Ben Hiles, Staff Writer

From the humble beginnings of a 1967 literary conference discussing the work of William Faulkner, the Notre Dame Literary Festival (NDLF), presented through the Student Union Board (SUB) has taken on the true meaning of a festival over the years. As a celebration of literary works, NDLF works to incorporate different aspects of the literary spirit each year by bringing in authors from all genres and pairing them with other fun events for students.

In recent years, however, NDLF has become somewhat of a forgotten event. When asked, most students were oblivious to its existence. This is not taking anything away from previous festivals in terms of quality or effort, just that its status as a premier event on campus has diminished with time. With this in mind, the main goal of the 2013 festival was to increase awareness. Everything started with attracting a “big name” author to campus–this year Alice Sebold fit the mold. After securing Sebold, the next step was to create appealing events both before and after the reading.

The festival had three events take place during the week of January 21. The first was a panel on literature in the real world, discussing the popularity of contemporary versus canonical texts among other things.  It was a small affair, yet the depth and breadth of issues presented by both students and professors made for a thought-provoking discussion.

Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, read one of her private works in the coffeehouse setting of the LaFortune Ballroom for NDLF’s main event. She delivered an engaging reading that drew around 50 students and was followed by a book signing.

The closing event, in partnership with the Humor Artists, was an improvisation, based on the Harry Potter series, entitled “HArry Potter Goes to HAgwarts.”  Approximately 300 people attended the event.

Overall, the 2013 Notre Dame Literary Festival attracted students than previous years, working towards the objectives of increasing both attendance and awareness. SUB hopes to continue this success at next year’s festival.

Ben Hiles is a business and French major who thinks running is fun.  Email him at bhiles@nd.edu to discuss nature’s godsend: Rice Krispies.