On May 5, join us for a talk on The First Lady Next Door with author and former First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid in conversation with writer, producer and journalist Janice Kaplan!
In early 2016, Eliza Reid’s biggest daily goals were modest but meaningful: showering without one of her four kids bursting into the bathroom, juggling clients without dropping a deadline, and growing the writers’ retreat she was building from scratch. What wasn’t on her bingo card? That her husband—a bookish, cardigan-wearing history professor—would run for president of Iceland… and, seven weeks later, actually win.
Suddenly, Canadian-born Eliza was catapulted into a new life as first lady of her adopted country with the eyes of a nation watching her every move—as someone’s wife. Absent an instruction manual (she googled how to curtsy before meeting the queen of Denmark), she decided to do what she’d always done: figure it out on her own terms. Part fish out of water story and part fairy tale, The First Lady Next Door takes readers from rural Ontario to Timbuktu, and from the White House to Buckingham Palace. Eliza shows how embracing authenticity in all its messiness can become your greatest strength, even when the world expects polished perfection. After all, our everyday moments are what create the road map for making the unexpected count.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
ELIZA REID is a bestselling writer, public speaker, gender equality advocate, and co-founder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar, was an international bestseller and a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. Her first novel, Death on the Island, was an instant USA Today bestseller and optioned for television. From 2016 to 2024, Eliza served in the unofficial role of first lady while her husband was president of Iceland, during which time she was named a United Nations Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals.