Normandale Community College’s 7th Annual Writing Festival was organized by the Writing Center Action Committee, chaired by Writing Center Director Kris Bigalk. 30 education sessions and 2 keynote speakers filled the day available to students and the public. Dr. Nina Smart (keynote 1) is a human rights activity, sociologist, and author who educates people about female genital mutilation (FGM) and works to eradicate the practice in Sierra Leone. Reginald Dwayne Betts (keynote 2), critically acclaimed writer and student at the Yale Law school, used his 9-year prison sentence at age 16 to turn himself into a poet, scholar, and advocate for the reform of the criminal justice system. These are only a few of the many presenters at the Festival.