Poetry reading, storytelling, writing workshops, spoken word performances, and panel discussions will be featured at a day-long literary festival at Saddleback College on Friday, October 18, 2024. Open to the public, WORD FEST OC will encompass multicultural literary works and promote creative writing as a form of individual and communal expression. Featured presenters include Gustavo Arellano, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, award-winning journalist, and author who formerly penned ¡Ask a Mexican!, a nationally syndicated column; and Richard Bausch, a nationally honored novelist, master of the short story, and professor of creative writing at Chapman University. The keynote event, ORIGIN STORIES: Indigenous & Immigrant Voices of Orange County, features two poets (Gustavo Hernandez and the Rev. Adelia Sandoval) and two novelists (Lan Cao and Namrata Poddar) exploring how history and geography shape cultural identities. Writing workshops will be presented by Sarah Rafael Garcia, a nonfiction author, multimedia artist, and educator; and Marcus Omari, a poet and spoken word performer who has taught creative writing classes at school districts throughout Southern California.