Author Lee Smith spoke on upcoming book at "Tea with Lee" event

North Carolina-based author Lee Smith spoke about the effects aging has on writing and gave a preview of her upcoming book at the American Association of University Women’s “Tea with Lee” event Wednesday.

The annual event features a different speaker each year, and this year it drew a crowd of around 70 people at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill.

The proceeds from the event go toward the association’s education fund, which finances scholarships for female graduate students nationwide. This includes more than 13 in the Triangle area alone.

The association encourages the advancement of women through a variety of programs, including book clubs and interest groups.

Smith was asked to speak because of her local notoriety, said Sandy Smalley, president of the association’s Chapel Hill branch.

“Lee Smith right now is one of the most prominent North Carolina writers,” Smalley said.

Smith enjoyed refreshments with guests at “Tea with Lee” before hosting a question-and-answer session.

“We are all fans of hers and have read her literature,” said Bea Keller, the Chapel Hill branch’s membership vice president. “The women in the books are very strong characters, so it all kind of ties together.”

Smith said she was happy to be the speaker and expressed her thoughts on how her writing process has changed over her lifetime.

Smith read a snippet from her 2010 book titled “Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger.” The book is a combination of 14 short stories, including seven of her favorites from earlier collections.

Smith also gave a preview of her upcoming book, “Guests on Earth,” which she said involved a heavy amount of historical research.

Smith said the novel provides a fictional account of the death of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of prominent author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Zelda died in 1948 in a fire at a mental hospital located in Asheville.

Smith described the accident as one of the most horrific fires in history.

Fitzgerald was a patient at the hospital when the fire broke out, Smith said. She was locked in a room on the top floor awaiting shock treatment with other patients and was unable to escape.

“This has always been a tragedy and mystery,” Smith said. “I have invented a whole group of characters. It is a mix of characters that are fictional and real and a plausible account of events.”

Smith said “Guests on Earth,” which will be released in October, addresses the correlation between art and madness because Fitzgerald painted and choreographed ballets during her years at the mental hospital.

“I have just always in my life been fascinated by Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and their North Carolina connection,” she added.

“I have been very interested in how mental illnesses have been treated and perceived over the years.”

Though Smith said she is a fan of Zelda Fitzgerald, the story is not told from her perspective.

“I don’t write from Zelda’s point of view because I just respect her too much.”

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