One Book, One U Keynote event with Author Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Join us to hear Aimee Nezhukumatathil discuss her book, “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments,” the 2026-2027 One Book, One U selection for the University of Miami.
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance.
Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, this New York Times bestseller is a book of sustenance and joy.
Following the discussion there will be a Q&A with the audience, and the author will be available to sign copies of the book at the conclusion of the event.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of “World of Wonders,” an illustrated essay collection, as well as of four books of poetry, including, most recently, “Oceanic,” winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award. Other awards for her writing include fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Mississippi Arts Council, and MacDowell.

Her writing appears in Poetry, the New York Times Magazine, ESPN, and Tin House. She serves as poetry faculty for the Writing Workshops in Greece and is professor of English and creative writing in the University of Mississippi’s M.F.A. program. »

See the full schedule of events related to this year's book selection at