Acclaimed author and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil to deliver Carleton convocation

Award-winning author and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil will give the convocation address at Carleton College on Friday, Sept. 30 in Skinner Memorial Chapel from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m.

Nezhukumatathil is the author of four books of poetry: “Miracle Fruit” (2003), winner of ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award; “At the Drive-In Volcano” (2007), winner of the Balcones Prize; “Lucky Fish” (2011), gold medalist in the Independent Publisher Book Award poetry category; and most recently “Oceanic” (2018), winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award in poetry. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, PBS NewsHour Art Beat, American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The Southern Review, Tin House and more. 

Nezhukumatathil’s first nonfiction book, “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments,” is an illustrated collection of nature essays in the setting of her unusual childhood—growing up in rural America on the grounds of mental institutions—framed in reflections about the natural world. It was named Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year in 2020. 

Nezhukumatathil received her B.A. and M.F.A. from Ohio State University, and is a full professor of English at the University of Mississippi, where she teaches environmental literature and poetry in the M.F.A. program. 

Before convocation, from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in the Chapel, Nezhukmatathil will also host a book signing event for her books “World of Wonders,” “Lace & Pyrite,” “Oceanic” and “At the Drive-In Volcano.”

Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. Find upcoming events and archived recordings on the Convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5461.