Attend the Neustadt Festival This Week, Oct. 26-28
The 2016 Neustadt Festival of International Literature & Culture featuring Neustadt Prize laureate Dubravka Ugrešić starts this Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman.
Hosted by OU and World Literature Today, the festival will offer attendees a festive opening-night reception; three days of public readings, talks, and presentations; educational workshops; and cultural celebrations related to the life and work of Ugrešić, a Croatian-born novelist and essayist.
The first opportunity to meet Ugrešić will be Wednesday at the opening-night reception where guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, a brief word from Ugrešić, and custom on-the-spot poems from Kerri Shadid at her poetry stand. The reception will also be a celebration of WLT’s 90th anniversary.
Much of Ugrešić’s work focuses on the plight of refugees and the theme of exile, and these compelling topics will add a timely dynamic to the festival’s discussions. Local and visiting writers and scholars taking part include Alison Anderson, Lauren Camp, Rebecca Cruise, Ellen Elias-Bursać, Emily Johnson, Dragana Obradović, and Mitchell P. Smith.
On Friday morning, guests can also watch the world premiere of “Who Am I?”: A One-Act Comedy, directed by Dr. Judith Pender and performed by students from the OU Helmerich School of Drama. The play is an adaptation of Ugrešić’s short story, which reimagines Alice in Wonderland. Ugrešić’s keynote talk will follow the drama performance in Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall.
See the full schedule below for all event times, locations, and details, and visit the Neustadt Prize website to read more about Dubravka Ugrešić, the other visiting writers and scholars, and more.
Wednesday, October 26
4:30 – 6 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: The European Refugee Crisis
Sponsored by the OU European Union Center
Rhyne Room, Zarrow Hall
7 – 8:30 p.m. Opening Night Reception
Featuring remarks by Dubravka Ugrešić
Sandy Bell Gallery, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Thursday, October 27
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Discovering Baghdad: A Talk by Poet Lauren Camp
Sponsored by the Schusterman Center for Judaic & Israel Studies and the Center for Middle East Studies
Rhyne Room, Zarrow Hall
4:30 – 6 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: Dubravka Ugrešić and Contemporary European Literature
Gould Hall 130
Friday, October 28
11 – 11:45 a.m. “Who Am I?”: A One-Act Comedy
World premiere of the staged adaptation of a story by Dubravka Ugrešić, performed by students from the Peggy Dow Helmerich School of Drama, directed by Dr. Judith Pender
Sharp Hall, Catlett Music Center
Noon – 1 p.m. A Girl in Litland: The 2016 Neustadt Keynote by Dubravka Ugrešić
Followed by a question-and-answer session
Sharp Hall, Catlett Music Center
All festival events are free and open to the public.
