The College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts hosted Sri Lankan-born novelist, essayist and activist Ru Freeman on Sept. 21 at South College. Freeman spoke in conversation with Jim Hicks, a professor of comparative literature.

The event began with a recognition of The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy, the main sponsor of the event. One of the initiative’s goals is to support public panel discussions and presentations, which is what brought Freeman to campus.

Hicks introduced Freeman and her most recent collection of essays, “Bon Courage: Essays on Inheritance, Citizenship, and a Creative Life.” This collection exposes the reader to a range of experiences, from personal anecdotes to global catastrophes. Hicks described her work as a “rich, brilliant, multifaceted collection of essays.”

Freeman began her speech by encouraging students to attend lectures on campus.

“If there is ever a talk on campus, go to it,” Freeman said. “You can enhance your learning from the opportunities that are presented to you by the people brought on campus.”

Hicks noted one of Freeman’s essays that stood out to him, “Circumstances,” which describes the time Freeman’s daughter had a choking incident.

Hicks called the essay “really exceptional,” and said how important it is to tell these stories.

“We have to hold each other accountable at all times, even the people who we care about the most and love,” Hickes said. “Especially those people.”

Freeman added that her love for writing is not based on accolades or rewards. “In America, writers are afraid of writing about certain things, because we are naturally concerned with prizes and awards, and who is not going to invite us and who is going to invite us,” she said.

One audience member noted Freeman’s ability to show empathy towards the experiences of people who are different from her.

Freeman said that her books are not aimed to be just her perspective because in writing books, “nothing is compelling when you have your own opinion about things.”

Hicks ended the discussion by reiterating the importance of Freeman’s writing and posed the question, “What’s the use of all this power and wealth if you can’t be good?”

“Everybody has got something for how they articulate their relativity to the world,” Freeman said. “Writing is what I do about everything.”

Ambika Joshi can be reached at [email protected]

Abby Joyce can be reached at [email protected]