New York Times Bestselling Author Bonnie Garmus Visits Salem College

Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry, recently visited the Salem Academy and College campus for an evening of conversation about creativity, the arts, and the enduring value of a liberal arts education. Lessons in Chemistry follows a brilliant woman chemist in the 1960s fighting for recognition in the male-dominated world of science; it spent 99 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into an Apple TV miniseries starring Brie Larson.

Salem College hosted the event in collaboration with Bookmarks, a Winston-Salem nonprofit organization and bookstore whose mission is “to build an inclusive, curious, and connected community through books.” Garmus joined local author and former podcast host Charlie Lovett to discuss her newest novel, Peck & Peck.

Garmus spoke about her motivation for writing Peck & Peck, which she said stemmed from concerns about artificial intelligence and the threat technology poses to human creativity. “What I really wanted to focus on in this book is this idea of the arts themselves and their lasting value,” she explained. She also expressed her affection for college students and emphasized the importance of the humanities and a liberal arts education to civilization as a whole.

Her message resonated with Salem’s faculty and students. For 254 years, Salem has educated women to think critically, communicate effectively, and lead with purpose, grounded in the conviction that the arts and sciences belong together. Like Elizabeth Zott, the determined chemist at the heart of Lessons in Chemistry, Salem College students are prepared to bring both rigor and imagination to the challenges ahead.