The bestselling author and essayist offers observations on love and intimacy
Courtesy photo.
SUMMARY
- Wed, Nov 13 | 7:30 p.m. | The Arlington Theatre
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- Back by popular demand
- Exploring the struggles of love and the transformative power of intimacy
- $32 – $57 / $16 UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
- Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or (805) 893-3535; or The Arlington Theatre, (805) 963-4408
“Every writer, truth seeker, parent and activist I know is in love with one or more books by Anne Lamott.” – Gloria Steinem
“Anne Lamott is walking proof that a person can be both reverent and irreverent in the same lifetime. Sometimes even in the same breath.” San Francisco Chronicle
SANTA BARBARA – UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Anne Lamott in a talk titled Somehow: Thoughts on Love on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre. An enchanting, lyrical writer, Anne Lamott takes on the most complex, intimate parts of life with grace and precision. Her novels and memoirs have won the most sought-after literary prizes and her latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, explores the struggles of love and the transformative power of intimacy. Lamott’s trademark honesty and humor will be on full display as she discusses finding love late in life, the changing ways we love our children and the ways love can keep us going in a painful world.
ABOUT ANNE LAMOTT
Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus. But armed with self-effacing humor – she is laugh-out-loud funny – and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment. Actually, she writes about what most of us don’t like to think about. She wrote her first novel for her father, the writer Kenneth Lamott, when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. She has said that the book was “a present to someone I loved who was going to die.” In all her novels, she writes about loss – loss of loved ones and loss of personal control. She doesn’t try to sugar-coat the sadness, frustration and disappointment, but tells her stories with honesty, compassion and a pureness of voice. As she says, “I have a lot of hope and a lot of faith and I struggle to communicate that.” Lamott does communicate her faith; in her books and in person, she lifts, comforts and inspires, all the while keeping us laughing.
Anne Lamott is the author of seven novels, Hard Laughter, Rosie, Joe Jones, Blue Shoe, All New People, Crooked Little Heart and Imperfect Birds. She has also written several bestselling books of nonfiction, including Operating Instructions, an account of life as a single mother during her son’s first year, Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son, and the classic book on writing, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. She has also authored several collections of autobiographical essays on faith; Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith and Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith. In addition, she has written Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair, Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace, Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope and Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage. Her newest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love is a No.1 New York Times bestseller. Publishers Weekly praised “her ability to distill complex truths with a deceptive lightness” in their starred review.
Lamott has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship and has taught at UC Davis as well as at writing conferences across the country. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Mock has made a documentary on Lamott, entitled Bird by Bird with Annie (1999). Anne Lamott has also been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Anne Lamott, Somehow: Thoughts on Love is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures
Lead Sponsor: Lynda Weinman & Bruce Heavin
Tickets are $32 – $57 / $16 UCSB students (Current student ID required)
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu; or The Arlington Theatre, (805) 963-4408
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges 2024-2025 Season Sponsor Sara Miller McCune.
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2024-2025 season.