Renowned Visual and Literary Artist Teju Cole to Give Public Talk and Book Signing in Conjunction with Moorman Professorship Program

Thu, 11/21/2024 - 09:03am | By: Dr. David Tisdale

Teju Cole, an internationally acclaimed novelist, essayist and photographer, will give a public talk at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the Gonzales Auditorium (Liberal Arts Building, room 108) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Hattiesburg campus. Cole’s talk will be followed by an audience Q&A session and book signing.

The event, presented in conjunction with the Charles W. Moorman Distinguished Professorship–named for the late Dr. Charles Moorman, USM English professor and vice president for academic affairs–is free and open to the public.

Dr. Monika Gehlawat, School of Humanities associate director and English professor–who currently holds the distinguished professorship–says Cole is an “extraordinarily talented and generous artist who I have admired for years.”

“I teach his novels and essays in my undergraduate and graduate classes and have written extensively on his work,” said Gehlawat. “As a writer and photographer, he inspires my own interdisciplinary scholarship and study of the relationship between language and images, and his perspectives on art, creativity, politics, and culture are at once sophisticated and meaningfully accessible. He is excited to meet our students and community members, and I believe his visit will be inspiring.”

Cole is currently the Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing at Harvard University and a contributing writer to the New York Times (photography critic from 2015-19). His photography has been featured in exhibits worldwide; his most recent novel Tremor (2023) was named a book of the year by Time magazine, the Washington Post, New York magazine, the Times (UK), and the Financial Times, among others. He has contributed to the New York Times, the New Yorker, Granta, Brick, and many other magazines. His New York Times photography column, “On Photography,” was a finalist for a National Magazine Award.

In addition to Cole’s talk and book signing, he will join Dr. Gehlawat for a Craft Conversation from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Ogletree House on the Hattiesburg campus. This discussion–also free and open to the public–will include time for audience questions.  

“The fact that Dr. Gehlawat can bring an author and artist of Teju Cole’s stature to campus is a testament to her own standing in the field and expertise in how art intersects with literature,” said Dr. Chris Winstead, dean of the USM College of Arts and Sciences. “Cole’s award-winning work spans fiction writing to photography, so this promises to be a fascinating presentation that will honor Dr. Moorman’s legacy here at Southern Miss.”

Support for Cole’s lecture is provided through the generosity of the Moorman family and co-sponsors that include the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, University Forum, Center for Writers, Office of the President, and School of Humanities.