In Person: Zadie Smith

Growing up in suburban and rural areas, I never really got the chance to go see popular authors read their work. I didn't even know that was really a thing until I moved out of the Midwest. I've decided to start chronicling the amazing readings that I have attended in hopes that my readers (reader? I know there is at least one of you out there) can feel connected to the aliveness that is literature.


This week, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore hosted Zadie Smith. Admission was open to the public and free. After reading - and loving - Zadie's first novel, White Teeth, and her collection of essays, Changing My Mind, I had to stop by. I brought two books with me for her to sign - White Teeth and On Beauty - and even bought a third (NW) while I was there.

Zadie Smith is a charming, kind, and witty person. She read two chapters from her new novel, Swing, Time, written from a first-person perspective of growing up mixed race and finding oneself through friendship, relationships, academia, family. Maybe it was the intriguing story, maybe it was her smooth accent, maybe it was the giddiness of seeing Zadie Smith read live, but I was completely enamored. The book is set to release next fall and I will be first in line to pick it up.


I met Zadie after the reading. There was a line of at least 50 people buying books from Ivy Bookshop, talking about Zadie's work, and nervously giggling. Of course, I ended up in the back of the line, only a handful of people behind me. With two friends in tow, I kept wondering how many books I could ask her to sign and what to say to this person who is just a person but also a literary giant. When I finally reached the front of the line, I didn't even get a chance to say all of the obligatory "I love your work" ramblings, because Zadie immediately asked me about my tattoo. To be more exact, she began to read the Latin off of my chest piece and made a quick joke about the placement. We talked about my tattoo, I asked her to sign all three (ALL THREE) of the books I brought with me, and then she took a photo with my friends and me. She was even more welcoming than I expected.

Meeting, speaking with, and listening to a renowned author like Zadie Smith has prompted me to be more appreciative of the humanity that goes into writing strong pieces of work. Her writing and its impact on the reader is possibly best described through her first novel, White Teeth: “Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.”






Next up: Cheryl Strayed, Nov 18