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Romantic Comedy: Curtis Sittenfeld

PBF Pass

November 4, 2023 @ 11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Portland’5 Newmark Theatre

Curtis Sittenfeld, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Romantic Comedy, will be interviewed by Eden Dawn, co-host of the podcast We Can’t Print This.

ABOUT ROMANTIC COMEDY
A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a “smart, sophisticated, and fun” (Oprah Daily) novel from the author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep.

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every SaturdayWith a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right?

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

“A love letter to the prototypical rom-com . . . Sittenfeld’s work exists in the dissection and comprehension of female desire: what we want, what we absolutely don’t and, maybe paramount, what we’re even allowed to have. . . . A fizzy ride.”The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

 

Portland Book Festival General Admission Passes are required for entry into all events. Passes are $15 in advance and $25 day of Festival. Youth 17 & under get in FREE. All full-priced General Admission Passes include a $5 book fair voucher and entry into Portland Art Museum. Passes admit attendees to the Festival; individual events are first-come, first-served. More info here.

Bios

Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels including Rodham, Eligible, Prep, American Wife, and Sisterland, as well as the collection You Think It, I’ll Say It. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages. In addition, her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, for which she has also been the guest editor. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Vanity Fair, and on public radio’s This American Life. Her latest novel is Romantic Comedy. book cover for ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld with graphic font in pink and red
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Eden Dawn

Eden Dawn is an award-winning writer, wardrobe stylist, and entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon. She's a beloved local personality, often seen performing at storytelling events, sitting on nonprofit advisory boards, chatting through live television segments, emceeing galas, and hosting her own quarterly series “Fashion in Film” at the historic Hollywood Theater. Known well in the style community for her 11-year tenure as Oregon’s sole fashion editor for Portland Monthly magazine where she covered all facets of the field from hanging out in the glitter-filled closet of Darcelle, the world's oldest drag queen, to writing pieces on the mismanagement of pandemic unemployment funds for independent designers to styling hundreds of fancy looks in lauded photo editorials. She is the author of the best-selling Portland Book of Dates—a stylish, cheeky, curated guidebook of where the cool kids go, while educating readers on this treasured city. On the entrepreneurial front, she is the founder and operator of the activism-based nail polish company Claws Out. When she’s not writing or running a growing business, she’s wardrobe styling projects like caftan fashion editorials for Elizabeth Dye or music videos for Portugal the Man and Laura Gibson. She is married to her frequent collaborator, creative director and illustrator Ashod Simonian. They live in a slightly creaky 100-year-old house in Portland's Alberta Arts District with their three fluffy cats: Ruby, Daphne, and Foxglove.
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Details

Date:
November 4, 2023
Time:
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Event Category:
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Venue

Portland’5 Newmark Theatre
1111 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
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