| Two American
Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Achievement Awards, The
Pulitzer Prize, the National book Award, The John C. Zacharis First
Book Award, The Western States Book Award, The Washington D.C. Mayor's
Art Award for Literature, The Virginia Poetry Prize, The Prix de
Rome, The American Book Award, a New York Times Notable Book of
the Year, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts,
from the Guggenheim Foundation, and on, and on. As we all know,
there is no substitute for quality in writing, whether that quality
be in the short stories or creative nonfiction of emerging writers
or in the fiction and poetry of writers who have, for many years,
tested the durability of their talents. Old Dominion University's
16th Annual Literary Festival celebrates the very diversity voices
of eleven award-winning writers, all of whom share an abiding fascination
with the power of language to make us feel.
In the past,
the Directors of ODU's Literary Festivals have always tried to
make the Festival readings and performances as open as possible,
not only to the university community, but to everyone in Hampton
Roads. The Festival is especially lucky this year, though, in
the efforts of members of Associated Writing Programs and the
Chrysler Museum staff, who have organized a program called "Words
Up: Poets at the Chrysler," a pilot that, by sending fifteen to
eighteen writers into Norfolk middle and high schools on the first
day of the Festival, encourages students to try their hands at
writing and to attend this year's readings. Cheers to AWP, to
the Chrysler, to the participating Norfolk schools and to the
volunteers who have initiated this innovative effort in our community.
And cheers to the members of our audience, old and new!
Janet Sylvester,
Director
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