Humorist David Sedaris returns to Artis―Naples with a lot on his mind.
He’s a best-selling author who’s penned books, diaries and more for nearly a quarter-century, beginning with his popular essay “Santaland Diaries” in 1992.
Sedaris’ best-selling books have included “Naked” in 1997, “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” (2004) and “Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls” (2013).
“When I write about something I try to write about in a way that everyone can relate too even if it’s an experience that not everybody has had,” Sedaris said in a telephone interview.
Here’s some of the questions the Naples Daily News asked Sedaris.
What do you think is really funny?
“Gosh, people falling down. That’s always funny, when you go on YouTube and Instagram and see all these videos. There’s a good one too where a woman is on ice skates where she skates into a street lamp and falls on her (behind).”
What’s your favorite book?
Sedaris referred to “The Easter Parade: A Novel” by Richard Yates, a 2001 book about two sisters and their story over four decades.
“I just find so much to admire,” said Sedaris, noting he reads the book every summer. “I don’t need to read things that are like my stuff. I don’t need to read funny things. I don’t seek it out.
“I like a sad book and it every summer.”
Humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 2, 2025, at Artis―Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. (Photo by Anne Fishbein)
Sedaris says most any experience is worth writing about
“That’s the good thing about being a writer,” he said. “It’s all material.”
“I started this year with seven new essays,” Sedaris said, pointing out he reads them aloud then writes and rewrite it.
Author David Sedaris in New York on Aug. 3, 2018.
He also said he enjoys testing his writing on stage to find out what lines elicit the more funny responses.
“I like being able to work it out on the road like this, especially when you’re hoping to get laughs.”
Who’d you invite to a dinner party?
“Oh gosh, I’d rather work at a dinner party than invite people there.”
Sedaris said he’d prefer to “refill their water glasses and take dishes away.”
But if he had to pick, he’d choose at his party author, essayist and fellow Southerner Flannery O’Connor; poet, literary critic, wisecracker and fiction writer Dorothy Parker; and Cole Porter, a composer and songwriter whose hits included “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
“That would be an interesting threesome,” Sedaris added.
What’s the latest project
He said his latest book, a collection of personal essays, will be “The Land and its People,” which publishes in 2026.
Know before you go
Where: Artis―Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples
When: 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2
Cost: From $65
More: artisnaples.org
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: When is David Sedaris coming to Naples Florida and how to get tickets
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