Arts
Literature
The stories we hear about migrants trying to escape difficult circumstances tend to focus on hardship, conflict, statistics and policy. We rarely get a deep look at any of the people risking their lives to cross the U.S. border or take a boat to Europe, and we don’t get to know or understand them as fellow humans. Writer Javier Zamora came to the U.S. when he was nine year...
Shakespeare is ubiquitous in literature classes and theater, but the avenues of relating to his work are not always clear to young people and modern audiences. Some, such as Shakespeare scholar and professor Ayanna Thompson, argue that his plays make sense as living, breathing, adaptable instruments that can be shaped to fit the times. Playwright, director and professor Ja...
Tara Westover's childhood was distinct. Raised by survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she encoun
Is the English language deteriorating before our ears?
Author Luis Alberto Urrea's latest novel is inspired by his own Mexican-American family.
US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith says her true self comes out in her work.
Best-selling author Susan Orlean says ignorance about a subject is a powerful igniter of curiosity.
How is creativity cultivated in childhood?
Hear from Elizabeth Acevedo and Arthur Brooks at the Summit on Inequality and Opportunity.
Hear from Margot Lee Shetterly and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, two award-winning authors.
Powerhouse literary couple Geraldine Brooks and Tony Horwitz didn’t start their careers writing books. The two were war correspondents covering events like the Gulf War in the 1990s. In this episode, Brooks and Horwitz are onstage for a lecture series held by Aspen Words, the literary organization of The Aspen Institute.
Can art tackle some of the most difficult social-justice questions we face today?
David Brooks and Katie Couric on personal virtues and honesty in a materialistic age.
Clint Smith is a high school educator, a Harvard PhD candidate, and a slam poet. In a series of spoken-word performances, Smith confronts inequality in American society. His poetry touches on black parenting, social justice, and violence against kids of color. Following his performance, three high school students from the South Washington, DC, area are interviewed about ho...
Three authors shed light on the writing life and the stories behind their works.
David Brooks and Aaron Sorkin on developing and connecting to characters in writing and movies.
"Redeployment" takes readers to the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
David Brooks explores some of history's leaders in terms of personal character.
A conversation with bestselling author Michael Lewis.
Cheryl Strayed live at Aspen Words.