VOWELL HEADLINES LITERARY FESTIVAL THURSDAY

Author and social observer Sarah Vowell, known for her monologues and commentaries on the National Public Radio program "This American Life," will speak at Old Dominion University today as part of "Sounds That Mean," the 26th annual Old Dominion University Literary Festival, which continues through Friday, Oct. 3.

The festival headliner, Vowell's presentation in conjunction with ODU's President's Lecture Series, "A Partly Cloudy Patriot: An Evening with Sarah Vowell," will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the North Cafeteria in Webb University Center. Streaming audio of Vowell's work can be heard at http://www.hearingvoices.com/sv/.

Other performers include:

Thursday, Oct. 2
Novelist and ODU alumnus Rick Skwiot, 10 a.m., Chandler Hall
Poet Mary Ruefle, 2 p.m., University Theatre, 4700 Hampton Blvd.

Friday, Oct. 3
Poet Marilyn Chin, 11 a.m., Chandler Hall
Poet Peter Meinke, the Darden Endowed Chair of Creative Writing, 3 p.m., Chandler Hall
Performance artist Elliott Earls, 8 p.m., University Gallery.

The literary festival is sponsored in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the City of Norfolk Arts Commission. More information is available on the Web at http://courses.lib.odu.edu/litfest/ or by calling (757) 683-3991.