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Panelists: Elizabeth Hay, Lisa See, Luis Urrea, Juan Villoro
Moderator: C.M. Mayo

To celebrate and take advantage of the unique coming together of several cultures at this Conference, we present a Co-Cultural Panel discussing about the timeliest of all topics: Global Migration.

When they come from across an ocean, the desert or the tundra, from one language and/or religion to another, from the farm to the megacity, or just mosey on over from the next county, people bring their stories. At the same time, novelists, essayists, and poets are moved to tell many of these same stories—and new stories that depart from, question, challenge, reshape and even radically reinterpret original narratives.

Why are these stories so vital, and what is it that elevates a story to the level of “literary?” What are the challenges for writers who may be far removed from their culture in respecting their subjects, their creative process, and, ultimately, their readers? And how is literature itself changing with such infusions?

Five authors—who between them write about everywhere from Yucatan to the US-Mexico Border and from China to Cuba to Quebec— explore these issues.