT AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR ANN PATCHETT IN A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT

Aspen, CO, August 2, 2010 ­­– The Aspen Writers’ Foundation (AWF), a program of the Aspen Institute, and the Basalt Regional Library are pleased to present PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Ann Patchett in a FREE reading and talk on Tuesday, August 10, at 5:00 pm at the Basalt Regional Library.

In her first Roaring Fork Valley appearance since previewing her novel Run during the AWF’s 2007 Winter Words series, Patchett will once again offer a sneak preview of new work. The best-selling author of Bel Canto plans to read from and discuss her latest book of fiction, entitled State of Wonder, slated for publication in June 2011.

“We are delighted to provide local audiences with this very special treat,” says AWF executive director Lisa Consiglio. “It is a rare opportunity to hear one of today’s most acclaimed novelists read from new work – several months ahead of the rest of the world! Presenting Ann Patchett in a free event in partnership with the Basalt Regional Library is our way of thanking the community for another great year of celebrating the literary arts in the Roaring Fork Valley.”

Ann Patchett is the author of five novels and a memoir: The Patron Saint of Liars, which received a James A. Michener/Copernicus Award for a book in progress; Taft, winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for the best work of fiction; The Magician’s Assistant, which earned her a Guggenheim Fellowship; Bel Canto, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Truth and Beauty, a memoir of her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy; and most recently the New York Times bestselling novel, Run.

“Ann Patchett has become a dear friend to the AWF,” says Consiglio. “She is among the most dazzling speakers we have had the pleasure to present, and we are thrilled to be able to share her prodigious talents with the Roaring Fork community.”

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 100,000-plus literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an
international network of partners.

Aspen Writers’ Foundation
970.925.3122
http://www.singingmeditation.com
http://www.lizhill.net