---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not that many people, even contemporary…"
description: "\"Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.\" — Anna Deavere Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png"
---

#  Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write…

![“Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.” quote by Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png)

> “Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.”

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Contemporary writers rarely address certain topics, highlighting gaps in modern discourse

**In simple terms:** Some subjects are overlooked by today’s authors

Key Takeaway

Explore and write about neglected themes

Themes

literature culture silence

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- public policy debates
- media representation
- historical narratives

Key Concepts

sociology media studies

Questions to Reflect On

- Which ignored topics deserve more attention?
- How can writers challenge prevailing narratives?

A Different Perspective

Market demand may resist unconventional topics

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-writers-849308/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-contemporary-1087892/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-write/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I love it when people take contemporary songs and find a narrative or a theatrical way of telling it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-love-it-when-people-take-contemporary-songs-and-find-a-narrative-or/)

[Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/)

> [Much more than a 20th-century village storyteller, Cees Nooteboom stands as an impressive and inimitable voice among contemporary writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/much-more-than-a-20th-century-village-storyteller-cees-nooteboom/)

[Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/)

> [I couldn't choose a favourite author, but two contemporary writers who have never disappointed me are Tim Winton and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/i-couldn-t-choose-a-favourite-author-but-two-contemporary-writers-who/)

[Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/)

> [With contemporary writers, I often buy books and then realise I've bought them before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/with-contemporary-writers-i-often-buy-books-and-then-realise-i-ve/)

[Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/)

> [I don't think contemporary writers spend a lot of time reading each other. Particularly writers of the same nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-don-t-think-contemporary-writers-spend-a-lot-of-time-reading-each/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Honestly, I haven't the time to read contemporary writers. I know this is awful, but in the main it is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/honestly-i-haven-t-the-time-to-read-contemporary-writers-i-know-this/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [Jim Harrison is someone I always enjoy, one of the great contemporary writers. I like Tim Ferris' Big Boom Theory. I'm getting into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/jim-harrison-is-someone-i-always-enjoy-one-of-the-great-contemporary/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-in-that-many-of-the/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [“Frank's bio prompts us to to ask ourselves why we seem to require of our art an ironic distance from deep convictions or desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/frank-s-bio-prompts-us-to-to-ask-ourselves-why-we-seem-to-require-of/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [ I don't think they \[contemporary writers\] read me either. I mean, if we're concerned genuinely with writing, I think we probably get on with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-don-t-think-they-contemporary-writers-read-me-either-i-mean-if-we/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [The two contemporary writers whom I consider as role models are Janet Malcolm and Michael Lewis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-two-contemporary-writers-whom-i-consider-as-role-models-are-janet/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“It's always difficult when people compare me unfavorably with other contemporary writers. It's much easier when they use examples from earlier eras of fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/it-s-always-difficult-when-people-compare-me-unfavorably-with-other/)

[Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/)

> [I'm an author. And writers write books. And writing books is a full-time career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-m-an-author-and-writers-write-books-and-writing-books-is-a-full/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [There are all kinds of writers. The best writers write children's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-scarry/there-are-all-kinds-of-writers-the-best-writers-write-children-s-books/)

[Richard Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-scarry/)

## More by Anna Deavere Smith

> [I feel like my work has been my path to freedom from having grown up in a segregated environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-feel-like-my-work-has-been-my-path-to-freedom-from-having-grown-up/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Identity is an assemblage of constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/identity-is-an-assemblage-of-constellations/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I think some of our most talented people are not going to pick the arts as a way that they're going to spend their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-think-some-of-our-most-talented-people-are-not-going-to-pick-the/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I mean, I think that - as an actress, in particular, I'm basically a fool, and I see the world upside down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-mean-i-think-that-as-an-actress-in-particular-i-m-basically-a-fool/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [The American idea is as promising, imaginative, and full of the unexpected as the land itself. The land represents freedom - the frontier, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/the-american-idea-is-as-promising-imaginative-and-full-of-the/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I have never been in a violent movie or television show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-have-never-been-in-a-violent-movie-or-television-show/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Poverty makes it very difficult in an already competitive world for kids to get on a straight track where they can actually love learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/poverty-makes-it-very-difficult-in-an-already-competitive-world-for/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Your desire to communicate must be bigger than your relationship with the chaotic and unfair realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/your-desire-to-communicate-must-be-bigger-than-your-relationship-with/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Self-esteem does not come from surrounding yourself with people and things that seem to increase your value. Real self-esteem is an integration of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/self-esteem-does-not-come-from-surrounding-yourself-with-people-and/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [People realize that we're very good at sending people to war, but we're not good at taking care of them. And people are coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/people-realize-that-we-re-very-good-at-sending-people-to-war-but-we/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I love studying how people are. Not just what they're saying, but how they are, what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-love-studying-how-people-are-not-just-what-they-re-saying-but-how/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Every day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/many-people-are-afraid-to-talk-about-race-because-it-s-so-emotionally/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [Commit to finding the true nature of art. Go for that thing no one can teach you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/commit-to-finding-the-true-nature-of-art-go-for-that-thing-no-one-can/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I made a real specific decision when I came out of school and most artists were writing about home - if you were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-made-a-real-specific-decision-when-i-came-out-of-school-and-most/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [I think that art is supposed to be ahead of the times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-think-that-art-is-supposed-to-be-ahead-of-the-times/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

[Explore all 106 Anna Deavere Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

## More About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anna Deavere Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-writers-write-about-right-now/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-writers-write-about-right-now/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/anna-deavere-smith-4847_about_not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-w_1694530.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.” — Anna Deavere Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anna Deavere Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Not that many people, even contemporary...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-writers-write-about-right-now/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-writers-write-about-right-now/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
