May 15, 2024
K-State to host Nyle DiMarco, author of 2024 common book 'Deaf Utopia'
Nyle DiMarco — a prominent Deaf actor, producer, advocate, model and author of the 2024 K-State common read "Deaf Utopia" — will give a public lecture about his book at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at McCain Auditorium.
The hourlong lecture, which is free to the public, will explore DiMarco's memoir, which is an insight to his life and upbringing as a deaf person and a member of the Deaf community.
"I'm so excited Nyle will be on campus," said Tara Coleman, K-State First Book coordinator and program services coordinator for K-State Libraries. "I truly enjoyed the book and I'm excited to hear the story from his perspective. I think it will be great for our students to have an opportunity to ask him questions about his experience."
As one half of a pair of Deaf twins born to a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York, DiMarco uses his personal and lived experiences to provide readers with a glimpse into the lives of Deaf people and what it means to navigate a world built for hearing people.
Members of the K-State First Book program's selection committee chose "Deaf Utopia" as the 2024 common read for the window it provides into Deaf culture and as an opportunity to spark campus conversations about accessibility, identity and the pursuit of an inclusive society.
"Nyle's visit will be a wonderful opportunity for all across our campus and many in our community to have a shared experience connected to Nyle himself and to his book, 'Deaf Utopia,'" said Mariya Vaughan, assistant director of K-State First. "I'm so looking forward to learning more about Nyle and what our students are taking away from his story."
K-State First Book, the all-university reading program that is part of K-State First, selects a common book each academic year and coordinates classroom and campus activities to correspond with the reading. K-State First Book provides incoming students with a shared academic experience that they can discuss with professors, staff, administrators and other students when they arrive on campus. Participation in the K-State First Book program is voluntary.
More information on tickets will follow later this summer. Additional information on the K-State First Book program — including this year's selection, classroom resources and planned fall programming — will be available at k-state.edu/ksfb.