There was standing room only in the Carson Ballroom Saturday night.
More than 300 people watched Zadie Smith kick off the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing's 2006-07 Distinguished Visiting Writers Series.
Smith is the author of three award-winning novels, a nonfiction book about writing titled "Fail Better" and numerous short stories and articles.
Her first book, "White Teeth," was published in 2000, just three years after she graduated from Cambridge University. It won the Guardian First Book Award along with other prestigious awards.
Her other two novels, "Autograph Man" and "On Beauty," also won prizes.
"Autograph Man," published in 2002, won her a nomination as one of 20 Best Young British Novelists by Granta magazine.
"On Beauty," published in 2005, won the 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction.
Even though Smith's novels have received a myriad recognition, she still describes herself as a reader.
"I'm a reader," she said. "I always was a reader. I find it lovely to read and a pain to write."
Two Phoenix residents said they thought Smith is an amazing writer.
"'White Teeth' and 'On Beauty' were phenomenal," Linda Pires said. "She depicts the cadence of dialogue and multicultural issues really well."
ASU graduate student Francine Banner said, "She captures life and interaction. She gets people."
The Piper Center holds the writers series annually. This semester the visiting writers include Smith, Ilya Kaminsky, Michael Chabon, Ben Bova, and Edith Grossman.
All the events are free, except the Chabon reading, which is $10.
Neither Banner nor Pires had ever been to a Piper Center event before.
Banner said she really enjoyed Smith's reading and plans on attending more of the events.
"It is great that ASU is bringing so many great writers here," she said.
Reach the reporter at: jennifer.oconnor.1@asu.edu.
