J.K. Rowling joins David Wallace, Neil Gaiman after inspiring Harvard speech

On April 14, a speech that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling gave to the graduating class at Harvard will be immortalized in print. She joins authors including David Foster Wallace and George Saunders whose commencement speeches have been printed in book form.

Rowling’s Very Good Lives will be an 80-page book said to be relevant for anyone at a turning point in their lives and covering how to embrace failure and better ourselves and others, drawing from the author’s own post-graduate years. Proceeds will go to a children’s charity and a scholarship program at Harvard.

For a sneak peek, you can read the text of the speech on the Harvard website , or watch the video here:

Here are a few other famous authors whose commencement speeches can line your bookshelves:

David Foster Wallace: “This is Water” Wallace’s 2005 speech at Kenyon College has been reprinted and shared far and wide. The words of wisdom by late Infinite Jest author, which begin with an oft-quoted fish parable, were  published  in 2009, and some transcripts and videos can still be found online. Watch them here:

George Saunders: “Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness” The short story author – whose books include 2013"s “Tenth of December” – spoke to the graduating class at Syracuse University in 2013. His message: “Try to be kinder.” After being reprinted on a New York Times blog and going viral, the speech was  published  last year. Watch it here:

Neil Gaiman: “Make Good Art” The author of “American Gods” and the comic book series “The Sandman” gave a now-famous 2012 commencement speech at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts in which “make good art” was his basic commandment. It was  published  in 2013. Watch it here:

Kurt Vonnegut: “If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?: Advice to the Young” Nine of the late US author’s graduation speeches are compiled in a  volume  called “If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?” While the speech that is most famously attributed to him, “Wear Sunscreen,” is actually from a Chicago Tribune  column by Mary Schmich, Vonnegut – author of “Cat’s Cradle and Breakfast of Champions” – offered up plenty of wisdom over the years. Watch a clip from 1999 here:  www.c-span.org/video/?123554-1/agnes-scott-college-commencement-address