By Bailee Neyman

Author, comedian and University of Maryland alumna Maeve Dunigan capped off the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s annual NextNOW Fest with an author talk Tuesday night, where she encouraged students to be open-minded.

“Life is long and your career could look like a bunch of different things. There’s a lot of seasons of life, so don’t be scared when a season might end and a new one begins,” Dunigan said.

Dunigan also read an excerpt from her debut essay collection, “Read This to Look Cool.”

Dunigan said her great bond with the UMD community, especially her connection to the university’s sketch comedy group Sketchup, was the main reason she agreed to come back.

“I just had the best time at Maryland,” Dunigan said. “And so any opportunity to come back, I’m always really excited about.”

Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in rhetoric, Dunigan has not only published her debut book but also written for The New Yorker. She is currently working on a comedy murder mystery novel, “This Will Ruin the Tour,” which is expected in winter of 2028.

Many members of Sketchup attended Dunigan’s talk, along with several of her friends from college and family members. The moderator for the talk, senior math and computer science major Fahran Bajaj, is also a member of Sketchup.

Dunigan reached out to Sketchup before the talk to ask if any of their members would be willing to moderate, Bajaj said.

As junior history and art history major Mira Karpati put it, “Sketchup, in my opinion, is a family. I would hope that in the future I would ever do something as incredible as this, Sketchup would support me.”

Throughout her talk, Dunigan encouraged her audience to follow their dreams.

“If you have a passion, there’s no reason not to at least try to make it happen,” she said.

Members of Sketchup who attended shared positive thoughts on Dunigan’s talk.

“It was really incredible meeting her and knowing that she has this relation and connection to us was really impactful, ” Karpati said.

Featured Image: Maeve Dunigan’s author talk at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Sept. 15. Photo by Charlotte Florin.