Him talk in Aspen one day

ASPEN – Humorist David Sedaris will make an appearance in Aspen in November. The event, presented by Utah-based Magic Space Entertainment, in partnership with the Aspen Writers’ Foundation, is set for Nov. 24 at the Wheeler Opera House.Sedaris came to prominence in 1992 when NPR broadcast the writer reading his essay “The SantaLand Diaries,” a first-person account of Sedaris’ job playing an elf at a Macy’s department store. The piece established Sedaris’ voice – witty, insightful, self-deprecating tales of his upbringing in North Carolina, his homosexuality, family, travels, drug use and various jobs.Following the broadcast of “The SantaLand Diaries” – which made him “a minor phenomenon,” according to The New York Times – Sedaris began recording a monthly segment for NPR, and became a frequent contributor to the radio program “This American Life.” In 1994, he published his first book, “Barrel Fever,” a collection of essays and stories. “You know those annoying people who saw Nirvana in a small club back before they became huge? Well, that’s me with David Sedaris,” said Barry Smith, an Aspen Times humor columnist. “I stumbled on his first book, ‘Barrel Fever,’ totally by accident back in the mid-’90s, then saw him do an intimate reading in an L.A. bookstore shortly thereafter. I’ve been a fan ever since, even to the point of portraying him on stage – while wearing elf tights – in ‘The SantaLand Diaries.’ His mastery of the humorous personal essay is something that I continually strive to achieve.”Sedaris followed “Barrel Fever” with several more collections: “Naked,” “Holidays on Ice,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” which earned him the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the title of Humorist of the Year from Time magazine, “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” which hit No. 1 on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and “When You Are Engulfed in Flames.” His most recent book, 2010’s “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary,” was a collection of animal-themed fables and stories.Sedaris, who is 55, is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s “Shouts & Murmurs” column. He has collaborated with his sister Amy Sedaris under the name the Talent Family to write a series of plays, which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center and the Drama Department. Sedaris has also been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album.Tickets for Sedaris’ appearance are on sale to Aspen Writers’ Foundation members. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, May 11, at the Wheeler Opera House box office.stewart@aspentimes.com