by Rebecca Doverspike

When I listened to Professor Ethel Morgan Smith read from her new book, Reflections of the Other: Being Black in Germany, I was moved by the sense of calm searching in her prose. Professor Smith’s voice throughout this travel narrative asks insightful questions in order to understand her surroundings and herself within those surroundings. The writing here holds a reflective quality—the questions within her inner monologue allow readers and listeners to wonder about the space around themselves, too, and to see how assumptions differ from place to place.

The book takes place during Professor Smith’s Fulbright year teaching in Germany from 1997-1998. When I asked Professor Smith what she most wants people to take away from her book, she remarked that she wanted to show how, while traveling, one learns a lot about one’s self as well as the place. She also mentioned her unique perspective as an African American both in terms of seeing Germany through an American who is “elsewhere” as well as seeing America from a distance. I was especially intrigued with the differences she saw in the curriculum. For instance, Germany’s American Studies program had a particular interest in African American women writers. In this way, Professor Smith’s insights were invaluable to the department there. When I asked Professor Smith if “other” in the title refers to herself, she said, “When you’re traveling, everyone is the ‘other’.” The word can apply to all kinds of relationships: author, reader, foreigner, citizen, etc. The reflections, then, too, can come from all these angles and more.

Professor Smith formed many friendships while she was in Germany that she still has today. She mentioned that her friends were curious to see themselves on the page. That was a point I was curious about as well, as we converse a lot about audience in nonfiction and often ask ourselves if we’re okay with the people we portray in our writing reading our work. It wound up that everyone in her book was excited to see their names as characters, and they were happy with their place in the prose.

I’m in Professor Smith’s creative nonfiction workshop this semester, and she has told many intriguing stories from her time in Germany, as they naturally arise from our conversations. When she and I were talking about her book, she mentioned how any experiences teachers have become integrated into their teaching— “We need new experiences to give to our students,” she explained. Describing her experiences in Germany as something she was then able to give to her students really shows how much she cares about teaching and those she teaches. Just as she spoke about gratitude for having been treated so well as a guest in Germany, I felt gratitude for all she is able to bring to us, her students, from this experience and others in her life.

Perhaps my favorite moment during our conversation about her book in the middle of a busy week in Colson Hall was when we got to talking about the relationship between life and writing, as well as life and teaching. “People just think we sit here quietly all day long,” Professor Smith said, pointing at the still computer and bookshelves in her office, ”...but it’s more of a quiet madness.” We laughed at the truth of that.

There is both quietness and a passion for understanding deeper than the surface throughout Reflections of the Other. A passion for understanding the history and geography of a place but also of one’s self. When such a personal quest can also open up readers to question their surroundings and themselves, that’s reflection at its truest. Read Reflections of the Other: Being Black in Germany to participate in that experience.