Peterson Fellowship for Associate Professor Nikki Hessell
Both a learned society and a major independent research library, the American Antiquarian Society houses the largest and most accessible collection of printed material, digital resources and reference works related to all aspects of American history and culture before the twentieth century.
Nikki’s project is about the use of poetry in Indigenous diplomacy and she will be working with the extensive collection of books and newspapers written by Native Americans during her month-long fellowship at the society.
It will be Nikki’s second visit to the society—in 2013 she attended a week-long seminar on Indigenous Cultures of Print through an FHSS Teaching and Learning grant on incorporating Indigenous texts into teaching.
Nikki plans to carry out her fellowship in late December of this year. “Even though I have to trade a New Zealand summer for a Massachusetts winter, I’m very excited to be going back to the wonderful collections at the American Antiquarian Society, and grateful to the Peterson Fellowship for making that work possible.”