Mathews' ​debut novel, "All This Could Be Different," was a finalist for the 2022 National Book Award in Fiction

  • Sarah Thankam Mathews (above) will be featured during a FREE event on Mon., April 22, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus.

  • Now in its 21st year, the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts hosts a variety of prominent authors throughout the academic year.

  • All DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts events are free and open to the public.​

The DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts is pleased to welcome Sarah Thankam Mathews​ as its final featured author of the Spring 2024 semester. Mathews will read from her work, participate in a Q&A with audience members and sign free copies of her books (while supplies last!) at 11:15 a.m. on Mon., April 22, in Bldg. 2, Room 25B, at the DMACC Ankeny Campus (note: this event was previously scheduled to take place on Thur., April 18, and was rescheduled for Mon., April 22 | view a campus map here).

The hour-long event is FREE to attend and open to the public, as are all DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts events held throughout the year. The Celebration, now in its 21st year, spotlights a variety of local, regional and nationally known authors during the fall and spring semesters at DMACC, which is one of the largest undergraduate institutions in Iowa.

About the author: Sarah Thankam Mathews

Sarah Thankam Mathews, an Indian-American author, novelist and organizer, published her debut novel, "All This Could Be Different," to critical acclaim in 2022. The novel was shortlisted for the Discover Prize, the Aspen Words Literary Prize and the 2022 National Book Award in Fiction; was a New York Times Editor's Choice; and was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Vogue, Vulture, the Los Angeles Times, TIME, Slate and Buzzfeed. Mathews' work has also been anthologized in Best American Short Stories.

In March of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mathews founded the mutual aid network, Bed-Stuy Strong, which raised and redistributed $1.2 million dollars in grassroots donations and supported 28,000+ fellow New Yorkers with groceries and other survival necessities. The organization has mounted other civic initiatives such as vaccine access, abolitionist support for the incarcerated, immigration, and the climate. 

Mathews grew up between Oman and India, immigrating to the United States at age 17. She currently lives in Brooklyn. 

Select writings by Sarah Thankam Mathews:

For more information about the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, visit cla.dmacc.edu or contact Marc Dickinson, DMACC English Professor and Coordinator of the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, at (515) 964-6221 or madickinson@dmacc.edu.