Why you should listen

Emily Esfahani Smith is a writer in Washington, DC. In her writing, she draws on psychology, philosophy, and literature to write about the human experience -- why we are the way we are and how we can find grace and meaning in a world that is full of suffering. Her book The Power of Meaning, an international bestseller, was published by Crown and has been translated into 16 different languages.

The former managing editor of The New Criterion, Smith's articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and other publications.

Smith studied philosophy at Dartmouth College. She received her master's degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Catholic University. She was born in Zurich, Switzerland.