From their individual creative careers to their new collaborative work, Taryn Delanie Smith and Maria Krasinski come together to discuss Welcome to the Afterlife: A No-Nonsense Tour for Those in Mourning or the Merely Curious with Denise, Heaven’s Receptionist.
Best known for her distinctive voice and beloved online character Denise, heaven’s witty and big-hearted receptionist, Smith has created a reassuring guide to the great beyond. Illustrator Krasinski brings Denise and her world to life on the page, transforming Smith’s vision of heaven into a richly imagined visual world.
Together, they’ll discuss how the book came together—from translating a beloved social-media character into an illustrated book to finding the right balance between words and images—and how their creative collaboration shaped Denise’s world. They’ll also explore how online communities are a space for people navigating loss, and the surprising role humor and creativity can play in making room for grief, connection, and tackling some of life’s biggest questions.
About the speakers:
Taryn Delanie Smith is a comedian, author and creator who has built an audience of nearly 4 million around original characters and storytelling, led by Denise, Heaven’s Receptionist, a comedy character that has generated tens of millions of views, fostered a close-knit community around humor, grief and connection, and inspired her debut book, Welcome to the Afterlife. In 2026, TIME named Smith to the TIME100 Creators, TikTok selected her as an Icon on its global Discover List, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chose her as a Team USA Creator for the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games. Her work has also been Webby-nominated. Smith created the scripted comedy Starr, The Intern, an official Tribeca X selection, and appears in the feature film 93 ’Til, which premiered at the American Black Film Festival. Her television credits include Prime Video’s Influenced and Harlem. Smith is also a former Miss New York and first runner-up at Miss America. Her advocacy around homelessness includes founding Supporting Our Shelters, serving as the first-ever Ambassador for the Coalition for the Homeless and sitting on the board of Trinity Place Shelter. Originally from Seattle, Smith later moved to New York. She also has a longstanding connection to France, where she studied and worked in diplomacy in Paris in 2019, and looks forward to returning to a city that has remained an important part of her life ever since.
Maria Krasinski is a Paris-based artist and educator. She’s collaborated as illustrator on the books Art Hiding in New York, Art Hiding in Paris, and I’m Not Your Muse with author Lori Zimmer, and Welcome to the Afterlife with author Taryn Delanie Smith. Her artwork has been exhibited at Parlor Gallery, No Gallery, Galerija Medija (Slovenia), the Chicago Public Library, Muhammad Ali Center, and more. Since 2021 she has worked with News Decoder, a French nonprofit that empowers young people to be civically engaged through journalism. Originally from New York State, she is a graduate of the University of Chicago and a Peace Corps alum.
