By Kay wicker
Lifestyle Editor
Zadie Smith, a British novelist, Lena Dunham, an award winning teleplay writer, and Issa Rae, a YouTube sensation; what do they all have in common? They are each young female writers revolutionizing their realms. I started my winter break thinking I was going to accomplish this long to-do list of projects and,, of course, did hardly any of it, but through the couple of things I did manage to complete came the discovery of those three powerhouses.
I discovered Zadie Smith freshman year after an ex recommended her to me. I didn’t really do much with the recommendation until I was mulling over ideas for my senior thesis. Over winter break I gave her book, “On Beauty,” a try and fell in love with not just the style, and the characters, but also Smith’s voice as it spoke loud and clear from the page.
“On Beauty” centers around an Anglo-multiracial-American family living in New England that has to work through several very poignant challenges. It develops into being about the interesting bond between two households and the challenging differences that can keep people apart.
Smith has been mastering the craft of words since she was an undergrad at Cambridge University. She is the author of four novels, several short stories, and a variety of non-fiction works as well as essays. She and her husband currently live between Brooklyn and England with their children. What really attracted me to Smith was the fact that she isn’t afraid of her heritage or the power in telling stories about people that look like her and come from her culture. She is biracial and has a multiracial household. It’s her life and it’s in her life’s work. One of my favorite lines from “On Beauty” is, “The greatest lie ever told about love, is that it sets you free.”
I was introduced to Lena Dunham through her quirky hit show “Girls,” on HBO. I watched the entire first season in one sitting. I was entranced, captivated, and even moved. The show follows the life and times of Hannah Horvath played by Dunham, and her mishappenings as she battles with all that comes with acclimating to young adult life. Dunham has not only won over the likes of Judd Aptow, her show’s producer, but scores of critics. “Girls” even got praise from, brace yourself, Howard Stern. I find the show painfully relatable because not only is Hannah young and braving the city, something I hope to do one today, but she was an English major trying to kick start her professional writing career.
Dunham has taken a lot of risks with the show not only in the fact that a lot of the show comes from her personal experiences, but she actually doesn’t mind the fact that her main character is routinely making choices that make her seem unlikable. The world of “Girls” is real, hilarious, and addictive. The jargon is smart and fun, and the style is very in trend. After the first season I kept thinking to myself, “Wow someone got it. Someone actually got it right.” In true essence of the show I think is in one of the last episodes of season one Hannah composes a tweet that simply says, “Sometimes girl do.”
Issa Rae came into my life last year after a friend asked if I had seen “Miss Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl,” commonly called ABG. I quickly set to Google and nearly split my sides from laughing. The web series is ingenious! It chronicles Issa Rae’s character, Ray, and her hilarious attempts to date, deal with work, and fit into society. Rae is the founder of Issa Rae Productions, has a degree from Stanford University, and training from NYU under her belt. She has gotten the attention of Tina Fey and even has the likes of Katie Couric on her side. Rae is also creator of three major web series, all of which you can find on her website IssaRae.com and YouTube. She’s not just another person with a camera and a computer; she is making history and representing a subculture that doesn’t get nearly enough credit: the culture of young black women who are educated, successful, creative, and not on their way to starring on “Bad Girls Club.”
Separately these three women are each dominating in their fields and they each have reached high ranks before their 30s. It gives hope to an aspiring writer. Collectively, they are bravely imposing in fields traditionally ruled by old white men and rightfully earning their place as peers. Smith, Dunham, and Rae are great rarities that hopefully are starting a long lasting.