20th Annual Literary Festival at ODU: October 14-17, 1997

Fierce Minds at Work

In every society there are ever-emerging questions and conflicts about what is real or true. Implied by the whelming presence of these passionate investigations is the deep human need to see clearly, to proceed armed with a well-defined sense of the world--its dangers and its life-sustaining wonders. Fortunately there are always those few men and women among us whose very lives are consumed by this wrestling with the many complexities that terrify and enchant us. They are the ones who learn to step into the hurricane, find the eye and return with various maps through the storm to that still point where understanding begins. It is nearly impossible to imagine any vibrant society surviving without these fierce minds.

~ Tim Seibles, Literary Festival Director.