Do you enjoy reading, writing and interacting with others who share the same passion? You’ll soon have that chance, with Our Lady of the Lake University’s annual literary festival coming up.

The literary festival takes place March 31-April 6, 2008. This year it is titled “Just Words/Palabras de Justicia,” and it features a diverse lineup of authors. The headliner of the festival is fiction writer Ernest Gaines, author of the novels “A Lesson Before Dying” and “A Gathering of Old Men.”

Other guests include Rolando Hinojosa Smith, a professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin; Wendy Barker, poet in residence at UTSA; and Sandra Cisneros to name a few.

Nan Cuba, assistant professor of English and the festival coordinator, said, “We chose the theme of social justice with the hope that the festival will address the ways that art intersects with issues surrounding social justice. Since all art is inherently political, writers are ethically bound to be conscious of that aspect and manage its incorporation with sensitivity and grace.”

The literary festival began as an extension of the poetry festival that a previous OLLU professor had established. Cuba sees the literary festival continuing to grow and would like to see more of the campus involved, specifically campus departments and organizations.

“My goal is to have more of the campus involved,” Cuba said.

This year one of the main guests of the festival will be Ernest Gaines who is expected to draw big audiences.

Gaines’ 1993 novel “A Lesson Before Dying” won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Some of his other works include “Mozart and Leadbelly: Stories and Essays;” “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman;” and “A Gathering of Old Men.” His works have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Russian and Chinese.

Gaines will participate through two-way live remote feed. Audience members will hear him read and will be able to interact with Gaines with the assistance of the university’s technology staff.

Cuba said the festival is a group effort and she doesn’t take all the credit. There are many university departments and organizations that put their two cents into it.

“I’m simply the coordinator,” Cuba said.