This event was recorded on February 4, 2026 at Paepcke Auditorium, as part of the 2026 Winter Words series, in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.
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.
The talk was moderated by Mitzi Rapkin.
About the Author
Lily King is the award-winning author of six novels. Her most recent novel, Heart the Lover was published on September 30th, 2025. She has also published a collection of short stories, Five Tuesdays in Winter. Her 2020 novel, Writers & Lovers, won the New England Society Book Awards and was a New York Times Notable Book and chosen as a top-ten best book of 2020 by The Washington Post, NPR, People Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times. Her 2014 novel Euphoria won the Kirkus Award, the New England Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Euphoria was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014 by The New York Times Book Review. It was included in TIME’s Top 10 Fiction Books of 2014, as well as on Amazon, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, and Salon’s Best Books of 2014.
About the Moderator
Mitzi Rapkin is the founder, host, and producer of the literary podcast, “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing”, which features in-depth conversations with today’s most distinguished literary writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and essays. Her archive contains more than 550 interviews accumulated over 12 years. Each episode meticulously covers issues of literary craft, creativity, and the themes of a writer’s work. Rapkin cultivates conversations that evolve from talking about the mechanics of producing a work of art to questions on what it means to be human, the mystery and awe of being in relationship with one another, and empathy. More at www.firstdraftwriters.com.