"The gold standard for intelligence, efficiency and humor. Now and forever.” — David Sedaris

---

Hosted by Amy Penne, Arts Editor for Smile Politely—Champaign Urbana’s Culture Magazine.

An Evening with Fran Lebowitz is a featured event for Uniting Pride’s 2025 Pride Fest.

---

Fran Lebowitz
Author, Journalist, Social Observer. 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.

Lebowitz on frankness: “Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.”

Lebowitz on herself: “Success didn't spoil me, I've always been insufferable.”

This is Lebowitz off the cuff. Her writing — pointed, taut and economical — is equally forthright, irascible, and unapologetically opinionated.
 


Fran Lebowitz first 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. Her two books are collected in The Fran Lebowitz Reader, with a new preface by the author. 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 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 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 given 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 named to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2008. 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.

For more, visit: 

• FranLebowitz.com
• Facebook.com/franlebowitz

Amy Penne
Amy Penne holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a Professor of Humanities at Parkland College, where she teaches everything from Shakespeare and poetry to Women in the Arts and multiple flavors of composition.



Amy is the Arts Editor for Smile Politely—Champaign Urbana’s Culture Magazine. In 2024, she directed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at Parkland and appeared in Twin City Theatre Company’s True West. She’ll return to directing in 2026 with Romeo and Juliet.

For more, visit thepensivepenne.com

Uniting Pride
Uniting Pride was founded in 2009 as an organization that would serve to advocate for the equality, wellness, and visibility of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities in Champaign County. Since its inception, Uniting Pride has been consistently active in the East Central, Illinois community by providing support and social groups, community-building events, educational workshops, local advocacy, resource provision and referrals, and more.

For information, visit unitingpride.org


VT SERIES EVENT

---

PLEASE NOTE: The Virginia Theatre is pleased to bring diverse programming to the stage and screen. The Theatre cannot always provide advisories about subject matter for events, as sensitivities vary. Not all events may appeal to, or be appropriate for, every person. Patrons are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the shows offered in order to make informed decisions prior to purchasing tickets.