Teenage years are often fraught with strife, painful self-discovery and loss. On Feb. 27, AU's Visiting Writers Series featured author Alison Smith, whose book "Name All The Animals" promises a deep and meaningful exploration of teenage self-realization and more.
Winner of the 2004 Discover Award for Nonfiction from Barnes and Noble, "Animals" is Smith's memoir of how she at age 15 dealt with the death of her 18-year-old brother. Smith describes the turmoil of losing what she calls the "golden boy" of her family and how she subsequently discovered she was a lesbian.
The title comes from the biblical naming of the animals by Adam, a metaphor for what we do when we try to protect ourselves and those around us. Smith explains that when she and her brother were little, her father would come into their room and name each part of them. By his reckoning, each and every part of a person's body was created and watched over by the Lord. Smith said that her father, prior to reading her book, had only ever read the Bible.
Smith read an excerpt from her book, which described a debate assignment from a teacher that argued for gay and lesbian rights, despite opposition from her entire class. The entire story is meaningfully descriptive, a wonderful portrayal of the importance of each and every moment. The writing is compelling, intriguing and gently pulls the audience along for a tale of grief, the right to be heard and the right to be accepted.
Smith said she chose this particular excerpt because, while the story is largely a tale of grief, she enjoys celebrating life's coming-of-age experiences. She said she loves writing and speaking about the fun in such discovery.
Smith brought a wry sense of humor and considerable insight on the writing process and growing up during her discussion. She described an arduous six-year writing process for "Animals" that produced 16 drafts.
In writing, Smith said she learned many things about herself and authorship. Originally writing herself out of the memoir, she eventually came to realize that a book is "the story of the person telling it." For Smith, the memoir is how we devote ourselves to our grief and an exploration of the emotions found in ordinary life.
Smith described her writing process as an extremely fragmented style. Not so much writing as cutting and pasting, Smith said that she never knows nor writes the beginning until she knows and has written the middle and the end. She said that her father describes her writing as small words that everyone can understand - an extremely clear and fluid composition not cluttered by excessive wording.
"The only thing you own is your point of view," she said.
The point of view Smith owns is one easily relatable, entertaining, compelling and incredibly insightful. Smith is currently working on a fiction novel called "Up from the Water"
