Around NMU

“Letters Jim Harrison May Never Read.” “Walt Whitman and His Lake Superior Baptism.” “John Lennon at the Old Marquette Inn.” “Chagall Taught Me How to Drive.” These are some of the titles featured in Northern Michigan University English Professor Russell Thorburn's latest collection of poetry, "And the Heart Will Not Quicken." The book is populated by imaginative scenarios featuring pop culture, artistic and literary legends who move freely across various decades and countries.

Three Northern Michigan University students have been selected to participate in the third cohort of NMU's Rural Leadership Fellowship Program, a public-private partnership with InvestUP that promotes immersive, project-based learning while also supporting U.P. economic and community development projects. The fellows and their project partners are: Anna Tousley, City of Marquette Climate Adaptation Plan; Kaysie Bakke, Forsyth Forward; and Thomas Rousch, Headwaters North SmartZone in Sault Ste. Marie.

The newly renovated Olson Library in Harden Hall opened today, and guided tours are being offered all week to introduce the campus community to the new space and services. The facility has a brighter aesthetic and appears more roomy, with plenty of soft seating and study areas.

Northern Michigan University's CO/LAB Dance Company will present a concert anchored by the premiere of “Love is a Burning Thing: A choreography tribute to Johnny Cash.” CO/LAB artistic director and assistant professor Karina Johnson choreographed the contemporary ballet piece, which uses several familiar Cash songs to showcase how people experience relationships in their lives. 

Northern Michigan University alumna Maryka Biaggio recently published her new book, “Gun Girl and the Tall Guy,” a historical novel about the 1924 crime spree of Celia and Ed Cooney in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Northern Michigan University will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 19, with three activities: a luncheon with keynote speaker Charlita Anderson White, a 1983 NMU alumna and retired magistrate of the Lorain County Domestic and Juvenile Court in Ohio; an early-access, curated tour of “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate”—the first national art exhibition hosted by NMU's Devos Art Museum; and hands-on service projects.

Northern Michigan University Assistant Professor Jelili Adebiyi from Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, along with two student researchers, recently shared their work with peers from across the region at the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability Conference in Illinois. 

Northern Michigan University recently held a dedication ceremony for a new permanent display of flags in the Superior Dome representing each of the five Upper Peninsula tribal nations: the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; and the Keweenaw Bay, Hannahville and Bay Mills Indian Communities.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health has announced the winners of its annual essay competition for U.P. high school seniors to celebrate National Rural Health Day. This year's contest was sponsored by the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan and the Michigan Center for Rural Health. The top three prizes in each U.P. region—east, central and west—were $500, $250 and $100.