BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference is making a number of its authors’ talks free to the community.
Some will be in the form of free Pavilion lawn talks broadcast live to the big screen on the lawn (tickets are available at https://svwc.com/single-event-tickets for those who prefer to see the talks inside the Pavilion.
Others are part of a free Community Speaker Series held in conjunction with the Community Library.
The Writers Conference will also offer free livestreaming and online audio and video recordings of some of its talks. Registration for livestreaming is required at https://svwc.com/livestream.
The conference also offers local Wood River Valley students, teachers and librarians the opportunity to attend Pavilion talks for free as space is available. Those wishing to avail themselves of that should check in at the Info Desk in the Bookstore Tent 30 minutes prior to the talk. Bring proof of COVID vaccination for those 18 and older and school or library ID.
The conference is being held July 16-18.
Free Pavilion lawn talks include:
SATURDAY, JULY 16
- Anthony Doerr | 3:45pm – 5pm
- “March of the Autocrats” Panel Discussion | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
SUNDAY, JULY 17
- Heather McGhee | 11am – 12pm
- Lauren Groff | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
- Tribute Film to Edward O. Wilson | 5pm – 5:15pm
- Elizabeth Kolbert | 5:15pm – 6:15pm
MONDAY, JULY 18
- “Will American Democracy Survive?” Panel Discussion | 11am – 12pm
- Natasha Trethewey | 12:45pm – 1:30pm
- Freestyle Love Supreme+ | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
- Arthur C. Brooks | 5pm – 6pm
The Community Speakers Series will be held in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park. The lineup:
MONDAY, JULY 11, 7 p.m.—Imbolo Mbue, author of “How Beautiful We Were,” about an African village engaged in a struggle with an American oil company that is poisoning its land and children.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 7 p.m.—Erich Schwartzel, author of “Red Carpet: Hollywood, China and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy”
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20- 7 p.m. Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Disgraced,” “Junk” and “American Dervish” on his new novel “Homeland Elegies.”