22nd Annual Literary Festival at ODU: October 11-15, 1999

The Spirit of the Word

This year's literary festival was originally envisioned and shaped under the direction of poet Scott Cairns. When I took over for Scott, I tried to keep to the "spirit" of his vision and add mine to it.

All true writing -- whether nonfiction, poetry, or fiction -- should inspire. When the breath of a writer mingles with the breath of a reader, something new emerges. Literature documents, but it also discovers and enlivens, each word an exhalation that gives life to an inspirited scene, a familiar world experienced as if for the first time. True writing turns us inward and outward, to re-invent ourselves and re-create the world.

THE SPIRIT OF THE WORD

This year's festival has brought together a diverse group of writers who all share a common undertaking: they are men and women whose works invite readers to reflect on language and the heartbreaking and heartsome truths that poems and stories communicate. Breathe deeply: be inspired.

~ Michael Pearson, Director of the Festival