32nd Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea

The 6th Annual Student Short Film Festival will feature four short films from PLNU students, followed by a conversation with guest filmmaker, TBD. 

This event is coordinated in partnership with Driftwood Creative Arts Journal & PLNU School of Humanities, Arts, and Public Engagement.

7:00PM in PLNU Crill Performance Hall. No tickets required. Free and open to the public.

Ann Patchett is a celebrated American novelist and essayist, widely recognized for her deep exploration of family dynamics, human connection, and the complexities of the past. 

A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she achieved global acclaim with her 2001 novel Bel Canto, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction. 

Her work often examines the "accidental families" formed through circumstance or trauma, a theme prominent in her Pulitzer Prize finalist The Dutch House and her most recently published novel, the #1 New York Times bestseller Tom Lake (2023), which meditates on youthful love and maternal history. Her next novel, titled Whistler, is scheduled for release in June 2026. 

Beyond her writing, Patchett is a vocal advocate for independent bookstores and the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. Her career achievements have been further honored with the National Humanities Medal and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award.

Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet with interests in language, violence, power, and religion. He is the host of On Being’s Poetry Unbound and has published volumes of poetry, essays, a memoir and theology.  

His published work is in the fields of poetry, anthology, essay, memoir, theology and conflict. Profiled in The New Yorker, Pádraig’s poems have been featured in Poetry Ireland Review,  Ploughshares, Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, New England Review, Raidió Teilifís Éireann’s Poem of the Week, and the Kenyon Review. His most recent poetry collection was Kitchen Hymns with a forthcoming collection called Love Between Men coming out September 2026.

Pádraig has told stories at The Moth, has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, has presented programmes on poetry and language for BBC Radio 4; and has extended interviews with On Being, with Kim Hill on Radio NZ, and Soul Search on Radio National (Australia). In addition, he has interviewed poets and public figures including former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Fady Joudah, Hanif Abdurraqib, The Edge, Sarah Perry, Joy Harjo, Billy Collins and Martin Hayes.

Pádraig Ó Tuama serves as faculty at Yale Divinity School as a Professor in the practice of Spirituality. He splits his time between Belfast, Ireland and New York City.

Edwidge Danticat is a celebrated Haitian-American author whose work provides a poignant voice to the Haitian diaspora. Born in Port-au-Prince and later moving to Brooklyn at age 12, her writing is deeply rooted in the complexities of the Haitian experience, frequently exploring themes of national identity, migration, mother-daughter relationships, and the intersection of home and exile. 

Danticat graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and followed it with the story collection Krik? Krak!, whose National Book Award nomination made Danticat the youngest nominee ever. Her most recent book, We’re Alone (2024), is a collection of essays that examines migration as a fundamental human drive and reflects on the personal sacrifices inherent in seeking new beginnings. 

Over her prolific career, Danticat has garnered prestigious accolades, including a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the National Book Critics Circle Award (for both Brother, I'm Dying and Everything Inside), the American Book Award, and the 2023 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story.

She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University.

Questions about the Writer's Symposium by the Sea? Contact WritersSymposium@pointloma.edu

Thanks to the donors who support the Writer's Symposium by the Sea!

Cheree D. Adey
Mery Olive Bangs Endowment
Bob and Jo Birdsell
Lori Dedic
David Dolan
The Tom and Melanie Gillette Trust, in memory of Tom Gillette
Michelle Heckle
Larry R. Jackson
Ron & Kathleen Lauderbach
Jocelyn N. Maggard
Drs. Kathryn & Michael McConnell
Lory Costello-Neeley
Jennifer L. Newlin
Daniel K. O'Neill
Kenneth C. Price
The Estate of Jim and Muriel Ranum
Ashley Reynolds-Montano
Donald R. Schengel
PLNU School of Humanities, Arts, and Public Engagement
Sheryl B. Smee
Tatjana Soli
David & Elinor Vandegrift
Warwick's
La Playa Books
San Diego Union-Tribune

Interested in supporting the Writer's Symposium? 

To maintain the symposium's high-quality programming, we need your help to meet our yearly donation goal of $80,000. 

Please consider partnering with Writer's Symposium by the Sea by giving an ongoing or one-time, tax-deductible donation. Every gift allows us to provide these inspiring events to PLNU students and the community.