Although some three thousand years have passed, Homer’s epic tale of adventure is still a cracking good read. After the Trojan War, the Greek warrior Odysseus sets off on a perilous journey home that ends up lasting ten years. Meanwhile, his son Telemachos comes of age and his wife Penelope uses her wiles to fend off a crowd of suitors determined to take Odysseus’s place.

Homerathon 2020 is organized by the University of Iowa Department of Classics and Eta Sigma Phi, the undergraduate honors society for classics students. Under normal situations, it is read aloud in person in a public spot on UI's campus. Readers sign up to participate in a continuous reading of Homer’s texts. Last year, we read all of the Iliad and half of the Odyssey over the course of 23 straight hours. This year, we're reading just the Odyssey (in English translation, of course!). Participants will record themselves reading an assigned selection from the Odyssey and upload a video. The individual readings will then be compiled and available to the public on our Department of Classics YouTube channel at 10:00 am on April 30th.

For more information and to sign up, visit our Homerathon page.