Acclaimed author Lily King (“Writers & Lovers,” “Euphoria”) discusses her latest novel, “Heart the Lover,” an instant New York Times bestseller. Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans of King have come to adore, “Heart the Lover” is a deeply moving story that celebrates love, friendship and the transformative nature of forgiveness. The novel is King at her very best, affirming her as an astute chronicler of the human experience and one of the finest novelists at work today.

Bestselling author and beloved New Yorker writer Susan Orlean discusses “Joyride,” a magic carpet ride through her life and career. The book is also a time machine to a bygone era of journalism, from Orlean’s bright start in the golden age of alt-weeklies to her career-making days working alongside icons such as Tina Brown, David Remnick, Anna Wintour and other forces who shaped the media industry as we know it today. “Joyride” is a must-read for anyone who hungers to start, build and sustain a creative life. Orlean inspires us to seek out daily inspiration and rediscover the marvels that surround us. The talk is moderated by Christine Benedetti

Adventurer and storyteller Tara Roberts discusses her searing memoir, “Written in the Waters,” which recounts her epic journey to trace the global slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean. Roberts, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, spent years diving with and telling stories about a group of Black scuba divers searching for slave shipwrecks around the world. For fans of Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” and Jesmyn Ward’s “Men We Reaped,” Roberts’ memoir is a powerful blend of personal and cultural history.

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. Annually, 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.

Lauren Groff discusses her most recent novel “The Vaster Wilds,” which plunges readers into colonial America’s wilderness through the eyes of a young servant girl fleeing the famine of Jamestown. As she navigates nature’s brutal beauty and the edges of survival, Groff crafts an electrifying exploration of resilience, self-discovery, and the precarious line between civilization and wildness.

Listen in as bestselling author Kevin Fedarko recounts the untamed adventure behind “A Walk in the Park,” narrating his grueling 750-mile trek through the Grand Canyon—an awe-inspiring journey across perilous cliffs, hidden histories, and breathtaking vistas. With humor, humility, and deep reverence, he transports readers to the edge of endurance and into the heart of America’s most majestic landscape. Fedarkso is also the author of “The Emerald Mile.”

Step into a thrilling exploration of AI, art, and the human psyche with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar as he unveils his new play, McNeal. Akhtar offers a glimpse into the story of Jacob McNeal—a novelist at odds with his own AI obsession— as he grapples with the limits of creativity and the haunting possibilities of artificial intelligence.

Listen in for a conversation with 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize ceremony moderator, novelist and host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Mary Louise Kelly.

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.

The 2024 Winter Words season began with acclaimed, award-winning author Ann Patchett and her longtime literary friend, Elizabeth McCracken in conversation. Patchett returned to the Aspen Words stage and discussed her latest work, Tom Lake, a “Reese’s Book Club” selection. The novel is a meditation on young love, married love, and the lives parents have led before children. McCracken is the author of eight books including her most recent novel, “The Hero of This Book.”