The ODU Literary Festival is the MFA in Creative Writing program鈥檚 premier annual celebration of literature and the arts.
This year鈥檚 theme鈥斺淪uspend Your Disbelief鈥濃攊nvites readers, writers, and artists to explore the transformative power of language and stories when readers are willing to suspend their disbelief.
The weeklong festival features:
- Readings by acclaimed visiting and local authors
- Writing workshops
- Musical and dance performances
- A theatre production
- A game design and development contest
The ODU Literary Festival was established in 1978. Some of the writers who have participated in the festival include Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove, Ann Beattie, Derek Walcott, Gwendolyn Brooks, S.A Cosby, Sigrid Nunez, and others. The diversity of readers, panels, workshops, and community involvement is one of the Festival hallmarks. Every two years the Festival is redesigned by a different English department member, and the themes change from year to year. Major writers, cultural diversity, international perspectives, and numerous other approaches have been implemented over the years. Students from Old 啵啵直播秀 University, surrounding campuses, and high schools have been encouraged to attend the literary events and are given the opportunity to hear and mingle with so many talented writers. For more information about the ODU Literary Festival, visit the Festival archives here:
Note adapted from Phil Raisor and Karen Vaughan.
Where great writers of the future connect with the great writers of our time
The Old 啵啵直播秀 University Annual Literary Festival is the premier event of our MFA Program in Creative Writing and one of the many reasons to study the writer's craft with us at ODU.
Visit the University Libraries' Annual Literary Festival Digital Archives to view materials from past festivals.
