The Center for the Arts is pleased to present Fran Lebowitz: A State of the Union Conversation in the Marisa Funk Theater on September 20, 2024.
In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. Her essays and interviews offer her acerbic views on current events and the media – as well as pet peeves including tourists, baggage-claim areas, after-shave lotion, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. The New York Times Book Review calls Lebowitz an “important humorist in the classic tradition.” Purveyor of urban cool, Lebowitz is a cultural satirist whom many call the heir to Dorothy Parker.
Her writing — pointed, taut, and economical — is equally forthright, irascible, and unapologetically opinionated. Lebowitz worked odd jobs, such as taxi driving, belt peddling, and apartment cleaning (“with a small specialty in Venetian blinds”), before being hired by Andy Warhol as a columnist for Interview. Her first book, a collection of essays titled Metropolitan Life, was a bestseller, as was a second collection, Social Studies. By turns ironic, facetious, deadpan, sarcastic, wry, wisecracking, and waggish, Lebowitz’s prose is wickedly entertaining.
Between 2001 to 2007, Lebowitz had a recurring role as Judge Janice Goldberg on the television drama Law & Order. She also had a part in the Martin Scorsese-directed film, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). A raconteur if ever there was one, Lebowitz has long been a regular on various talk shows including those hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and Bill Maher. In an interview with the Paris Review, Lebowitz said “I’m not a nervous person. I’m not afraid to be on TV. I’m only afraid when I write. When I’m at my desk I feel like most people would feel if they went on TV.”
Hosting the evening is Donna Apidone. Apidone spent 20+ years as Morning Edition host on NPR, she is the author of Drive-Time Meditations, and her first book TransforMissions is a path to purpose. Donna is a recipient of the 2023 Artistic License Awards from California Lawyers for the Arts. Her long-running series of author interviews captivated audiences and merited rave reviews from best-selling writers. As host of Morning Edition, she drew a weekly audience of 100,000 listeners. Her guest appearances on CapRadio’s “Insight” tapped into an audience of more than 40,000.
Don’t miss a State of the Union Conversation with Fran Lebowitz at The Center for the Arts on September 20, 2024.
WHAT: Fran Lebowitz: A State of the Union Conversation
WHERE: The Center for the Arts | 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
WHEN: September 20, 2024 | Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm
TICKETS: $55-75 | https://thecenterforthearts.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SUZ000000GDFp2AO
WEBSITE & INFO: thecenterforthearts.org | (530) 274-8384