Jesmyn Ward is a two-time National Book Award-winning author known for her powerful novels exploring race, family, and resilience in the American South. Hailed as “the new Toni Morrison,” her acclaimed works include Salvage the Bones and Sing, Unburied, Sing. Don’t miss the chance to hear from one of today’s most influential voices in contemporary literature at the 2026 Sigma Tau Delta Convention.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of the New York Times best-selling book of illustrated nature essays, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, & Other Astonishments (2020, Milkweed Editions), finalist for the Kirkus Prize in nonfiction and named Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year. She has four previous poetry collections: Oceanic (Copper Canyon Press, 2018), winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award; Lucky Fish (2011) winner of the gold medal for the Independent Publisher Book Awards; At the Drive-In Volcano (2007), winner of the Balcones Prize; and Miracle Fruit (2003), winner of the Tupelo Press Prize, ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award, the Global Filipino Award and a finalist for The Glasgow Prize and the Asian American Literary Award.