Danyel Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danyel Smith Wilson
Born	Danyel Smith 1965 (age 59–60) Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Journalism
Alma mater	University of California
Occupation	Journalist, magazine editor, Writer
Years active	1989-present
Known for	Celebrity interviews
Notable work	Shine Bright, More Like Wrestling, Bliss
Spouse(s)	Elliott Wilson

Danyel Smith Wilson (born Danyel Smith in 1965) is an American writer, journalist, and magazine editor. She made history as the first African-American editor of Billboard and Vibe magazines. Danyel Smith has written two novels and a book about the history of African-American women in pop music.

Early Life and First Writings

Danyel Smith was born in Oakland, California. She started writing at a young age. She kept journals and even created her own newspaper called the Weekly Arrow when she was in fourth grade.

When she was 10, her family moved to Los Angeles. She finished high school in 1983 at St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood. After graduating, she returned to the Bay area to attend the University of California, Berkeley.

A Career in Journalism

Danyel Smith began her career in 1989 as a freelance writer. She wrote columns and reviews for newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area, like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and the East Bay Express. From 1990 to 1991, she worked as the music editor for SF Weekly.

By 1992, Smith was writing for Spin magazine. She had a pop culture and music column there called "Dreaming America." In 1993, she moved to New York to become the R&B editor for Billboard magazine. At the same time, she also reviewed live shows and music for The New York Times.

Leading Magazines

In 1994, Danyel Smith became the music editor for Vibe magazine, which was new at the time. Two years later, she received a special fellowship for arts journalism at Northwestern University. After this, she became the editor-in-chief of Vibe in 1997. She was the first African-American and the first woman to hold this position.

While at Vibe, she also directed Blaze, a hip-hop magazine launched in 1998. In 1999, she joined Time Inc. as a special editor. There, she worked and wrote for magazines like Time, Entertainment Weekly, and InStyle.

Writing and Teaching

In 2001, Smith left Time Inc. to study fiction writing at the New School University. She then published two novels and taught at universities. During this time, she led workshops and was a guest teacher at places like Saint Mary's College. She was also a writer-in-residence at Skidmore College.

In 2006, Smith returned to Vibe as the chief content officer. This meant she was in charge of both the digital and print versions of the magazine. Her article about Keyshia Cole was even featured in a book called Best Music Writing 2008.

After three years, she worked briefly at The Root, an African-American political website. Then, she returned to Billboard as editor until 2012. In 2014, she was a journalism fellow at Stanford University.

New Projects and Podcasts

Danyel Smith and her husband, Elliott Wilson, created a special "book-shaped magazine" called HRDCVR. They also hosted a podcast on iTunes called Relationship Goals. In this podcast, they talked about pop culture, hip-hop music, and how they made their relationship work.

From 2016 to 2019, Smith was the culture editor at ESPN's The Undefeated. She often appears on TV to share her thoughts on entertainment and pop culture. She also hosts the podcast Black Girl Songbook on Spotify.

Books by Danyel Smith

Danyel Smith started writing fiction in 1996. Her first novel, More Like Wrestling, came out in 2003. This book tells the story of two sisters growing up in Oakland. It was a bestseller and received good reviews. The New York Times Book Review called it "lyrical and original."

In 2005, she published her second novel, Bliss. This book is about a female record executive dealing with challenges in the music world.

Her third book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop, was published in 2022. This book combines her own memories with a history of Black women's music. It shows how their music is a key part of American pop music history.

HRDCVR Magazine

In 2014, while at Stanford University, Danyel Smith and her husband, Elliott Wilson, started HRDCVR. This was a unique, hardcover culture magazine. They wanted it to be created by diverse teams for a diverse world. They raised over $67,000 from more than 500 supporters to fund the project.

The magazine was printed and sent to supporters in October 2015. It was a one-time publication with 2,000 copies. HRDCVR included articles about artists like Drake and featured contributions from many writers and artists. Besides the magazine, Smith and Wilson also created a weekly newsletter called HRDlist with similar content.

Honors and Awards

Danyel Smith has received many honors and awards for her work:

• 1996: National Arts Journalism Program Fellowship
• 2003: Millay Colony for the Arts Residency
• 2011: African American Literary Award
• 2014: John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University
• 2017: Nominated for a Shorty Award for Best Journalist
• 2019: NABJ Award for Sports for her article on Simone Biles
• 2021: Yaddo Fellowship
• 2023: Nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her Black Girl Songbook podcast

Personal Life

Danyel Smith's mother has both Filipino and African-American heritage. Danyel has a younger sister named Raquel, and two step-siblings, Nicole and Keith.

She lives in Southern California with her husband, Elliott Wilson. They were married in Los Angeles in June 2005.

See also

In Spanish: Danyel Smith para niños

• Vibe (magazine)
• List of writers on popular music
• Music journalism