This is a special opportunity for engagement we couldn't resist sharing with our Bud Werner Library patrons. The venerable Aspen Ideas Festival will release programming daily featuring a robust lineup of speakers — a rare opportunity for access to leaders and thinkers who will share fresh thinking across a spectrum of topics, reflecting the moment and offering ideas about future possibilities. Experts and leaders (check out their bios) will address topics spanning arts, science, the economy, diplomacy, democracy, and certainly the present juncture our society is in.

Engage your friends, colleagues and family for a set of conversations and ideas that are relevant to the times we live in and the future we face. Sign up at Aspen Ideas link above to access the sessions. The schedule below is subject to change.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

Hear about the latest Covid-19 developments, the ongoing fight for voter rights, and how music can change minds.

Conversation

Anthony Fauci and Elizabeth Cohen
David Byrne and Darren Walker
Stacey Abrams and Brittany Packnett Cunningham

Big Ideas

Leah Thomas, Emma Robbins, Caryl Stern

Performance

Yefim Bronfman

MONDAY, JUNE 29

Can artificial intelligence help us prepare for the next pandemic? How do we process what’s become a major cultural inflection point in America and around the world? You’ll also hear about leadership in the United States and what’s happening during a momentous term for the Supreme Court.

Conversations

Maria Ressa and Lulu Garcia Navarro
William McRaven and Andrea Mitchell
Linda Greenhouse and Theodore Olson with Ray Suarez
Kai-Fu Lee and Nick Thompson

Big Ideas

Sandy Speicher, Adaora Okoli, Lata Reddy

Performance

Jon Batiste

TUESDAY, JUNE 30

Hear about freedom of the press, America’s role in the world, children’s mental health, and the role of innovation in dealing with world health.

Conversations

Anna Deavere Smith and Yuval Sharon with Kate D. Levin
Bill Gates and Stephanie Mehta
Madeleine Albright and Nicholas Burns

Big Ideas

Helen Egger, Mark S. Zaid, Ariana Tulay, Ken Davis

Performance

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1

The mayor of Atlanta opens up. How will CRISPR change our approach to disease? Get a glimpse of the life of Winston Churchill and his ability to unite. Hear about the future of the economy.

Conversations

Erik Larson and John McWhorter
Keisha Lance Bottoms and Angela Rye
Henry Paulson, Jr. and Gillian Tett
Walter Isaacson and Susan Goldberg

Big Ideas

Neal Katyal, Lakshmi Karan, Connie Evans

THURSDAY, JULY 2

We’re examining racial oppression in America. Where do we go from here? What’s our significance on the cosmological timeline? Is language the key to helping us remake our world?

Conversations

Alicia Garza and Michael Eric Dyson with Eugene Scott
Lulu Miller and Krista Tippet
Brian Greene and Dan Porterfield

Big Ideas

Zinhle Essamuah, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Marla Blow