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Author Margaret Renkl to Speak Oct. 23 at Special WT Event
Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
Author Margaret Renkl to Speak Oct. 23 at Special WT Event
CANYON, Texas — Award-winning author Margaret Renkl will invite audiences to rediscover the wonders of nature during a special event at West Texas A&M University.
“An Evening with Margaret Renkl” will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus. The event is presented by WT’s Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Visit wtamu.edu/Renkl to reserve seats.
Renkl is the author of “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year,” which won the 2024 Southern Book Prize and was Reese’s Book Club’s 100th pick.
Her previous books include “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” (2019), which won the Reed Environmental Writing Award in 2020; and “Graceland, At Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South” (2021), which won both the Southern Book Prize and the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay in 2022.
Since 2017, Renkl has served as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, where her essays appear on the first and third Mondays of the month. The founding editor of Chapter 16, a daily literary publication of Humanities Tennessee, and a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Carolina, she lives in Nashville.
“We are honored to welcome Margaret Renkl to campus,” said Dr. Ashley Campbell, the Dr. Helen Piehl Professor of Education. “As an award-winning Southern writer, her work beautifully explores the connections between family, nature, and seasons of life.
“Her talk will resonate with a wide range of interests—whether you’re a writer, reader, gardener, artist, teacher, or simply someone who cares about wildlife or the outdoors,” Campbell continued. “Margaret will inspire listeners to spend more time enjoying the beauty of the outdoors—whether it’s a few hours in Palo Duro Canyon, a few minutes on a back porch, or just glancing at birds outside a window.”
Burrowing Owl Books in Canyon will host a book signing following the talk. For every preordered book at Burrowing Owl, $2 will be donated to the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Amarillo.
The evening is sponsored by the Schaeffer family, the Piehl family, and Lanna and Bob Hatton.
For information, call 806-651-2906 or email acampbell@wtamu.edu.
Addressing regional challenges and making an impact throughout the region and beyond are key components of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.
About West Texas A&M University
A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
—WT—