University of Mississippi professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil been selected as a 2025 United States Artists fellow and as a recipient of the Pepe Marcos-Iga Award for Innovation in Environmental Education. Photo by Mary Russell
Faculty member receives recognition for work in literature, environmental education
Two national organizations have recognized University of Mississippi professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil for her work in poetry, writing and environmental education.
Nezhukumatathil, professor of English and creative writing, was recently selected as a 2025 United States Artists fellow and as a recipient of the Pepe Marcos-Iga Award for Innovation in Environmental Education. The awards recognize Nezhukumatathil’s work as a poet and environmental educator.
“As a professor and a mother of two teen boys, I’m constantly searching for ways to connect and nurture future generations with a deep appreciation and awe of nature and its importance in giving children a robust sense of place and belonging,” Nezhukumatathil said.
“Environmentalist Rachel Carson’s reminder that ‘the more clearly we focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction’ seems needed now more than ever to encourage a new sense of gentleness towards our planet and towards each other.
“That quote from Carson goes on top of every syllabus I use with my nature writing classes.”
The U.S. Artists fellowship honors 50 artists from a variety of disciplines. Each fellow receives $50,000 and access to resources that contribute to their art.
The Pepe Marcos-Iga Award for Innovation in Environmental Education is one of nine awards granted by the North American Association for Environmental Education. This award recognizes educators who bring innovative approaches to environmental education, an area in which Nezhukumatathil has been active throughout her career.
Nezhukumatathil said the awards will allow her to work on her next book, which will be a hybrid collection of poems and prose, and continue her work in environmental education.
The celebrated poet and essayist joined Ole Miss in 2016, first as a Grisham Writer-in-Residence.
Her 2020 collection of essays, “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments,” (Milkweed Editions) was on The New York Times bestseller list for seven weeks and was named book of the year by National Public Radio, Barnes and Noble, Esquire, Literary Hub and the New York Public Library.
Her most recent publication, “Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees” (Ecco, 2024), is a collection of essays that explore how food and drink shape human identity, call up memories and connect people to culture and place. Food and Wine named it one of the best food books of 2024, and it was a bestseller among independent bookstores.
The human connection to nature and place has always influenced her writing and her work in the classroom, Nezhukumatathil said.
“For me, they have always been intertwined,” she said. “My first book came out over 20 years ago, and this fascination and love of the environment and various landscapes has been a north star for everything I write, and I don’t expect that changing any time soon.”
By Clara Turnage
