Writers (Audio)

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including The Nightingale. Her 2024 novel, The Women, is a historical fiction about female nurses in the Vietnam War. Hannah wrote it during the Covid pandemic lockdown, seeing similarities to the nation's political division of the Vietnam era. A theme of Hannah's writing is the marginalization of women and the power of female friendship. In front of a packed house, Hannah joins host Dean Nelson for a lively conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41658]

New York Times bestselling author George Saunders is an American writer who won the Booker Prize for his novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders is known for his sharp wit, moral insight, and inventive storytelling. A longtime contributor to The New Yorker and a creative writing professor at Syracuse University, Saunders is admired for exploring kindness, consumerism, and the human condition with humor and humanity. Saunders joins host Dean Nelson for a lively conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41205]

Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American writer known for her vivid, poetic prose and exploration of themes like colonialism, family, identity, and the legacy of the Caribbean. Her deeply personal and reflective style has made her one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature. Born Elaine Potter Richardson on May 25, 1949, in St. John’s, Antigua, she moved to the United States as a teenager and began her career writing for The New Yorker. Her acclaimed works include Annie John, Lucy, A Small Place, and The Autobiography of My Mother. Kincaid joins host Dean Nelson for a lively and funny conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 41204]

Widely regarded as one of the most respected figures in American broadcast journalism, Judy Woodruff is known for her decades-long career covering politics and current events. She is also the author of the book, This Is Judy Woodruff at the White House. Renowned for her calm, balanced reporting and commitment to journalistic integrity, Woodruff has covered every U.S. presidential election since 1976. A former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, she now travels the country reporting for America at a Crossroads. Woodruff joins host Dean Nelson for a engaging conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 41203]

Writer R.F. Kuang has quickly become one of today’s most daring and original voices in fiction, blending sharp social critique with rich storytelling. Her most recent novel, Katabasis, takes readers on a darkly witty descent into the underworld, where academia, ambition, and myth collide. Known for tackling power, politics, and the human cost of ambition, Kuang first captivated audiences with The Poppy War and later with the wildly successful Babel, both of which showcased her ability to fuse historical depth with page-turning drama. As part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Kuang joins host Dean Nelson for a delightful conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40781]

How do you find hope in a deeply fractured and polarized world? In this timely and powerful conversation, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nicholas Kristof pulls from decades of reporting from global conflict zones and overlooked American communities to bring a deeply human perspective to today’s most urgent moral and civic challenges. In an era marked by division and misinformation, this program explores how truth, empathy and ethical courage can shape a more just and compassionate world. This program is presented by the Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society, and moderated by The World's Marco Werman and UC San Diego Theater professor Allan Havis. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 40914]

Author Joseph Wambaugh's success came from writing about what he knew - police work. He spent 14 years with the Los Angeles Police Department first as a street cop then as a detective. He wrote his first novel, “The New Centurions,” in 1971 while on the job. Wambaugh died on Feb. 28, 2025. It was the same day that the Writer's Symposium by the Sea was celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Host Dean Nelson pays tribute to his friend Joe Wambaugh and reflects on his appearance on the Writer's Symposium in 1997. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40659]

Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation, proving her “fearless and toughly lyrical” voice in novels, memoir, and nonfiction. She's been called “the new Toni Morrison.” Ward is a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and in 2017, she became the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for Fiction—joining the ranks of William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, John Cheever, Philip Roth, and John Updike. Her books include "Let Us Descend," "Sing, Unburied, Sing," "Salvage the Bones," and "Navigate Your Stars." The professor of creative writing at Tulane University joins host Dean Nelson for this evocative conversation as part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40217]

Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American short-story writer and poet regarded as a key figure in Chicano literature. She is best known for her first novel, "The House on Mango Street," and her subsequent short story collection, "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories." Her work experiments with literary forms that investigate emerging subject positions, which Cisneros herself attributes to growing up in a context of cultural hybridity and economic inequality that endowed her with unique stories to tell. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, the USA Literary Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, As part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Cisneros joins host Dean Nelson for this passionate conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40218]

Author, screenwriter, philanthropist, journalist and broadcaster Mitch Albom is an inspiration around the world. He is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than 40 million copies in 48 languages worldwide. He has written eight number-one New York Times bestsellers — including "Tuesdays with Morrie," the bestselling memoir of all time. As part of the 30th anniversary of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Albom joins host Dean Nelson for this far-reaching conversation at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40219]