The 30th Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea takes place this week at San Diego's Point Loma Nazarene University. Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward will be appearing at the event this year, along with writers Sandra Cisneros and Mitch Albom.

Ward is one of the most celebrated writers in American fiction today. Two of her novels, “Sing, Unburied, Sing” and “Salvage the Bones,” have won the prestigious National Book Award.

On Midday Edition Tuesday, she shares how she found a passion for literature, and how her upbringing in Mississippi has shaped her work.

Guest:

• Jesmyn Ward, author