Alumnus Lev Golinkin, author of the memoir A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka, will be the keynote speaker at First Year Academic Convocation on Sept. 7, at 7 p.m., in Conte Forum. Golinkin’s book is a heartbreaking and hilarious story of his Jewish family’s escape from Soviet oppression. Golinkin’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and Time.com. Other authors who have spoken at First Year Academic Convocation include Colum McCann, Ann Patchett, and Dave Eggers, among others. More from BC News.