Cultural Events Calendar

First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing is a literary podcast produced and hosted by Mitzi Rapkin. Each week the podcast features an in-depth interview with a fiction, non-fiction, essay, or poetry writer. The show is equal parts investigation into the craft of writing and conversation about the topics of an author’s work.

ABOUT HERE BESIDE THE RISING TIDE

Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead and an American Awakening presents a kaleidoscopic history of the Grateful Dead that explores the American counterculture through the life of iconoclastic frontman Jerry Garcia and the other members of the band. The radical message of the Dead, to reject the mainstream and build a bohemian community, radiated across the world, manifesting itself in art, music, business, and politics. Here Beside the Rising Tide tells the story of those disparate shafts of light, putting Garcia into a broader context while tracing his eventful life.

Humans have done a lot of damage to the environment, but we can also be a force for good. Some ecosystems need ongoing care and stewardship to thrive, especially in a warming world. This talk will suggest how a perspective shift from saving nature from humans to improving human relationships with other species can enlarge our thinking, make new approaches possible, and create an energizing space for mutual human-nonhuman flourishing.

We are honored to welcome bestselling author Jonathan Franzen as the keynote speaker for Book Ball 2026.

We hope you will join a vibrant and passionate community to celebrate writers and readers, and to connect through the power of stories on July 9, 2026, at Aspen Meadows.

This special evening raises vital funds to support Aspen Words programs, including the Aspen Literary Festival, Writers in the Schools, scholarships for emerging writers, and community talks with Pulitzer Prize–winning authors.

Jonathan Franzen is the author of six novels, most recently “Crossroads” and “Purity,” and five works of nonfiction, including “The Discomfort Zone,” “Farther Away,” and “The End of the End of the Earth.”