Hamden Native Speaks At SCSU About Her Bestselling Novel

HAMDEN, CT — Hamden native and bestselling author Zakiya Dalila Harris is headed back home to read from her acclaimed novel “The Other Black Girl.”

On Friday at 7 p.m., Harris will visit Southern Connecticut State University to read passages from her novel about two Black women navigating an overwhelmingly white New York City publishing house that has been described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets “Get Out.”

Called “electrifying and ingenious,” and “wholly original, powerful, and a gripping page turner,” “The Other Black Girl” has been named a “Most Anticipated Book of 2021” by Time and The Washington Post, a People “Best Book of the summer” and Book Club Pick for Good Morning America, Esquire, and Marie Claire.

Harris will also engage in an interview with Brandon Hutchinson, an associate professor of English at SCSU who specializes in African-American literature.

Harris, daughter of SCSU journalism professor Frank Harris III, grew up in Hamden and attended Hamden public schools. She received her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her MFA in creative writing from The New School, and then spent three years as an editorial assistant at Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Guernica and The Rumpus.

Friday’s event will start at 7 p.m. at the Lyman Center at SCSU. Ticket prices range:

• $50 - includes an autographed copy of "The Other Black Girl"
• $35 - includes a hardcover copy
• $20 - must be purchased with a regular ticket, with discounts available at checkout
• $15 - for students with a valid ID

Visit the event website for more information and to reserve tickets.