2011 New Yorker Festival

After a couple fallow years (IMHO), the New Yorker Festival has come back this year with a vengeance. I imagine there will be quite a few hot tickets this year, including the likes of: The National, St. Vincent, Scissor Sisters, Frank Gehry, Nancy Pelosi, The Moth: Tales Out of School 3, Steve Martin, Zach Galifianakis, Aziz Ansari, Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson, Chris Colfer, Laura Dern, Edie Falco, William H. Macy, Jeremy Irons, Ellen Barkin, Nancy Pelosi and David Cronenberg. That list, of course, doesn’t even cover the New Yorker Festival’s perennial favorite scribes like: Jonathan Franzen, Junot Diaz, Jhumpa Lahiri, Nicole Krauss, Gary Shteyngart, Jeffrey Eugenides and Malcolm Gladwell, who are also on the bill for this year’s fest.

Ticket information and the full 2011 New Yorker Festival lineup after the jump.

FRIDAY / SEPTEMBER 30

FICTION NIGHT / DISCUSSIONS AMONG WRITERS

The Dark Side
With T. Coraghessan Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, and George Saunders.
Moderated by Deborah Treisman.
7 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($27)

War
With Chang-rae Lee, Tim O’Brien, and ZZ Packer.
Moderated by Cressida Leyshon.
7 P.M. (Le) Poisson Rouge • 158 Bleecker Street ($27)
(Please note: you must be 21 to be admitted to this venue.)

Writing About America
With Junot Díaz, Jennifer Egan, and Yiyun Li.
Moderated by Lee Ellis.
9:30 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($27)

The Writer’s Writer
With Jeffrey Eugenides, Nicole Krauss, and Jhumpa Lahiri.
Moderated by Deborah Treisman.
9:30 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($27)

Alternative Realities
With Karen Russell, Gary Shteyngart, and Colson Whitehead.
Moderated by Willing Davidson.
9:30 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($27)

Exile
With Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Aleksandar Hemon, and Hisham Matar.
Moderated by Philip Gourevitch.
9:30 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($27)

ABOUT TOWN

Sunset on Spruce
Frank Gehry will lead a guided tour of his first skyscraper, at 8 Spruce Street, and discuss the building with Paul Goldberger. Cocktails will be served.
6 P.M. New York by Gehry • 8 Spruce Street ($100)

FRIDAY NIGHT SNEAK PREVIEW

“Anonymous”
A special screening of “Anonymous,” inspired by the theory that the works of Shakespeare were written by the Earl of Oxford. After the screening, Larissa MacFarquhar will talk with the film’s director, Roland Emmerich, and the Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro.
6 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($35)

IN CONVERSATION

Peter Schjeldahl talks with Steve Martin
All about art.
7 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($35)

St. Vincent talks with Sasha Frere-Jones / A Conversation with Music
Indie sprite.
9:30 P.M. (Le) Poisson Rouge • 158 Bleecker Street ($35)
(Please note: you must be 21 to be admitted to this venue.)

TALES OUT OF SCHOOL 3 / A NEW YORKER NIGHT WITH THE MOTH

The Moth once again teams up with The New Yorker for an evening of stories about life at the magazine. With Ian Frazier, Raffi Khatchadourian, Jane Kramer, Robert Mankoff, and Michael Specter.
Hosted by Andy Borowitz.
6 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($50)

SATURDAY / OCTOBER 1

IN CONVERSATION

Jonathan Franzen talks with David Remnick
The reliable narrator.
10 A.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($30)

Janet Malcolm talks with Ian Frazier
Deep-focus journalism.
1 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($30)

Geoff Dyer talks with Rebecca Mead
Here and there.
1 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

Richard Dawkins talks with Henry Finder / A Special Family Event
What is reality?
4 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)
(Recommended for ages ten and up.)

David Cronenberg talks with David Denby
Mind attack.
4 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

TALKS

Roz Chast / Theories of Everything, and Much, Much More
10 A.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($30)

Atul Gawande / Do Surgeons Need Coaches?
10 A.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

PANELS

Sleuths
Watching the detectives.
With Robert Baer, Martin Kemp, William Oldham, and Stacy Schiff.
Moderated by David Grann.
10 A.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

Reporting from the Edge
Covering conflict.
With Lynsey Addario, Jon Lee Anderson, Dexter Filkins, and Wendell Steavenson.
Moderated by Dorothy Wickenden.
1 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

Beyond 3-D
Movie magic.
With Tim Burke, Joe Letteri, Dennis Muren, and Dan Schrecker.
Moderated by Daniel Zalewski.
1 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($30)

Bravura Television
Big roles on the small screen.
With Laura Dern, Edie Falco, William H. Macy, and Jeremy Irons.
Moderated by Tad Friend.
4 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($30)

Capital Punishment
Is the death penalty dying?
With Marc Klaas, Joshua Marquis, Danalynn Recer, and Barry Scheck.
Moderated by Jeffrey Toobin.
4 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($30)

EARLY SHIFT

Amy Poehler talks with Ariel Levy
Blond ambition.
7 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($35)

The National talks with Atul Gawande / A Conversation with Music
Band of brothers.
7 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($35)

Chris Colfer talks with Susan Morrison
Born this way.
7 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($35)

Barbara Cook talks with Nancy Franklin / A Conversation with Music
Broadway baby.
7 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($35)

LATE SHIFT

Zach Galifianakis talks with Andy Borowitz
Beyond the ferns.
10 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($35)

Owen Wilson talks with Michael Specter
The story of O.
10 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($35)

Scissor Sisters talk with John Seabrook / A Conversation with Music
All that glitters.
10 P.M. Gramercy Theatre • 127 East 23rd Street ($35)
(Please note: you must be 21 to be admitted to this venue.)

Aziz Ansari talks with Kelefa Sanneh
In your face.
10 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($35)

Ellen Barkin talks with John Lahr
Drop-dead gorgeous.
10 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($35)

SUNDAY / OCTOBER 2

ABOUT TOWN

Morning at the Frick
Peter Schjeldahl will lead his fourth annual tour of the museum before public hours begin, followed by coffee and conversation.
10 A.M. The Frick Collection • 1 East 70th Street ($75)

Come Hungry
For the eleventh year, Calvin Trillin will lead a tasting walk through Chinatown and Greenwich Village, stopping at his favorite eateries.
11 A.M. • Ticket buyers will be contacted concerning the location. ($120)

Inside the Artist’s Studio
Jacob Collins will conduct a special drawing demonstration at his studio and talk with Adam Gopnik about his craft.
11 A.M. • Ticket buyers will be contacted concerning the location. ($50)

High on the Hog
April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman will talk with Lauren Collins about the rise of the New York gastropub, as a multi-course brunch is served.
12 noon. The Breslin Bar and Dining Room at the Ace Hotel • 16 West 29th Street ($125)
(This venue is not wheelchair-accessible.)

Beyond Words
Mary Ellen Mark and Martin Schoeller, who are featured in the Howard Greenberg Gallery’s “Beyond Words: Photography in The New Yorker,” an exhibition of images from the magazine, will discuss their work with Elisabeth Biondi. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
12 noon. The Howard Greenberg Gallery • 41 East 57th Street ($75)

The Cartoon Caption Game
Turn on the funny at a live version of The New Yorker’s Cartoon Caption Contest, hosted by Robert Mankoff. Emily Flake, Zachary Kanin, and Paul Noth will judge the results. Cocktails will be served.
1 P.M. Condé Nast Executive Dining Room • 4 Times Square, entrance on 43rd Street ($50)

IN CONVERSATION

Nancy Pelosi talks with Jane Mayer
Minority report.
1 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 • 508 West 37th Street ($30)

Shigeru Ban talks with Judith Thurman
Shelter from the storm.
1 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON SNEAK PREVIEW

“Coriolanus”
A special screening of “Coriolanus,” a contemporary version of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, which will be released in theatres on December 2nd. After the screening, Anthony Lane will talk with the director and star, Ralph Fiennes.
12 noon. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($35)

TALKS

Malcolm Gladwell / The Virtues of Obnoxiousness
1 P.M. SVA Theatre 1 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

Rebecca Mead / “Middlemarch” and Me
4 P.M. SVA Theatre 2 • 333 West 23rd Street ($30)

James Surowiecki / Out of Our Control: Playing with Other People’s Money
4 P.M. Directors Guild Theatre • 110 West 57th Street ($30)

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Tickets for The New Yorker Festival will go on sale at 12 noon E.T. on Friday, September 9th. There are several ways to purchase tickets:

Online: Get tickets at newyorker.com/festival
By phone: Call 800-440-6974
At SVA Theatre: Ten per cent of tickets to all events will be available at the theatre, at 333 West 23rd Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). Tickets will be sold on Friday, September 30th, from 12 noon to 4 P.M. First come, first served.
At the door: A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door to each event one hour before start time, with the exception of Morning at the Frick, Come Hungry, the Cartoon Caption Game, Beyond Words, High on the Hog, Inside the Artist’s Studio, and Sunset on Spruce. First come, first served. Cash only.

Will-call orders may be picked up at the door one hour before start time. All international orders will be held at will call.

As a special offer to MasterCard cardholders, a limited number of tickets for select events will be made available beginning at 12 noon E.T. on Thursday, September 8th, and continuing until 11:30 A.M. Friday, September 9th. To purchase these advance tickets with your MasterCard card while supplies last, go to newyorker.com/festival. (Online only.)

All programming is subject to change. Please note that purchases are subject to service charges. New York City taxes may be applicable for certain events.

BOOK SIGNINGS (12 noon to 5 P.M. – FREE)

MCNALLY JACKSON BOOKS 52 Prince Street

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

12 noon
Andy Borowitz – “The Fifty Funniest American Writers*: A Humor Anthology from Mark Twain to The Onion (*according to Andy Borowitz)”
Jorge Colombo – “New York: Finger Paintings by Jorge Colombo”

1 P.M.
T. Coraghessan Boyle – “When the Killing’s Done”
Joyce Carol Oates – “A Widow’s Story”

2 P.M.
Karen Russell – “Swamplandia!”
Gary Shteyngart – “Super Sad True Love Story”

3 P.M.
Calvin Trillin – “Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin”
Dorothy Wickenden – “Nothing Daunted”

4 P.M.
Geoff Dyer – “Otherwise Known as the Human Condition”
and “The Missing of the Somme”
Jennifer Egan – “A Visit from the Goon Squad”

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2

12 noon
Hisham Matar – “Anatomy of a Disappearance”

1 P.M.
Richard Dawkins – “The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True”

2 P.M.
Jonathan Franzen – “Freedom”
Colson Whitehead – “Zone One”

3 P.M.
Roz Chast – “What I Hate: From A to Z”

The 2011 program schedule will appear in the September 12th issue of The New Yorker, on newsstands September 5th. The Festival schedule will also be posted on the same date on newyorker.com/festival.