A World Class Intellectual Experience in one of America’s Great Cities
June 13-17, 2023 | Asheville, NC
Updates
February 2, 2023 — We are thrilled to announce that Kwame Alexander is joining us in June!
February 1, 2023 — Thanks to our friends up on the hill for their hospitality and partnership, AIF'23 will be back at the Grove Park Inn!
January 20, 2023 — Former federal judge and current president of Dickinson College, John E. Jones III, will join us in June!
January 18, 2023 — Mónica Guzmán, author of I Never Thought of it That Way will share her best advice for approaching challenging conversations with curiosity and optimism.
January 10, 2023 — Joining Dr. Patrice Harris for the Med/Tech conversation will be Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric.
January 9, 2023 — Dr. Patrice Harris did a masterful job of moderating our public health panel last year. This June she'll be back for a conversation about the future of medicine and technology.
December 18, 2022 — The good folks at the Braver Angels Society will help us to explore civil discourse and navigate challenging political conversations at AIF'23.
December 12, 2022 — Chris Oakley recently solved an historic mystery: where did Lincoln stand when he delivered the Gettysburg Address? Join Chris at AIF'23 to hear how he solved the mystery, and why it matters.
December 2, 2022 — We're thrilled to announce our first three headliners for Asheville Ideas Fest 2023. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, journalist Juju Chang, and author Tom Freidman will all join us in June 2023!
October 10, 2022 — Our besties over at Highland Brewing will welcome AIF back to their amazing facility. Aww, thanks friends!
September 12, 2022 — The 2023 event program is starting to take shape and we couldn't be more excited about what's coming. Stay tuned for some exciting speaker announcements...
August 12, 2022 — Just a few things we'll be adjusting for next year: smaller panels; improved parking; more informal discussion time; shorter speaker introductions; more pre-event communication; a more diverse group of participants; and a greater diversity of viewpoints on our topics (in other words, more "Aha! moments")
July 16, 2022 — Bestselling author, UNC Asheville alumnus and all-around good human, Wiley Cash, will return to AIF in 2023. No word yet on whether he'll be sporting facial hair this year...
July 15, 2022 — Co-Founder and Founding Executive Director of Asheville Ideas Fest, Kirk Swenson, has agreed to return to his role for 2023.
July 14, 2022 — We've completed a comprehensive review of post-event survey responses. Thank you to everyone who offered feedback that will help us improve future events.
July 1, 2022 — We've selected the dates for Asheville Ideas Fest 2023. Make plans to join us June 13-17, 2023
June 16, 2022 — The inaugural Asheville Ideas Fest was a huge success. A very sincere thank you to all of the speakers and pioneers who helped us launch an amazing new event. Asheville Ideas Fest will return in 2023!
