2014 Neustadt Festival to Celebrate World Literature, with a Spotlight on Contemporary Africa
Norman, Oklahoma, Sept. 24, 2014 – The 2014 Neustadt Festival of International Literature and Culture, featuring writers and scholars from Africa, Europe and the United States, will take place on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus Oct. 22 through 24. The festival’s marquee author, Mozambican writer Mia Couto, will receive the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature at a ceremony during the week.
The festival, which is open to the public with no admission charge, is hosted by OU’s award-winning magazine, World Literature Today, which also sponsors the $50,000 Neustadt Prize and the $25,000 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature. Leading up to the award ceremony, the festival will include many public events that celebrate world literature and African culture. Additionally, the winner of the 2015 NSK Prize will be announced that week.
The festival will open with an opening-night celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at which Couto will give a bilingual reading from his novel Confession of the Lioness. The evening also will feature readings by Oklahoma poets, a reception and live music. Couto will deliver the 2014 Neustadt Lecture as a keynote talk on Friday, Oct. 24. Other festival highlights include two roundtable discussions on contemporary African culture and literature as well as a dance adaptation of one of Couto’s stories by students from the OU schools of Dance and Drama.
Biographical information about all the participating writers and scholars, plus a complete schedule of events, can be found on the festival website, neustadtprize.org. Festival attendees will have numerous opportunities to interact with the writers, and media passes can be obtained by registering on the festival website.
No advance reservations or tickets are required, except for the brown-bag lunch during the “Africa Today” roundtable on Oct. 23. Reservations for this event may be made by emailing Ronda Martin at [email protected].
For special requests or accommodations on the basis of disability, call the offices of World Literature Today at (405) 325-4531.
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