The New York Times best-selling author Shilpi Somaya Gowda will present this year's Eve Marie Carson Lecture. Gowda gained international acclaim with her debut novel, Secret Daughter, a poignant tale that traverses the contrasting worlds of India and North America. The novel delves into the complexities of adoption and identity and was inspired by a summer she spent in college volunteering for an Indian orphanage. The success of Secret Daughter catapulted Gowda into the literary spotlight, and she continued to captivate readers with her subsequent novels, The Golden Son and The Shape of Family. More than two million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, and they have been translated into more than 30 languages. Her novels have been selected as book-club picks for Target, Amnesty International, Costco and more. Gowda was awarded the Prix des Lycéens folio, a prestigious French literary prize, for The Golden Son. Her next novel, A Great Country, is being released on March 26, 2024, and is available for pre-order now. Her first novel is currently in production with Amazon Studios to be a feature film, starring Priyanka Chopra and Sienna Miller.

About the Eve Marie Carson Lecture

The Eve Marie Carson Lecture is presented by the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council in partnership with the Will Froelich Fellows.

Former student body president Eve Carson started the Distinguished Speakers Series of Student Government in 2007 to be a student run and student selected lecture series.  Eve strongly believed in Carolina students, saying, “it’s us — the student body — who make UNC what it is.” She felt that speakers strengthen the values of the student body and equip the students of our university to better serve their communities and the world.

The Distinguished Speakers Series was renamed the Eve Marie Carson Lecture Series in honor of Carson’s legacy. The values set forth for speakers in the series are those to which we, members of the Carolina community, aspire: a strong ability to lead ourselves and others, a commitment to public service, and a proven ability to enact real, positive change in a community.

The Eve Marie Carson Lecture Series was established by UNC Student Government, and the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council became its presenting sponsor in 2010.

More about the lecture and past speakers can be found here.

A flyer about this year’s lecture can be found here.