Jesmyn Ward Inspires Hopkins Community During Daylong Visit

On Friday, September 12, Hopkins welcomed acclaimed author Jesmyn Ward to campus as part of the School’s Visiting Writer Series. Ward, a two-time National Book Award winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, spent the day engaging with the Hopkins community. Ward read and spoke at an all-school assembly, led breakout discussions with students and faculty, and concluded with a public evening reading in the Academic and Performing Arts Center.

Ward is the first woman and the first Black American novelist to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice—for Salvage the Bones (2011) and Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017). Praised for her fearless lyricism, Ward’s work explores themes of race, family, grief, and resilience in coastal Mississippi. She is also the author of the memoir Men We Reaped and the nonfiction book Navigate Your Stars.

In preparation for her visit, students in grades 10–12 read Sing, Unburied, Sing as part of their summer reading assignment, while students in grades 7–9 studied Navigate Your Stars in English class. Faculty and staff also joined in by reading her work ahead of the event.

During assembly and in follow-up conversations with students, Ward spoke about her path as both a reader and writer:

“I was a reader before I was a writer. I loved the experience of sinking into another world. Read widely because you never know when a book is going to give you something that you need.”

She credited school with providing the foundation she needed to grow as an artist:

“I needed time and space to develop my craft. That place was school.”

In smaller sessions, Ward discussed her creative process, the influence of poetry on her prose, and the role of writing in confronting grief:

“I’m writing to process grief. It doesn’t heal you. But it can expand your understanding of what you have lived through... what those around you have lived through.”

She also offered encouragement to Hopkins students embarking on their own creative journeys:

“Give yourself grace and room to grow and for your understanding to change and evolve. Hold on to that grace tightly.”

Ward’s visit continues Hopkins’ tradition of welcoming nationally recognized authors, including Patricia Lockwood, Natalie Diaz, Claudia Rankine, and Paul Beatty. English Department Chair Joe Addison noted that Ward’s presence on campus provided a powerful start to the academic year, inspiring students to think deeply about storytelling, empathy, and resilience.

Currently a professor of creative writing at Tulane University, Ward has received numerous honors, including the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. In 2024, The New York Times named Men We Reaped, Salvage the Bones, and Sing, Unburied, Sing among the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

Her evening reading drew parents, alumni, and members of the Greater New Haven community, who joined students in celebrating one of the most influential writers of her generation.