We are so excited to share these wonderful authors and 826 community members
with you during our 1-hour program on March 25th.
More details to come!
Zadie Smith, Special Guest
Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Swing Time, as well as two collections of essays, Changing My Mind and Feel Free. Zadie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2002, and was listed as one of Granta's 20 Best Young British Novelists in 2003 and again in 2013. White Teeth won multiple literary awards including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award. On Beauty was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction, and NW was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Her latest collection of essays, Intimations, explores ideas and questions prompted by the early months of the pandemic. Zadie Smith is currently a tenured professor of fiction at New York University and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Osvaldo Marquez, Keynote Speaker
Osvaldo Marquez has been part of the 826 Valencia community for over 15 years. He started as a student tutee but soon thereafter joined other programs at 826 Valencia. He received a scholarship in 2010 from 826 Valencia to attend Pitzer College, where he majored in Sociology and Spanish. In 2014, he became the first in his family to graduate from college. He now works in the financial industry and lives in San Francisco. He believes that organizations like 826 Valencia make a significant and impactful difference in student's educational goals and accomplishments.
The night’s program will also feature:
Black Literary Achievement Club and “Dear Voter” student authors
Bita Nazarian, Executive Director
Dave Eggers & Ninive Calegari, co-founders of 826 Valencia
And more to come!