An evening with David Sedaris

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Fine Arts Series presents a reading by best-selling author and public radio contributor David Sedaris at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 in the Escher Auditorium at the Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict. The evening will conclude with a question and answer session and a book signing.

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers, focusing his perceptive observations and insights on the humor of everyday life. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness reveal that Sedaris is a master of satire and is one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

Sedaris is the author Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, each of which became a bestseller. There are a total of seven million copies of his books in print and they have been translated into 25 languages. His newest book, a collection of fables entitled Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary (with illustrations by Ian Falconer), was scheduled to be released Sept. 28.

He was the editor of Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: An Anthology of Outstanding Stories. Sedaris' pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and have twice been included in "The Best American Essays."

He and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name "The Talent Family" and have written half-a-dozen plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center and The Drama Department in New York City. These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler's Knob and The Book of Liz, which was published in book form by Dramatists Play Service.

David Sedaris' original radio pieces can often be heard on This American Life, distributed nationally by Public Radio International and produced by WBEZ. Sedaris has been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album. His most recent live album is David Sedaris: Live For Your Listening Pleasure (November 2009).

Please note that this event will contain strong adult language and themes.

This event is co-presented with the Literary Arts Institute at the College of Saint Benedict.
Tickets to David Sedaris are $35, Senior $31, Faculty/Staff $25, Student/Youth $10.

Contact the Box Office at 320-363-5777 or visit www.csbsju.edu/Fine-Arts.