When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. - Haruki Murakami

In the aftermath of trauma—if it ever really ends—we are called to reckon with the past that led us to this present moment, and with the question of what futures we might make from it. Survival is triumph, but it is also a process of change, leaving us reborn to question, to celebrate, to recognize. Join us at the 44th Annual ODU Literary Festival as we celebrate writers who address the storms of past and present, and the changes wrought upon us, as we turn to face the future.

Our preliminary line-up features internationally recognized memoirists, poets, fiction writers, and dramatists, including Meredith Talusan, Dantiel Moniz, Lisa Beech Hartz, Kelli Jo Ford, Kareem Fahmy, and Matt Bell. We are especially thrilled to include in this year's festival a selection of readings from ODU ​MFA Creative Writing Program alumni Lynn Waltz and Amanda Galvan Huynh, and from faculty members of the English Department: Sheri Reynolds, Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley, and our newest faculty member, Molly McCully Brown.

Virtual format.