{"id":671,"date":"2015-02-11T09:50:13","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T14:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/events\/?page_id=671"},"modified":"2025-08-29T14:32:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:32:51","slug":"past-lectures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/annual-events\/twain\/past-lectures\/","title":{"rendered":"Past Lectures & Events"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rainnn Wilson (2025)<\/h2>\n
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March 28, 2025 7:00 PM \u2013 8:30 PM<\/h2>\n

Flickr Album from Event<\/a><\/p>\n

Rainn Wilson is an Emmy-nominated and SAG award-winning actor best known for playing the inimitable \u201cDwight Schrute\u201d for nine seasons on NBC\u2019s \u201cThe Office.\u201d He recently wrapped \u201cLessons in Chemistry\u201d with Brie Larson for Apple TV+ and the unscripted travel series \u201cRainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss,\u201d which aired on Peacock in May of 2023. Wilson has an MFA from New York University at the Tisch School of the Arts and spent 10 years doing theater in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. He founded the digital media company, Soul Pancake. He is the author of \u201cThe Bassoon King\u201d and the NYT bestselling \u201cSoulPancake: Chew on Life\u2019s Big Questions.\u201d His newest book, \u201cSoul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution,\u201d is also a NYT bestseller.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Matt Friend (\u201cLaughing to the Polls,\u201d 2024)<\/h2>\n
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September 27, 2024 7:00 PM \u2013 8:30 PM<\/h2>\n

Flickr Album from Event<\/a><\/p>\n

Matt Friend<\/b>\u00a0is an old soul living inside a 25-year-old comedian\/actor\/impressionist\u2019s body. He graduated from NYU\u2019s Gallatin School in 2020, but his love of comedy and entertainment was sparked when he was four years old. Friend had watched \u201cAustin Powers\u201d (yes, as a four-year-old) and started mimicking the characters\u2019 voices\u2014and the rest was history. To date, he has over a million followers on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and across all socials. Friend has appeared on \u201cThe Howard Stern Show,\u201d MSNBC, \u201cThe Today Show,\u201d \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!,\u201d NBC\u2019s \u201cNew York Live,\u201d \u201cGood Day L.A.,\u201d \u201cGood Day NY,\u201d \u201cGood Morning Washington,\u201d and WGN. In 2019, he won Kenan Thompson\u2019s Ultimate Comedy Experience at Carolines on Broadway. His repertoire includes more than 250 impressions ranging from Rami Malek to Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet. His favorite impression at the moment is Jennifer Coolidge. Friend has voiced multiple characters for \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d and \u201cFamily Guy.\u201d He made an appearance on \u201cDick Clark\u2019s New Year\u2019s Rockin\u2019 Eve\u201d and hosted megaviral comedy interviews on the Golden Globes Red Carpet. Friend recently surprised President Joe Biden while performing at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner alongside \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d star Colin Jost and he recently headlined the Netflix is a Joke Festival during his nationwide standup comedy tour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Randy Rainbow (2024)<\/h2>\n
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March 30, 2024 7:00 PM \u2013 8:30 PM<\/h2>\n

Flickr Album from Event<\/a>
\nRandy Rainbow is a New York Times best-selling author and four-time EMMY\u00ae nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer, and satirist known for his popular YouTube series, \u201cThe Randy Rainbow Show.\u201d His memoir, \u201cPlaying with Myself,\u201d has received rave reviews and landed him on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The Los Angeles Times accurately points out that in his book Rainbow \u201cvividly recollects the alienation so many LGBTQ+ youth experience.\u201d
\nMusical theater was an escape for Rainbow that helped catapult his career. His musical parodies and political spoofs have garnered him worldwide acclaim and three EMMY\u00ae nominations for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. In 2019, Randy collaborated with TONY, GRAMMY, and EMMY\u00ae-winning composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, on his first studio album, \u201cHey Gurl, It\u2019s Christmas!,\u201d which debuted at #1 on Billboard\u2019s Comedy chart and #1 on iTunes Holiday chart. Touring the U.S. to sold-out crowds, the influencer and Internet sensation\u2019s viral comedy videos have received hundreds of millions of views across all social media and digital platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dulc\u00e9 Sloan (2023)<\/h2>\n
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March 24, 2023 7:30PM \u2013 9:00PM<\/h2>\n

Flickr Album from Event<\/a>
\nAs a correspondent on Comedy Central\u2019s \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d with Trevor Noah and hailed by Variety Magazine as a Top 10 Comedian to Watch, Dulc\u00e9 Sloan is one of the sharpest, fastest rising voices in comedy. Bust Magazine calls her \u201ccomedy gold\u201d while Indiewire describes her as \u201ca fresh and unique voice in the world of stand-up comedy.\u201d She was included in Variety Magazine\u2019s prestigious Top 10 Comedians to Watch list, and SLiNK Magazine crowned her \u201cThe New Queen of Comedy.\u201d Rolling Stone hailed her as one of the 10 Comedians You Need to Know.
\nSloan co-hosts a podcast called \u201cHold Up\u201d with \u201cDaily Show\u201d writer Josh Johnson. She is a favorite on the comedy festival circuit, with appearances at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Melbourne Comedy Festival, and the Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver installments of the Just for Laughs Festival. She tours nationally and internationally, performing her signature stand-up to sold out audiences at clubs and theaters across the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Reese Waters (2022)<\/h2>\n
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April 1, 2022 @ 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.<\/h2>\n

Flickr Album from Event<\/a>
\nWhen New York magazine tapped Reese Waters<\/strong> as one of the city\u2019s Ten Comedians to Watch in 2009, few realized just how quickly his star would rise. In 2010, Waters brought comedy truth to sports as co-host of \u201cThe Daily Line\u201d on Versus. His most memorable interview was \u201cTea with Tyson,\u201d where he managed to get Mike Tyson to open up to him about his love for pigeons and his hatred of cannoli. Waters made appearances on both \u201cThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson\u201d and \u201cThe Late Show with David Letterman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waters returned to his hometown D.C. in 2018 to bring his insight, comedy and commentary to morning news in creating and hosting the Emmy Award winning \u201cGet Up DC.\u201d He currently hosts \u201cOpen Mic with Reese Waters\u201d on WUSA 9 and \u201cThe Reese Waters Show\u201d podcast on the Audacy App\u2019s \u201cThe Team 980.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Janelle James (2021)<\/h2>\n
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April 10, 2021 @ 7:30 p.m. (Virtual Event)<\/h2>\n

Janelle James<\/strong> is a Los Angeles-based comedian who can be seen on \u201cThe Comedy Lineup\u201d on Netflix, \u201cLate Night with Seth Meyers,\u201d and \u201cCrashing\u201d (HBO). James\u2019s debut comedy album, \u201cBlack and Mild,\u201d was released on September 29, 2017 on all major streaming networks. James is currently a staff writer on \u201cBlack Monday\u201d on Showtime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Jordan Klepper (“Laughing to the Polls,” 2020)<\/h2>\n
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October 13, 2020 @ 7:30 p.m. (Virtual Event)<\/h2>\n

Jordan Klepper<\/strong> is currently covering the 2020 Presidential Election for “The Daily Show” in his recurring \u201cJordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse\u201d segments.<\/p>\n

He is the creator and star of the Comedy Central docu-series, “Klepper. The show has been called \u201ca fresh, powerful interpretation of news\u201d (Detroit Free Press) that brings Klepper to \u201cnew comedic heights\u201d (Vanity Fair). He was formerly host and executive producer of the weeknight Comedy Central talk show, “The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Roy Wood Jr. (2019)<\/h2>\n
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April 12, 2019 @ 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.<\/h2>\n

Roy Wood Jr.\u2019s comedy has entertained millions across stage, television and radio. In 2015, Wood joined as a correspondent on Comedy Central\u2019s Emmy-nominated hit series, \u201cThe Daily Show with Trevor Noah.\u201d In 2017, he was named the new host of Comedy Central\u2019s storytelling series, \u201cThis is Not Happening,\u201d which will launch a fifth season next year. His first Comedy Central one hour stand-up special, \u201cFather Figure,\u201d premiered in 2017 along with an extended uncensored album of the same name released by Comedy Central Records. His second Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, \u201cRoy Wood Jr.: No One Loves You,\u201d will premiere at the beginning of 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tig Notaro (2018)<\/h2>\n
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April 20, 2018 @ 7:30 pm \u2013 9:30 pm<\/h3>\n

Notaro is a comedian, actor and writer originally from Mississippi, who Rolling Stone named one of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time. She writes, produces and stars in the semi-autobiographical Amazon series, \u201cOne Mississippi.\u201d Season 1 yielded several nominations including WGA, GLAAD and The Critic\u2019s Choice Awards. Notaro was also nominated for an Emmy as well as a Grammy for her 2016 HBO special \u201cBoyish Girl Interrupted,\u201d a GLAAD Award nomination for the Netflix Original Documentary \u201cTig,\u201d and her memoir \u201cI\u2019m Just a Person\u201d is a New York Times Bestseller.<\/p>\n

In 2013, Notaro was nominated for a Grammy Award for her sophomore release, \u201cLive,\u201d which sold over 100,000 units in just six weeks. \u201cLive\u201d is a stand-up set delivered just days after she was diagnosed with invasive bilateral breast cancer, of which she is now in remission. Notaro remains a favorite on late night talk shows, public radio, tours around the world regularly and most recently sold out Carnegie Hall. In her time off, Notaro enjoys bird watching with her wife Stephanie, their twin sons and cat Fluff, at home in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Scott Dikkers (2017)<\/h2>\n
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April 21, 2017 @ 7:30 pm \u2013 10:00 pm<\/h3>\n

“The Real Story of Fake News”
\nIn a hilarious and insightful lecture, Scott Dikkers will chronicle the early years and influence of The Onion. He will examine the mayhem that he and his ragtag band of college dropouts who founded The Onion nearly 30 years ago have wrought on current events, modern politics, and satirical news outlets such as \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d and \u201cThe Daily Show.\u201d He\u2019ll look at the rise of fake news online through the prism of The Onion\u2019s founding, how he helped to redefined satire in the last quarter century, leading to the 2016 presidential election and the ethical dilemmas journalists face today, when the public accepts fake news as real. With the tools of a journalist and the savvy of a comedian, Dikkers will help us make sense of the nonsense.<\/p>\n

Scott Dikkers is the founding editor of The Onion, the satirical news website and its predecessor, the Onion newspaper. He is a number one New York Times bestselling author and editor of numerous books, among them The Onion\u2019s \u201cOur Dumb Century\u201d and \u201cOur Dumb World.\u201d His book, \u201cHow to Write Funny,\u201d is a step-by-step guide to his process for creating humorous content. For his work with The Onion, its website and other ancillary products, Dikkers earned the #43 spot on Time magazine\u2019s list of the Top 50 \u201cCyber Elite\u201d in 2005.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

W. Kamau Bell (“Laughing to the Polls,” 2016)<\/h2>\n
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September 15, 2016, 8:00 PM<\/h3>\n

W. Kamau Bell is a comedian, political satirist, and host of CNN’s “United Shades of America,” which has been nominated for an Emmy in 2016.<\/p>\n

Called \u201cthe most promising new talent in political comedy in many years\u201d by the New York Times, Bell has released two stand-up comedy albums: \u201cOne Night Only\u201d and \u201cFace Full of Flour.\u201d \u201cFace Full of Flour\u201d was named one of the Top 10 Best Comedy Albums of the year by iTunes and Punchline Magazine.<\/p>\n

Bell has appeared on various Comedy Central programs including \u201cJohn Oliver\u2019s New York Stand-up Show,\u201d and other programs including HBO\u2019s \u201cReal Time with Bill Maher,\u201d \u201cWTF with Marc Maron,\u201d \u201cThe Rachel Maddow Show,\u201d \u201cFresh Air with Terry Gross,\u201d \u201cThe Nerdest,\u201d and \u201cThe American Life,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

David Sedaris (2016)<\/h2>\n
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April 15, 2016, 7:30 PM<\/h3>\n

David Sedaris is an American humorist, author and radio contributor. He is credited as a \u201cmaster of satire\u201d and \u201cone of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is the author of Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays: Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and most recently, Let\u2019s Explore Diabetes with Owls, each of which became an immediate bestseller. His writing appears regularly in The New Yorker and twice has been included in \u201cThe Best American Essays.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Aasif Mandvi (2015)<\/h2>\n
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April 24, 2015, 7:30 p.m.<\/h3>\n

Aasif Mandvi is best known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central\u2019s \u201cThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart.\u201d He has also appeared in several other television shows, including: \u201cUs & Them,\u201d \u201cJericho,\u201d \u201cE.R.,\u201d \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d \u201cSex & the City,\u201d \u201cSleeper Cell,\u201d \u201cThe Sopranos,\u201d \u201cThe Bedford Diaries,\u201d \u201cOz,\u201d \u201cCSI,\u201d \u201cLaw & Order,\u201d and \u201cTanner on Tanner.\u201d This summer, he will co-star opposite Jack Black in the new HBO series, \u201cThe Brink.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sarah Vowell (2014)<\/h2>\n
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April 11, 2014, 7:30 PM<\/h3>\n

\"vowell\"Sarah Vowell is the New York Times\u2019 bestselling author of six nonfiction books on American history and culture. By examining the connections between the American past and present, she offers personal, often humorous accounts of everything from presidents and their assassins to colonial religious fanatics, as well as thoughts on American Indians, utopian dreamers, pop music and the odd cranky cartographer. Vowell\u2019s most recent book, Unfamiliar Fishes<\/em> (2011) is the intriguing history of our 50th state, Hawaii, annexed in 1898. Replete with a cast of beguiling and often tragic characters, including an overthrown Hawaiian queen, whalers, missionaries, sugar barons, Teddy Roosevelt and assorted con men, Unfamiliar Fishes<\/em> is another history lesson in Americana as only Vowell can tell it \u2013 with brainy wit and droll humor. Vowell has made numerous appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O\u2019Brien and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She is the voice of teen superhero Violet Parr in Brad Bird\u2019s Academy Award-winning The Incredibles<\/em>, a Pixar Animation Studios film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

John Hodgman (2013)<\/h2>\n
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April 20, 2013, 7:30 PM<\/h3>\n

\"hodgman\"John Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. The publication of his latest book, That is All<\/em>,\u00a0caps off his trilogy (Books One and Two: The Areas of My Expertise<\/em>\u00a0and More Information Than You Require<\/em>, respectively) of satirical almanacs that chronicle Complete World Knowledge with each page including a fictionalized calendar of events leading to the end of the world (Ragnarok) on December 21, 2012. Each book in the series was a New York Times Bestseller. John is also known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long’s personification of a Mac in Apple’s “Get a Mac” advertising campaign, and for his correspondent work on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart<\/em>. Most recently, John appeared on HBO\u2019s Bored to Death<\/em>. His work has also appeared in McSweeney\u2019s, The Paris Review, The New York Times Magazine, and on NPR\u2019s This American Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Promotional Material<\/h3>\n