An essayist, humorist, and best-selling author, David Sedaris uses his keen wit, candor, and observation to illuminate life’s ironies and hypocrisies through a personal lens. Most of his books are essay collections, which in addition to Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), include Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004), When You Are Engulfed in Flames (2008), and Calypso (2018). In addition to several other books, he released a memoir, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls (2013). His lighthearted approach to examining social issues has made him a popular radio personality on NPR and a regular contributor to many publications including The New York Times. He is often sought as a speaker and performs to sold-out crowds every year.

Sedaris was born in New York yet raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, to a Greek American family. He realized that he was gay while in high school, as outlined in his essay “I Like Guys” from the book Naked. He developed a crush on a fellow camper one summer. When his father found out David was gay, he kicked him out of the house, but David moved back in a few days later.