The California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) President Jane Close Conoley will interview New York Times best-selling author Fran Lebowitz at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at 8:00PM on Saturday, November 21 to discuss a range of topical issues, from gay marriage to the decline of urban culture in New York City, the Carpenter Center announced.

The New Jersey native will bring her quick wit and talent to the Carpenter Center stage, to show her quick-witted prowess when confronted with the issues of the day. The interview will be followed by questions from the audience.

“Fran Lebowitz is a rare person who can make you think and make you laugh at the same time,” Conoley said in a statement. “I admire how she embraces freedom of expression, a concept absolutely necessary to a thriving university campus. This promises to be a lively conversation.”

Recipient of the 2015 Trailblazer Award, Conoley’s excitement to engage with the famed Lebowitz comes as no surprise.

“President Conoley is no stranger to thoughtful commentary on a wide range of topics,” Carpenter Center Executive Director Michele Roberge said in a statement. “She has publicly challenged white privilege, climate change and school violence, among other topics, within months of her tenure here.”

Lebowitz is known for her sharp-witted and often humorous responses to modern life on the touchiest of subjects, from men wearing shorts to tourists, to heavier-handed topics like gay marriage. She is a frequent late-night talk show guest, according to the release, and has recently appeared with Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman and Bill Maher.

Hailing from New Jersey, Lebowitz arrived in New York in the late 1960s to work several odd jobs, which included driving a cab, until she landed a position with Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. In the 1970s she wrote columns for many other periodicals, including Mademoiselle, and published two books of critical essays, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, which prompted critics to compare her to Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and Lenny Bruce, according to the release.

More recently, Lebowitz was the subject of a 2010 feature-length HBO documentary by Martin Scorsese called Public Speaking, where he examines her life and work through Lebowitz’ longtime friend Toni Morrison, as the two trade insights on a variety of topics.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here. 

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