Panels, parties
attractions,
distractions.
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Join us for ALF after dark
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2026
Locals Night at Pitkin County Library
5:00-6:30 PM | Pitkin County Library | 120 N. Mill St.
In partnership with the Pitkin County Library, Aspen Literary Festival presents: Locals Night! Join us at the library as a “pre-game” to the 2026 Aspen Literary Festival. Mingle with local authors, gain early access to literary festival registration and merchandise, listen to live local music, and enter the raffle where you could win tickets to Laugh More Everyday (taking place at The Wheeler Opera House Thursday evening at 7:30 PM). The evening will feature light bites by local vendors, and refreshments will be provided.
Free and open to all.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 25, 2026
Downtown Aspen Block Party
6:00-9:00 pm | Hyman Ave. & Mill St.
Local authors will give readings and sign books at local businesses. Each venue will offer drink specials to festival attendees and several venues will also be hosting live music during the block party!
Free and open to festival registrants.
Participating local businesses
Eddy’s Marketplace | 315 E. Hyman Ave.
Directly across from the Wheeler Opera House, Eddy’s will curate a special literary-themed menu for festival attendees all weekend including coffee drinks, cocktails, and snacks. On Friday night, there will also be live music and author book signings at the venue as part of the Block Party.
The Grove | 315 E. Hyman Ave.
Located within the same building as Eddy’s, The Grove is a brand new community gathering space that will host local authors and live music on Friday evening. They will also offer wine and drink specials during the block party for festival attendees.
Aspen Public House | 328 E. Hyman Ave.
Located inside the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen Public House is offering festival drink specials all weekend for wristband and ticket holders.
Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge | 307 S. Mill St.
Stranahan’s will curate a specialty literary cocktail menu alongside drink specials all weekend. On Friday night, there will also be live music in the venue as part of the Block Party. The Whiskey Lodge will also host author displays and signings, creating another lively hub for festival-goers.
Golden Horn | 320 S. Mill St.
Located next to Wagner Park, Aspen’s newest gastropub is offering drink specials all weekend for festival wristband and ticket holders.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2026
After Words: The Party
6:00-8:00 pm | Paul JAS Center | 422 E Cooper Ave.
Celebrate the Aspen Literary Festival with an unforgettable evening of delicious food, cocktails, music, fine wine, and a variety show featuring festival authors. Your ticket also helps keep the Aspen Literary Festival accessible and open to all!
Midsummer Night's Gathering at Explore Books
8:00-10:00 pm | Explore Books | 221 E Main St.
Join Explore during extended hours for a gathering open to all festival attendees, "to seek new friends and stranger companies." Expect treats and specialty cocktails! Shakespeare costumes encouraged.
Free and open to festival registrants.
Happening at Festival HQ all weekend
Author Book Signings
Authors will sign books after every talk; unless otherwise noted
Some festival authors will do an extra book signing at the ALF headquarters tent on Saturday and Sunday.
The local Aspen bookstore will have an onsite pop-up bookshop at the ALF headquarters tent open daily 9 am - 5 pm.
Explore Books will also be selling copies of authors’ work at each event.
Food vendors on-site
Daily
Flipside Coffee | Open daily 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Friday, Sept. 25, 2026
Domingo Sausage Company | Friday 11:30 - 1:00 pm
Signature Choripan Argentinian Sausage w/ Chimichurri or Grilled Eggplant (V) Sandwiches*
*Gluten-free option available
Petit Mont Blanc | Friday 11:30 - 1:00 pm
The Classic Sandwich melted-French Raclette Cheese, Italian Prosciutto, French Cornichon Pickles, Dijon Mustard
or Vegetarian Classic Sandwich without Prosciutto + with Olive TapenadeSaturday, Sept. 26, 2026
Gerb’s Grub | Saturday 11:30 - 1:00 pm
Carnitas Tacos or Veggie Tacos
Aspen Elevated Catering | Saturday 11:30 - 1:00 pm
Chicken Shawarma or Falafel Pita Sandwiches (V)
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026
Domingo Sausage Company | Sunday 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Argentinian Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich* (V Available)
*Gluten-free option available
Lawn games
Giant Chess
Giant Connect 4
Giant Jenga
Croquet
Aspen Writers Network (AWN)
Daily Activities at the AWN Tent
Free hardcover journals (while supplies last)
Book trivia with instant prizes
At Noon Daily: Local authors reading
Sunday at 2:00 p.m. | Fonda Lee Discusses What’s Happening in Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Fonda Lee is the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of a dozen fantasy and science fiction books, including the science fiction novel “The Last Contract of Isako,” and the modern epic fantasy “Green Bone Saga,” which has been translated into seventeen languages and named one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time.
AWN, a program of Aspen Words, provides support and community to writers and aspiring writers in the Roaring Fork Valley. They meet in person every third Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Bonfire Coffee in Carbondale. Learn more about AWN here.
Pop-ups on the Lawn & in the Red Brick Center for the Arts
Michael Bonds (ceramics)
Michael is hosting studio hours (at his studio inside the Red Brick Center for the Arts) where he will be available to answer questions regarding his process while he is throwing pots and glazing finished works. See his work and read his full bio here.
All art will be for sale and can be purchased with Venmo, cash or check.
Michael’s expressive style is evident in his unique raku vases. His work involves a process of experimenting with different techniques to produce one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Michael’s Raku work has been purchased by collectors throughout the country. Sgraffito is another favorite technique he uses to draw on the clay and scratches back to create designs that reflect his passion for the outdoors. Bold colors with black-and-white designs of Mountains, Skiers, Animals, and Aspen Leaves are among the designs Michael incorporates in the tableware he creates.
Nancy Kullgren (paintings)
Nancy is hosting studio hours at her studio inside the Red Brick Center for the Arts where she will be available to answer questions regarding her process while painting. See her work and read her full bio here.
All art will be for sale and can be purchased with Venmo, cash or check.
“My work reflects the power of color to produce an emotional response. I consider painting as a contemplative sensory experience, finding joy in pigments and witnessing their magic on canvas as they blend together. My current work is filled with dazzling hues and curvaceous forms, referring to an imaginary world that lives within me. Metallic layers and transparencies allow multiple combinations, from bold to lyrical. I find inspiration in nature and in the act of creation, surrendering to the mysterious and sublime. My philosophical goal as an artist is to produce works that nourish the soul.” – Nancy Kullgren
Leah Potts (paintings)
Pop-up Schedule
Friday, September 25 | 9 am - 1 pm
Sunday, September 27 | 9 am - 1 pm
After a debilitating skiing accident that left Leah paralyzed, she found adventure in painting and the creative process. In a world where her body lets her down, she can escape the madness go into the wilderness, and connect with nature. See her work and read her full bio here.
Art will be for sale and can be purchased onsite.
Leah is a self-taught artist who enjoys painting most everyday. After a 20 year hiatus, due to a life altering ski injury, Leah, a disabled artist, finds herself breaking into the art scene using her non dominant hand. She loves experimenting with many different mediums; oil pastels and portraits, pastels and landscapes, mixed media and journaling. But finds her heart is happiest with watercolor and animal paintings. She has a successful pet portrait business but also enjoys selling cards, prints and original art anywhere she can! When she’s not creating you can find her skiing or biking with her rescue dog, Evie.
In-town Festival Perks
Discounts
Aspen Restaurant Week
Participating restaurants throughout town will offer prix fixe menus available at $45, $75 and $95. To view menus, learn more and secure a reservation, visit aspenchamber.org/restaurant-week
Specials
Eddy’s Marketplace | 315 E Hyman Ave.
Offering Literary-Themed cocktails and coffee drink specials to festival-goers with a wristband or badge all weekend
Explore Books and Coffee | 221 E. Main St
Weekend drink specials offered to festival-goers with a wristband or badge
Golden Horn | 400 E Cooper Ave.
Drink specials available to festival-goers with a wristband or badge
Stranahan's Whiskey Lodge | 307 S Mill St.
Festival-goers with a wristband or badge can order from a literary-themed cocktail menu
Literary happenings
around town
Draw Near to Me Book Talk with author Michelle Brafman
Wednesday, September 23,
2026
5:30 pm
Chabad Jewish Community Center | 435 West Main St.
Moderated by Mitzi Rapkin, Host of the podcast First Draft: a dialogue on writing
About the book
A hidden secret and a devastating accident bring the Weinstein family to the brink of collapse. Rich with Jewish themes, Draw Near to Me is a moving story of betrayal, forgiveness and the difficult work of repairing the relationships that matter most.
About the author
Michelle Brafman is the author of Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court: Stories and Swimming with Ghosts. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, Lilith and The Forward, and she teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program.
Laugh More Everyday: Three Comedy Writers on Finding the Hilarity in Everyday Life
Thursday, September 24, 2026
7:30 pm
The Wheeler Opera House | 320 E Hyman Ave.
Purchase tickets using code: MORE for a discount.
From bird behavior to the absurdities of LinkedIn leadership, humor reveals itself in the details of everyday life. Award‑winning comedians and writers Chris Duffy, Carley Moseley, and Asher Perlman explore how observation, curiosity, and wit shape the way we think, create, and connect. Drawing on work across television, publishing, and performance, the evening reflects a distinctly contemporary approach to comedy, grounded in attention, perspective, and the unexpected.
About the writers
Chris Duffy is the host of the acclaimed podcast How to Be a Better Human and author of Humor Me (Doubleday, 2026), exploring laughter’s role in everyday life.
Carley Moseley is an Emmy and Writers Guild Award–nominated comedian and Second City alum, most recently a writer and performer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Asher Perlman is a Peabody, Emmy, and WGA Award‑winning writer and cartoonist whose work spans The Late Show, The New Yorker, and live performance.
Each artist performs before joining a conversation and audience Q&A exploring their creative process, the distinctions between writing for page and screen, and the inspirations that shape their comedy.