Press ReleaseLocal Libraries LIT : Sloane Crosley


Local Libraries LIT opens the second season with New York Times bestselling author Sloane Crosley Nov. 9

Sloane Crosley, a fiercely funny author and essayist who the New York Times called, “an incisive observer of human nature,” will be the fourth speaker in the Local Libraries LIT (Listen, Initiate, Talk) series.

Crosley is the author of the New York Times bestselling essay collections, "I Was Told There’d Be Cake" and "How Did You Get This Number." The former was a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor and was described as “perfectly, relentlessly funny” by David Sedaris. The debut novel, "The Clasp," was a national bestseller, a New York Times editor’s choice, and has been optioned for film by Universal Pictures. Sloane’s most recent book of essays, "Look Alive Out There," was met with high praise. Steve Martin said of the collection, “Sloane Crosley does the impossible. She stays consistently funny and delivers a book that is alive and jumping.”

In 2011, Sloane co-created sadstuffonthestreet.com, a blog dedicated to sad/funny curbside detritus. In 2017, Sloane co-wrote a book inspired by the blog called "The Sad Stuff on the Street," and 100% of the proceeds from the book go to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Sloane was the inaugural columnist for the New York Times Op-Ed “Townies” series and is featured in The Library of America’s 50 Funniest American Writers, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and was a 2018 Yaddo fellow. Sloane is working on "Cult Classic: A Novel" for publication in June 2022. 

Local Libraries LIT is a partnership between every public library in Johnson County, University of Iowa Libraries, Kirkwood Community College Library, and The Tuesday Agency. The speaker series is designed to fuel actions to grow communities in which everyone thrives. 

How to register

Registration is open until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at icpl.org/local-libraries-LIT.

While the event is free and open to the general public, financial contributions will be welcomed to support local libraries and to fund future programs in this series.

Questions? Contact:

Patty McCarthy, Iowa City Public Library Development Office Coordinator 319-356-5249.

The Iowa City Public Library is a center of community life that connects people of all ages with information, engages them with the world of ideas and with each other, and enriches the community by supporting learning, promoting literacy, and encouraging creativity.

Local Libraries LIT : Sloane Crosley