The Spring 2026 Zalaznick Reading Series continues with a reading by author Danzy Senna.
Thursday, April 16, 5pm
Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman Hall KG70

Danzy Senna is the author of six critically acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction. Her first novel, Caucasia, won the Book of the Month Award for First Fiction and the American Library Association’s Alex Award. The book was a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was named a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. Translated into twelve languages, Senna’s debut became a modern classic.

Senna’s latest novel, Colored Television, is a brilliant dark comedy about love and ambition, failure and reinvention that became an instant national bestseller. It was longlisted for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. It was also a Good Morning America Book Club pick and was named as a Best Book of 2024 by The Washington Post, The New York Times and Time magazine.

Since publishing Caucasia, Senna has become one of today’s most widely respected voices tackling multiracial and complex social identities. Her other books include Symptomatic, Where Did You Sleep Last Night? A Personal History, You Are Free, and New People. Senna is a recipient of the Whiting Writers Award and the 2016 Dos Passos Prize for Literature. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Vogue, among other publications. She is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Southern California.

Reception and book signing to follow in the English Lounge, 258 Goldwin Smith Hall

We are proud to partner with Buffalo Street Books at this event. Buffalo Street Books is Ithaca’s only non-profit independent bookstore, dedicated to serving its community through books and literary programming. Katie Kitamura’s books are available online, in-store, and on-site at the reading. Show your student ID at BSB and get 10% off every day!

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Masking is encouraged.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. The venue is wheelchair accessible and equipped with assistive listening technology. If you need additional accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us as soon as possible.

For more information about this event visit english.cornell.edu/zalaznick or email englishevents@cornell.edu. 

This event is presented by the Department of Literatures in English / Creative Writing Program at Cornell University.