EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Novelist and alumna Bethany Ball will serve as the Dennis M. Beagen keynote speaker for the 42nd Undergraduate Symposium on Friday, March 25, at Eastern Michigan University. Ball will welcome event attendees with a keynote message at 8:45 a.m. in the Student Center auditorium.

“We are thrilled to have Bethany Ball return to Eastern as our 42nd Undergraduate Research Symposium keynote speaker,” said Dana Heller, dean of EMU’s College of Arts and Sciences. “A critically-acclaimed novelist and gifted storyteller, Ball’s own inspiring success story are ‘True EMU.’ Her creativity, ingenuity, and determination exemplify the vibrant spirit of the Symposium.”

Ball, a native of Detroit, has been published in The Common, BOMB, New York Magazine, The American Literary Review, the Detroit Metro Times, Electrical Literature, ZYZZYVA, and Literary Hub. 

Her novel What To Do About the Solomons was published in 2017 by Grove Atlantic. It was shortlisted for the 2017 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and runner-up in the Jewish Book Council’s debut fiction prize. Her second novel, The Pessimists, published in October of 2021, was named among the 20 books to read by the New York Times. 

Ball holds an undergraduate degree from Eastern and a master of fine arts from Sarah Lawrence College. During her time at EMU, she served as a communications coordinator for the Women’s Center and worked in various departments, including women’s studies, geology, and Student Affairs. Additionally, Ball was an Undergraduate Symposium participant in 1996 in the department of History and Philosophy. She was also an intern at the University of Michigan Press. 

While at Eastern, Ball won the Detroit Metro Times Summer Fiction award. One of her favorite memories from her time at Eastern was publishing the Women’s Center newsletter and attending a leadership summit in Arizona. She enjoyed watching bands pass through at Crossroads, which is sadly closed, and the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor.

On the day of the Symposium, there will be additional opportunities to interact with Ball, including conversations with some of her home departments.

For more information about the Symposium, visit: emich.edu/symposium 

For more information about Bethany’s work, visit: https://bethanyaball.com

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral, and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences, and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors, and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.