Trinity College Associate Professor of English Ethan Rutherford continues to receive accolades for his debut novel, North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther.
The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced recently that Rutherford has been recognized with the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Literature, which honors an exceptional novel published in the preceding year. Last fall, North Sun was named by the National Book Foundation as a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction.
Rutherford is among 18 recipients of the American Academy of Arts and Letters’s 2026 Awards in Literature, which honor both established and emerging writers. The 300 members of Arts and Letters nominate candidates for awards, and a rotating committee of writers selects the winners.
The literature awards will be presented alongside the architecture, art, and music awards at Arts and Letters’s annual Ceremonial in May.
Founded in 1898, the American Academy of Arts and Letters represents the highest standards of artistic achievement in the country. Its community of members are among the nation’s leading contemporary architects, visual artists, writers, and composers. Arts and Letters honors creative accomplishment through the election of members, the conferment of awards, and presenting public exhibitions and interdisciplinary programs at its historic buildings in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.
Read an interview with Rutherford as he discusses his novel here.
The Trinity College Board of Trustees voted recently to award tenure to seven members of the faculty—six of whom also were promoted to associate professor. Additionally, six retiring faculty members were awarded emeriti status.
Susan A. Masino, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Applied Science, will deliver a talk at the Connecticut Science Center on Saturday, April 25, before a screening of the documentary film, Proforestation: Letting Forests Grow Old.
Following a yearlong collaboration, Shivanshu Dwivedi ’26 and Senior Lecturer in Physics Kalum Palandage recently published their research in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
For 20 years, the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival has brought together artists, students, and community members from Hartford and across the globe. A new photo exhibit opening in conjunction with this year’s festival celebrates its history and legacy.
