Introduction, Welcome, and Overview of the Lit Fest
RC Davis-Undiano, Kathy Neustadt, and Daniel Simon welcome attendees and provide an overview of the three-day festival lineup.
Understanding the Balkans – A Roundtable Conversation
John K. Cox (North Dakota State University), Ellen Greene (University of Oklahoma), and Luljeta Lleshanaku (Institute of Studies of Communist Genocide) discuss the Balkan contexts of understanding Ismail Kadare’s work, in a conversation moderated by Dustin Condren, an assistant professor of Russian at OU.
Readings and Book Giveaways by the 2021 NSK Prize Jury
Enjoy readings by this year’s stellar group of jurors—Jonathan Auxier, Monica Brown, Tanita S. Davis, Adib Khorram, Sonia Patel, Randy Ribay, Cynthia Weill, Tanaya Winder, and Janet Wong—and register to win signed copies of their books!
Neustadt Anthology Book Launch Panel
Daniel Simon, Will Evans, and David Shook unveil Dispatches from the Republic of Letters, an anthology celebrating 50 years of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Tune in for video clips and other remarks by past laureates, book giveaways, and readings from the anthology.
ALTA Panel on Literary Translation
Eminent translators David Bellos (Princeton), Peter Constantine (UConn), Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse, and David Shook discuss why translation matters in a conversation moderated by Will Evans, publisher of Deep Vellum. Sponsored by the American Literary Translators Association and introduced by ALTA board member Nancy Naomi Carlson.
Why Should We Read Ismail Kadare?
Three of Kadare’s principal translators—David Bellos (Princeton), Peter Constantine (UConn), and Ani Kokobobo (University of Kansas)—along with Fabrice Conte-Williamson (UW–Parkside), translator of Kadare’s play Stormy Weather on Mount Olympus, discuss the significance of Kadare’s work in a conversation moderated by Emily Johnson (Modern Languages, Literatures & Linguistics), a professor of Russian at OU.
