Fran Lebowitz to Return to Benaroya Hall in September

Fran Lebowitz will return to Benaroya Hall, Sunday September 22nd at 7:30 pm. An intimate chat hosted by New York Times best-selling author, Claire Dederer, Fran offers 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. 

In addition, she will share her unique take on the current state of our Union.

In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. Her Netflix series Pretend It's a City, directed by Martin Scorcese, offers an unforgettable glimpse into her world view, and has exposed her to a new generation of loyal fans.

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 off the cuff:

• on special interest groups, “Special-interest publications should realize that if they are attracting enough advertising and readers to make a profit, the interest is not so special.”
• on frankness, “Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.”
• on herself, “Success didn't spoil me, I've always been insufferable.

Northwest Associated Arts (NWAA), KNKX (88.5 FM) and The Stranger present An Evening with Fran Lebowitz: hosted by Claire Dederer Tickets are $37 to $60 and are available through the Benaroya Hall Box Office, at 206.215.4747 or online at www.benaroyahall.org.

About Fran Lebowitz:

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. That was followed by a stint at Mademoiselle. 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. Her two books are collected in the Fran Lebowitz Reader, with a new preface by the author. The Fran Lebowitz Reader has been published in nine languages including French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. Lebowitz is also the author of the children's book, Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas.

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.”

She can also be seen in various documentary films including the American Experience series on New York City, as well as Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), Regarding Susan Sontag (2014), and Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990), among others. In 2010 Martin Scorsese directed a documentary about Lebowitz for HBO titled Public Speaking. A limited documentary series, Pretend It's a City, also directed by Martin Scorsese, premiered on Netflix in 2021, and was nominated for the 2021 Emmys in the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series category. In 2021 she was awarded the Forte dei Marmi Festival della Satira Lifetime Achievement Award and was a 2021 Foreign Press Honorary Awardee – an award given by the Foreign Press Correspondents Association & Club USA.

Lebowitz was once named one of the year's most stylish women by Vanity Fair. She remains a style icon. Lebowitz lives in New York City, as she does not believe that she would be allowed to live anywhere else.

About Claire Dederer:

Claire Dederer was in high school when she discovered Fran Lebowitz's Metropolitan Life on her parents' bookshelf. Lebowitz's voice was a revelation: hilariously funny, unapologetically tart, breath-takingly smart. Dederer is thrilled to be onstage with one of the writers who made her want to write. 
 
Most recently, Dederer is the author of Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, a national bestseller, a New York Times Notable, and the recipient of the The Los Angeles Times - Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. Dederer's previous books include the critically acclaimed memoirs Love & Trouble and Poser, which was a New York Times bestseller. A frequent contributor to The Guardian and The New York Times, Dederer has also written for The Paris Review, Vogue, The Atlantic, Slate, and many other publications. She lives in Seattle.

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