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David Sedaris will perform in Breckenridge Sunday, Nov. 8

David Sedaris
Hugh Hamrick / Special to the Daily |

if you go:

What: David Sedaris

When: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m.

Where: Riverwalk Center, 150 W. Adams Ave., Breckenridge

Cost: Tickets are $40, $50 and $60. Tickets can be purchased online at BreckCreate.org.

More information: Visit http://www.BreckCreate.org

The day I missed out on hearing David Sedaris speak, my friends and I ended up watching a Spiderman cartoon while sitting on bunk beds at a sketchy hostel in Vancouver, Canada, in the bad part of town.

Looking back, it was a very Sedaris-like situation, though I didn’t know it at the time. It wasn’t until a little while later that I got around to reading “Holidays On Ice,” Sedaris’ treatise on holiday craziness, including “The SantaLand Diaries,” an essay on his time working as an elf at the Macy’s SantaLand in New York City. I nearly died of laughter throughout the entire book and was hooked. How could someone not be, with the premise of “I am a thirty-three-year-old man applying for a job as an elf.”

You can learn a lot about somebody by asking which Sedaris book is their favorite. It can, however, be a tough question.



“It’s like children — I don’t have a favorite,” said Robb Woulfe, president and CEO of Breckenridge Creative Arts. From the first book, however, Woulfe said he was “an instant fan.”

“Even though he can be sarcastic, he’s always honest about people and situations and how they act, and I think he’s just a master at capturing that in his writing.”Robb WoulfeCEO, Breckenridge Creative Arts

Sedaris will speak at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge on Sunday, Nov. 8, courtesy of Breck Create’s speaker series.



For those who aren’t familiar with the name, David Sedaris is an author with a sharp sense of humor. His books include “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” and, most recent, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.”

“Even though he can be sarcastic, he’s always honest about people and situations and how they act, and I think he’s just a master at capturing that in his writing,” said Woulfe.

Sedaris has also published numerous essays in magazines such as “The New Yorker.” Topics of his essays range from funny childhood stories and family life to odd encounters with strangers on airplanes.

“His work is definitely not for the faint of heart or easily offended,” said Woulfe with a laugh. “No topics are off limit, and he doesn’t really hold anything back.”

Every Sedaris performance is different, he added. There will be readings from current books and essays and often excerpts from yet-to-be-published pieces. Afterward, there will be a question-and-answer session.

“It’s very conversational with the audience,” said Woulfe. He added that the venue at the Riverwalk Center, which holds up to 750 people, was a good location for a closer connection with the speaker.

Following the question-and-answer, Sedaris will be available in the lobby for book signings. Books will be available for purchase thanks to a partnership with Frisco’s Next Page Books & Nosh.

“He will stick around until the last person has gone through the line,” said Woulfe. “He’s very generous with his time.”

Woulfe believes that this will be the first time Sedaris has performed in Breckenridge. Summit County’s positioning so close to Denver makes it easy for big names to make their way into the mountains for a day or two.

“It’s definitely something we’re going to continue to do,” said Woulfe, about inviting literary and National Public Radio-related speakers to town.

“There are a lot of National Public Radio lovers here,” he said. This is in addition to further Breck Create programs revolving around music and the arts.

Tickets are still available to the Sedaris performance, but Woulfe warned that they would likely sell out soon.

“I would say he’s sarcastic, he’s insightful and funny,” said Woulfe, in describing Sedaris to those unfamiliar with his work. “But, as I said before, it’s always honest. He’s always honest about people and how they act in situations and to me, that’s the core of what makes it so funny, because it’s so real and not fabricated. You can’t make this stuff up.”


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