On Friday, Jan. 12, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi visited Kingswood Oxford School as the 41st annual Baird English Symposium speaker. Ms. Zoboi spoke to all Upper and Middle School students in assemblies and took part in a separate Q&A session that day in addition to dining with Symposium students on Thursday evening.
Ms. Zoboi has written novels that cover topics of science-fiction, teen romance, and the challenges of leaving behind adolescence. Masterfully crafting realistic interactions and plots, her mainly young adult novels tackle modern social issues such as gentrification, unjust incarceration, and defining immigrant identities.
Symposium is a program at KO that started in 1983 when longtime English teacher Warren Baird invited E.L. Doctorow to campus for one day during the school year. In preparation for the author, playwright, or poet’s visit each year, all KO students read one of the writer’s works, while a special class of seniors reads every work the author has ever written. The Symposium class has evolved into a unique and immersive experience for KO students.
To open the assembly for the Upper School, English Department Chair Bill Martino explained the growth of this program over the years. “It’s a testament to KO’s commitment to intellectual curiosity, literary scholarship, and the power of storytelling,” he said. Mr. Martino then welcomed senior Symposium students Emma Barringer and Saanve Bathula to the podium to introduce Ms. Zoboi.
The students first described Ms. Zoboi’s literary journey, discussing a timeline of her published works and awards. They then spoke about the modern cultural importance of Ms. Zoboi’s novels, which tell stories about young people growing up in Harlem, Bushwick, Detroit, East Hills, and other underfunded and low-income communities.
“She has built a niche for herself in contemporary literature, seamlessly blending cultures, identity, and the complexities of the human experience,” Saanve said. “Her words resonate with authenticity, offering readers a profound exploration of themes across genres.”
In her speech to Upper School students, Ms. Zoboi explained how her identity as a Haitian-American influences her creative focus. She also guided the community in thinking about what the world will be like in 2044, discussing flying cars, iPhone 50s, and the future of American democracy. By asking questions about technological and political advancements, the audience stepped into Ms. Zoboi’s thought process.
Sophomore Sam Almeida read “American Street” and most enjoyed how Zoboi layered relationships with characters displaying brains, beauty, and brawn to craft the story of a 16 year-old Haitian-American named Fabiola. When hearing Ms. Zoboi speak, Sam’s expectations for the author were confirmed. Based on interviews and articles she had read in class, Sam noted that Ms. Zoboi had the same mindset of pursuing social justice on paper as she does in-person.
“What really stood out to me was how she highlighted how important it was for all of her books to have messages,” Sam said. “I think that’s really interesting because there’s a message in every book, but it seems like she really emphasizes it in her stories.”
This year’s Symposium instructor was Middle School English teacher Anastasia Sullo, who was excited for the opportunity of finding an author not only for high school students, but for younger readers as well. “I wanted an author who had a diverse range of books so that 11-year-olds and 17-year-olds could read them,” she said. “I wanted an author who’s writing for every single student on this campus.”
Mrs. Sullo also mentioned a few of her favorite aspects of teaching Symposium. “It is not every day that you get to go into a room and just sit and talk with people who love to talk about books,” she said. “We’d talk about what the author might intend and what that means for the world. We would come in the room and have these awesome conversations, and we just had fun.”
Senior Symposium student Allie Arcaro found Ms. Zoboi’s writing and speaking styles interesting. “She fit my expectations almost perfectly,” Allie said. “I think a big part of her books is that she bases her characters off of the way she interprets herself. She’s so interesting when she’s talking about sci-fi; it’s such a cool way of thinking, and it really showed in her books and her speech.”
Allie particularly enjoyed Ms. Zoboi’s “Pride,” a remix of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” “I liked the way Ibi Zoboi could incorporate big political issues into stories for children,” she said. “Not so many authors can do that as seamlessly as Ibi Zoboi. She talked about this big issue of gentrification, but she framed it into a story that was entertaining for young readers.”
As is KO tradition, Ms. Zoboi joined Symposium students and English teachers for the annual Symposium dinner on Thursday, Jan. 11, the night before her address to the school. “She loved interacting with everyone, asking questions, and listening,” Mrs. Sullo said. “We have a really thoughtful student body. To see Ibi Zoboi react to that, keep talking about how our students are really thinking and how impressed she was, is something else.”
Allie thought the dinner allowed for open discussion about Ms. Zoboi’s novels in a relaxed setting. “Reading the books, we made assumptions about the characters, and how a book ended if she left it on a cliffhanger,” Allie said. “When we were talking at the dinner, a big thing was asking our questions about the books in the sense of, ‘We interpreted it this way, is that how you meant it?’”
Another unique part of the Symposium program is a master class for the Symposium students led by the author. This year, Ms. Zoboi taught a lesson on how home is a setting. “She talked about how layered home as a setting really is,” Mrs. Sullo said. “We wrote some ‘where I’m from’ poems, and Ibi Zoboi gave some feedback.”
To bring enthusiasm to students and faculty about this author’s visit, Symposium students created community involvement projects such as Zoboi-inspired playlists, bulletin boards, and lessons for every English class in the school. In addition to classwork and assignments, these students clearly went above and beyond to make this year’s author so special.
Thank you to Mr. Martino, Mrs. Sullo, the Symposium students, and everyone else involved in bringing Ibi Zoboi to campus this year for getting the whole KO community excited for her visit!
