Join the Office of Alumnae/i Relations for a Book Discussion: The World Outside Our Door with Liz Hawkins ’16 on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 at 6:00 pm ET via Zoom. It has been five days since her father’s death, and Liz still feels frozen in time. Left with twenty-one years of memories, Liz knows that John Frederick Smith was not a perfect man or father. She loved her father, but his drinking had always been a source of resentment. As she attempts to grapple with her grief and anger, Liz returns to her memories with the hope of finding the answers she so desperately needs.

Elizabeth (Liz) Hawkins is the author of two books, including The World outside Our Door. She also blogs about the long-term effects of growing up with an alcoholic parent. A native Washingtonian, Liz was raised in the southeast section of Washington, DC, and is a graduate of Ballou High School (1980). She worked 34 years for the federal government in the human resources and equal employment opportunity fields before retiring in 2018. Liz is also a Trinity Washington University graduate earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in 2016. She currently resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with her husband Charles.