Aran grew up in rural Maine, studied at Harvard and earned an MA in American Studies from the University of Southern Maine. After working in book publishing and on internet startups, he founded Inside Mexico, which became the most widely distributed English-language periodical in Mexico. Aran’s first book, The Americano, was described by the National Book Award winner Carlos Eire as “history at its best…based on solid research that reads like a great epic novel.” His new book, Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City’s Soul, has been called “brilliant” by Publisher’s Weekly, “essential” by the author of The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander, “dazzling” by Bill Ayers and “a welcome glimmer of hope for our divided nation” by the author Elaine Weiss. Since 2016, he’s lived in Charlottesville, Virginia with his wife, Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of Hidden Figures and their son Giles.
2025 Festival Session