February 9, 2023

PODCAST

Patrick Radden Keefe on Rogues and Rebels

Most of us grapple with moral questions on some level, but how does that manifest in people who live outside society’s guardrails? Writer Patrick Radden Keefe is fascinated by what drives people who deviate sharply from the norm, especially those who do bad things. His latest book, Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks, compiles some of his best New Yorker pieces on “successful” outliers, including Mexican drug lord El Chapo Guzmán, the Sackler family, and late chef Anthony Bourdain. In the first event of the 2023 Winter Words season from Aspen Words, Keefe talks to Mitzi Rapkin, host of the literary podcast “First Draft,” about what draws him to these subjects and how he crafts narratives that keep us glued to the page. You can check out the rest of the incredible Winter Words lineup here.

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ARTICLE

How to Break Up With a Friend: A Step-by-Step Guide

We all have some friendships that cause us more conflict than fulfillment, leaving us stressed and confused rather than seen and supported. But often the desire to avoid conflict keeps us in these dissatisfying relationships for years, all because we don’t want to have one hard conversation. Jen Hatmaker, bestselling author and host of “For the Love” podcast, is here to hold our hands and walk us through a friendship breakup. She’s gifted us with questions to ask yourself when you think a friendship is no longer healthy, ground rules for when and where to have a conversation, and even a script to use.

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VIDEO

What is Beauty?

The nature of beauty, its purpose, and whether it’s objective or subjective is the subject of timeless philosophical debate. “Beauty for me, as a woman, as a Black woman, is quite personal. It represents an opportunity to address contradictions and paradoxes in society [and] confront cultural power and definitions,” says Sarah Lewis, art history and African American studies professor at Harvard. She speaks with philosophy professors Paul C. Taylor of Vanderbilt and Alexander Nehamas of Princeton in a conversation moderated by Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President of the Aspen Institute. Together they examine the notion of beauty in its many forms and explore its intersections with power and privilege.

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EVENT

When people and ideas meet in the right atmosphere, something magical happens. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, we cultivate that magic.

Imagine some of the world’s most incredible thinkers and doers all gathered in a single awe-inspiring place high in the Rocky Mountains, ready to teach, inspire, question, and challenge. They’re here to interact with you — an audience of intellectually curious people who have stepped back from your day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

You don’t want to miss out. Get your pass to the Aspen Ideas Festival today.

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