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of how we uphold truth telling and understand what is real and what ’ s false is a very big discussion for us .”
Brown hints that she aspires to include global voices to “ bring the world outside us in .” Additionally , she envisions a variety of disciplines discussing topics . For example , she says , “ It ’ s wonderful if you ’ re asking , ‘ What does America stand for ?,’ to have a terrific writer , perhaps somebody marvelous from the theater , as well as political experts . I think it ’ s much more interesting to hear from people who don ’ t normally talk about politics , which is not really what you see a great deal of , certainly in television coverage .”
What ’ s also important will be to include new and unexpected voices . According to Veysey , “ while everyone wants to know ‘ Who are the big speakers ?’, often the speakers that have the most impact are ones that you least
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expected or potentially never heard of .” He recounts one such presentation that stood out to him : “ It was with a guy named Steven Jones who was running a bread lab at the University of Washington , and he was talking about going back to our roots and baking with ancient grains and why that is so important to our ecosystem and the way we eat .”
While the event will be intellectually stimulating , there will also be an important emphasis on bringing joy and fun to the experience , a celebratory element that involves the outdoors . According to Veysey , another team is working on “ how to activate this beautiful campus , whether it ’ s through receptions in our parks , dinners in our facilities or field trips where we ’ re taking people to the Maroon Bells to experience the beauty of a sunrise at the most picturesque peaks in North
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Aspen Ideas Festival community picnic
America .” This balance highlights the philosophy of mind , body , and spirit that the foundation of Aspen was built upon .
While spirit can mean a variety of things to each person , one of the most compelling reasons to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival isn ’ t just for the content , the location , or even the activities , but for the people who will gather there .
Passes for the 20th Aspen Ideas Festival , June 23 – 29 , 2024 , can be purchased at AspenIdeas . org .
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ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL |