We get a chance to sit with an incredibly gifted, lauded professor and author who is making an appearance in Northampton. Jesmyn Ward is a professor at Tulane University, a MacArthur Grant recipient, winner of the Library of Congress award for fiction, the only Black person or woman to win the National Book Award twice. All these accolades are derived from just her 4 novels and 3 works of non-fiction.
Although her body of work clearly meant she was a perfect fit for her upcoming sold-out lecture at Smith College on “Hauntings,” it has also been a network of constellations illuminating experiences across the Black diaspora, and especially those in the south. We get a chance to speak with the author about the balance of writing fiction, essays, non-fiction, the love and importance of reading aloud, connections of family, spirit and perseverance, using all one's senses in one's sentences, martial arts movies and lots lots more.
Plus, Mr. Universe, founder of Kainaat Studios, board member of Amherst Cinemas, Salman Hameed, wears both of his hats as he talks about Andrew Weir's latest adaptation to hit cinemas nationwide.We explore the spectacle and science found onscreen in “Project Hail Mary.”
