Dr. Carl Calendar Visiting Writers Series

Spring 2025 Dr. Carl Calendar Visiting Writers Series

All readings are free and open to the public; refreshments will be offered. No reservations/tickets are needed.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

NY Times Bestselling Author
Tuesday, February at 7:00 p.m.
Lincroft, Student Life Center, Navesink III

NY Times bestselling author Aimee Nezhukumatathil will share and discuss her work Bite by Bite.

In Bite by Bite, Nezhukumatathil investigates how food marks our experiences and identities; the boundaries between heritage and memory; and the ethics and environmental pressures around gathering and consuming food.

Born to a Filipino mother and Malayali Indian father, Aimee Nezhukumatathil (neh-ZOO / koo-mah / tah-TILL) is the author of four books of poetry and two collections of essays: World of Wonders, a Barnes and Nobles 2022 Book of the Year, and Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees, a Barnes and Noble Best Book of 2024. These vivid and relatable essays “explore the way food and drink evokes our associations and remembrances.”

Fun fact: Aimee was the first female football mascot of Beaver Creek High School in Ohio

Author website: https://aimeenez.net/bio Blue Flower Arts: https://blueflowerarts.com/artist/aimee-nezhukumatathil/

“A lively and delicious read. . . [Nezhukumatathil’s] book is an invitation to ask what nourishes us.” — Seattle Times

25-page book preview of Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees

Join us for an evening with filmmaker Bill Muensch who will screen and discuss his new film The Artist & The Astronaut.
“A civil rights activist and an astronaut fall in love during the pinnacle of American exploration and social change.”

Wed., March 12th, 7pm, Student Life Center, Navesink III

Bill Muensch’s first film, Seabright Rising, focused on Sea Bright’s recovery following Hurricane Sandy and featured Brookdale’s own Professor Dina Long.

All readings are free, open to the public; refreshments will be offered. No reservations/tickets needed.

About the film: The Artist and The Astronaut is the story of two people on seemingly divergent life paths who were affected and profoundly changed by the sociopolitical events and trends of the 1960s and 1970s. Highlighted by the simultaneous struggle for peace and equal rights with the greatest human challenge of all time – to reach for the stars – this film offers a surprising, inspiring and deeply touching narrative of true Americana seen through the life intersections of Apollo/Skylab astronaut Gerald P. “Jerry” Carr and renowned artist Pat Musick.
Jerry Carr grew up in Santa Ana, California, attending Santa Ana High School and University of Southern California, before becoming a Naval aviator as a Marine Corps fighter pilot. While he was stationed at El Toro Marine Air Station, in 1966, he got the call from NASA to join the astronaut corps.
Commentary from some of the great space and social pioneers of the time lends a historical richness and sense of what was at stake during this pivotal time in American history. It is not the typical documentary or space hero flick that you have seen before. In fact, the most common feedback heard is “I have never seen anything like this before.”
Carr’s son Jeff calls it ‘a story about America at a time that we were struggling with who, as a nation, we were going to be. The message is that character and compassion can overcome a lot. And maybe that’s a message that applies to where we are as a nation today.’”

Film’s website with trailer, link to viewing, “Behind the Scenes,” podcasts, and more:
https://www.theartistandtheastronaut.com/

For more information on the Dr. Carl Calendar Visiting Writers Series, please contact Professor Suzanne Parker, Director of the Creative Writing Program, at sparker@brookdalecc.edu.

Readings are co-sponsored by Student Life & Activities, The Wellness Center and The Center for Transformative Learning.