UCSB Arts & Lectures will present “An Evening with Fran Lebowitz,” the irresistibly wry social commentator, author and journalist, in her Santa Barbara debut at 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at UCSB Campbell Hall.
Bring your questions; a question-and-answer session will follow the interview-style presentation. Pre-signed books will be available for purchase at the event.
Purveyor of urban cool and witty chronicler of the “me decade,” cultural satirist Lebowitz remains one of today’s foremost advocates of the extreme statement. The “utterly captivating” (The New York Observer) talker offers insights on timely issues such as gender, race, gay rights and the media, as well as her own pet peeves — including celebrity culture, tourists and baby strollers. Both in print and in person, Lebowitz is pointed, taut, economical and unapologetically opinionated.
A former columnist for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, she wrote two New York Times best-selling books, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, collected in The Fran Lebowtiz Reader. She is also the author of the children’s book Mr. Chas & Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas.
Lebowitz recently broke a 10-year writer’s block and is back at work on her novel Exterior Signs of Wealth. A documentary film about her, Public Speaking, directed by Martin Scorsese, premiered on HBO in November 2010.
In a recent interview in The New York Observer, Lebowitz held forth on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“We don’t have time for Bloomberg,” she said. “There are certain things that are in the public sphere and certain things that are in the private sphere. … What people eat? It’s their own business. Bedbugs he should take care of. That’s a public health issue. Did you ever hear anyone say, ‘Do you like New York?’ ‘No, too salty.’”
That’s Lebowitz off the cuff.
“An Evening with Fran Lebowitz” kicks off Arts & Lectures’ Word of Mouth series, featuring big thinkers, iconoclastic authors and influential storytellers. Included in the series are Lisa Ling (Feb. 5), The Moth Mainstage (April 4) and “An Evening with Neil deGrasse Tyson” (May 2).
“An Evening with Fran Lebowitz” is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. The media supporter isKDB 93.7 FM.
Tickets are $30 for the general public and $15 for UCSB students with a current student ID. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805.893.3535 or click here to order online.
Arts & Lectures thanks lynda.com for its major support of the 2012-13 season.
— Karna Hughes is a senior writer/publicist for UCSB Arts & Lectures.