Writer's Symposium By The Sea

Jeanette Walls joined us in 2014 to discuss her memoir "The Glass Castle." Photo by @garrettrichardson

Pico Iyer and Dean Nelson backstage before their interview (2020). Photo by @garrettrichardson

Joyce Carol Oates signs books for students after her evening interview in 2015. @joycecaroloates3146

Dick Enberg shows off his PLNU swag (with Dean Nelson) after his afternoon workshop with students as part of the 2016 symposium. @plnu @padres

Joel P. West, Katie Leigh, and Brian Bangerter discussed their songwriting process with Karl Martin and shared original music as part of the 2013 Writer's Symposium. @plnualumni @katieleighlapolla

Symposium founder, Dean Nelson, interviewed Rob Bell about his newest book in a recent online event hosted by Warwick's. Bell was also a guest at the Writer's Symposium in 2010. To see that interview, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5JYBcchNAU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lxRqZped14

Rob Bell has a new book out, and he and Dean Nelson will be talking about it on Zoom as part of a Warwick's Books event Monday evening at 6 pm. Join us! The book is Everything is Spiritual: Wo We Are and What We're Doing Here. Rob was part of our Writer's Symposium years ago, and he is ALWAYS interesting. Hope to see you there!... Dean Nelson See more

Did you know that the Writer's Symposium interviews are recorded and available for streaming? Here's an excerpt from the 2016 symposium interview with Nikki Giovanni. For a complete list of interviews, visit https://www.ucsd.tv/writers/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf4fKC8CMkE&feature=emb_logo

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Festival of Books is online this year. Check out this link for more information! https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdfestivalofbooks

PLNU student Makayla Renner shares what she learned from Alice Walker this past February at the Writer's Symposium when the literary legend came to teach and talk with PLNU and the community. https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/lessons-i-learned-from-ali/

We just sent out an email update to our mailing list with some information about our 2021 Writer's Symposium. Sign up on our mailing list if you want to stay updated on upcoming events. The great news is that we are still planning to have Cornel West, David Brooks, and Nadia Bolz-Weber with us, but it will just have to wait until 2022. We hope you'll wait with us! https://us16.campaign-archive.com/

Lysley Tenorio joined us for the Writer's Symposium several years ago. Check out this free event today hosted by one of our favorite local bookstores, Warwick's.

Author, commentator and Georgetown University sociologist shares his candid and complex views of Obama, racial amnesia, the poetry of hip hop, Bill Cosby, and Oprah Winfrey. He also describes his own life of growing up poor in Detroit in this riveting interview with journalist Dean Nelson, host of the 2010 Writer's Symposium by the Sea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXITjn0Ngo

The San Diego Writers Festival is online this year and includes an interview with Dean Nelson tomorrow. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com//column-the-san-diego

This short video captures moments from the evening interview with Alice Walker on February 27, 2020.

I was saddened to read about the death of the author Carlos Ruiz Zafon this week in Barcelona . He and I had a chance to discuss a wide range of things when he ...was in San Diego for the One Book One San Diego event at the downtown Public Library in 2015. His book Shadow in the Wind is an absolutely beautiful and captivating novel -- especially if you love books. Here is my interview with him from five years ago. See more

Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning novelist. Born in the United States to two Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is an Africanfuturist, known for weaving African culture into creative evocative settings and memorable characters. In a profile of Nnedi’s work titled, Weapons of Mass Creation, The New York Times called Nnedi’s imagination stunning. Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin and HBO are currently developing a show based on her World Fantasy Award Winning novel, Who Fears Death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nanoQWr9o7o&feature=emb_logo

Alice Walker joined us in February 2020 to discuss her writing, activism, and inspiration. Click on the link to watch the complete interview.

Love, as you know, is the foundation of change and transformation. -Alice Walker, Feb. 27, 2020, Writing That Liberates