Daniel Smith (born October 7, 1977) is an American journalist and author of the 2012 book ''Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety''. He has written articles and essays for ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'', ''

n+1 N1, N.I, N-1, N=1, or N01 may refer to: Information technology * Nokia N1, an Android tablet * Nexus One, an Android phone made by HTC * Nylas N1, a desktop email client * Oppo N1, an Android phone * N1, a Sun Microsystems software brand now ...

'', ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'', and others.

Early years

Smith was born and raised in

Plainview, New York Plainview is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Oyster Bay (town), New York, Oyster Bay in east central Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainv ...

. He attended

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, where he studied English and Russian literature.Theresa Gaffney
"Anxiety expert Daniel Smith '99 lectures on 'Monkey Mind',"
'' The Brandeis Hoot'', March 21, 2013."Profiles: Daniel B. Smith,"

College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline Order as the first Catholic women's college in ...

. Accessed June 24, 2014. He wrote a humor column for the school's paper, ''The Justice'', and was a member of its improv comedy troupe. He graduated in 1999.

Career

Smith worked as a staff editor for ''

'', and published his first major article there in 2001. The article, "Shock and Disbelief," was about electroshock therapy, and would become the center of a libel suit against Smith and the magazine.Ben Greenman
"Panic Buttons,"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 7, 2012. It later appeared in the 2002 collection ''

The Best American Science and Nature Writing ''The Best American Science and Nature Writing'' is a yearly anthology of popular science magazine articles published in the United States. It was started in 2000 and is part of ''The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin. Articles ...

''. Smith helped to edit the 2007 anthology ''The American Idea: The Best of The Atlantic Monthly''. His first book, 2007's ''Muses, Madmen and Prophets: Hearing Voices and the Borders of Sanity'', explores the history and science of hearing voices.Rachel Signer
"'You're Writing a Fucking Memoir': Daniel Smith on his New Book 'Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety',"
''Construction'', September 19, 2012. His 2012 memoir ''Monkey Mind'' recounts the circumstances that led to his lifelong, occasionally crippling struggles with anxiety and its related symptoms. While primarily experiential, it also touches on the history of anxiety in literature, science and philosophy. Smith was praised for the book's sympathetic, humorous and entertaining tone. ''Monkey Mind'' was a ''New York Times'' bestseller, and was included on

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

's 2013 list of 40 Books to Read Before Turning 40. Smith holds the Mary Ellen Donnelly Critchlow Endowed Chair in English at the

, and he has also taught at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

. From 2011 to 2012, he co-hosted the first six episodes of ''n+1'' magazine's ''The n+1 Podcast''. He was a guest on ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late night television, late-night Late-night talk show, talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December ...

'' in 2007; on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial ...

'' in 2012; and on ''

WTF with Marc Maron ''WTF with Marc Maron'' is a weekly podcast and radio show hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. The show was launched in September 2009. The show is produced by Maron's former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald. Background The show's ...

'' in 2012.

Personal life

Smith lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Bibliography

Books

* * Associate editor, ''The American Idea: The Best of The Atlantic Monthly'' (2007,

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

) * ''Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety'' (2012,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

)

Essays and reporting

"Shock and Disbelief"
- ''

'', February 2001 ** "Shock and Disbelief," ''

'' (2002,

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

)
"The Surgery of Last Resort"
- ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

'', Issue 85, Spring 2004
"The Contrarian in Combat"
- ''The Atlantic'', January 2005
"Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation"
- ''

'', February 14, 2005
"Political Science"
- ''

'', September 4, 2005
"Can You Live With the Voices in Your Head?"
- ''New York Times Magazine'', March 25, 2007

- ''

'', June 28, 2007
"Two Letters on the Democratic Primary"
- ''n+1'', February 4, 2008

- ''Slate'', April 29, 2008

- ''New York Times Magazine'', November 14, 2008
"Escape to Dubai"
- ''

'', November 16, 2008
"The Doctor Is IN"
- ''

The American Scholar "The American Scholar" was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, to Phi Beta Kappa society of Harvard College at the First Parish in Cambridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was invited to speak in recognition of his groundb ...

'', Autumn 2009
"The Very Grouchy Daddy"
- ''Slate'', October 8, 2009

- ''New York Times Magazine'', January 27, 2010
"The University Has No Clothes"
- ''New York'', May 1, 2011
"Andrew Jackson, the New Face of Modern Art"
- ''n+1'', July 29, 2011

- ''Slate'', October 13, 2011
"It's Still the 'Age of Anxiety.' Or Is It?"
- ''

'', January 14, 2012
"The Maniac in Me"
- ''New York Times Magazine'', April 20, 2012
"Do the Jews Own Anxiety?"
- ''The New York Times'', May 26, 2012
"The Anxious Idiot"
- ''The New York Times'', August 11, 2012

-

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, August 23, 2012
"Nothing to Do but Embrace the Dread"
- ''The New York Times'', July 13, 2013

- ''New York Times Magazine'', April 17, 2014
"Consume, Screw, Kill: The origins of today's mass extinction"
- ''

'', May 2014 *Online version is titled "Wolves and swords for the Kosciuszko Bridge".

Selected TV appearances and radio broadcasts

* ''

'',

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, June 14, 2007 * ''

The Brian Lehrer Show Brian Lehrer (born October 5, 1952) is an American radio talk show host on New York City's public radio station WNYC. His daily two-hour 2007 Peabody Award-winning program,

'',

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

, November 20, 2008; July 9, 2012 * ''

'',

, July 3, 2012 * ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

'',

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, August 21, 2012 * ''

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...

'',

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, August 28, 2012 * ''

'', November 8, 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Daniel 1977 births Living people 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American memoirists Brandeis University alumni People from Plainview, New York The New Yorker people Writers from New York (state)