Visiting Writer Seminars

The opportunity to hear from and talk with important contemporary writers has been a vital part of an OBU education for many years. Beginning in 2010, the English Department Reading Series brought writers to campus, focusing on writers living in the area. The Visiting Writer Seminars then began as a way to make the reading series more ambitious and to widen its appeal by seeking to elevate the experience for students and the campus community.

Upcoming Seminars

The 2023-24 Visiting Writer Seminar is scheduled for November 6-7 and will feature novelist Rubén Degollado. Degollado will give a public reading on November 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Stavros Hall 214. On November 7 at 7:00 p.m. in Stavros 214 he will lead a writing workshop for anyone interested in writing fiction. Degollado will also make classroom visits at OBU and an area high school.

Rubén Degollado's young adult novel Throw was published in 2019 and won the Texas Institute of Letters 2020 Award for Best Young Adult Book, was included on the Texas Library Association 2020 TAYSHAS list of best books for teen readers, and was a Christianity Today 2020 Book of Merit. Degollado’s debut literary novel, The Family Izquierdo, published in 2022 by W.W. Norton, was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award and is a Texas Institute of Letters Best Fiction Award finalist, a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2022.

Support the Visiting Writer Seminars

Funds are being raised through the Advancement office to bring excellent writers to OBU's campus.