Zadie Smith and Other People

What do you do when you see one of the most talented writers of your generation hanging out on the corner smoking a ciggie? Well, I left Zadie Smith alone (as did everyone else) while she enjoyed her fag at the corner of W. 95th and Broadway. When she was finished she pushed through the crowd of people waiting to get a seat at [Symphony Space] for Wednesday night's benefit for [826NYC](http://www.826nyc.org/), the Dave Eggers-founded organization that seeks to inspire students age 6-18 to write.

After all the fans raced inside, I saw Maggie in the lobby, anxiously looking for someone. I thought she was just hanging out and supporting some of her hip Brooklyn pals (was Peter Sarsgaard gonna show up, too?), forgetting that she was there to read Miranda July's story from the book, "Roy Spivey." Maggie looked so cute and normal, and it reminded me why the Upper West Side can be great: no one gives a shit when there's a celeb in their midst.

The reading was a few stories from [The Book of Other People], which Smith edited. The book itself is a fun read, but fairly eccentric with everyone from Colm Toíbín to Edwidge Dandicat giving their own exercise in creating a character. Smith gave a brief rundown on how she compiled the schizo book and announced that two writers have said they were inspired enough to begin novels that feature their characters.

The event itself was a quickie. A couple 826NYC kids came out and read cute little stories. George Saunders read; Vendela Vida (the wife of Dave Eggers and co-editor of [The Believer]) gave us the background to her story, "Soleil," which is based on growing up with a rotating lineup of Swedish au pairs hanging out in her house; and then Maggie read.

There was something perfect about her standing in for Miranda July. The two look like they could be sisters, and Maggie imbued Miranda's story with an impish pleasure that made me want to give the book of character studies by talented writers another read.  Isn't that why we continue to flock to these quasi-celeb literary events? Other than all those wannabe librarians with the chunky glasses looking for a bit of geek glam, it reminds us why we enjoy the craft of writing in the first place.