David Sedaris
American humorist and author. Born in Johnson City, New York, Sedaris grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He attended both Western Carolina University and Kent State University before graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While working odd jobs in Raleigh, New York City, and Chicago, a lucky encounter with radio host Ira Glass led to the National Public Radio broadcast of Sedaris reading "SantaLand Diaries," his hilarious memoir of working as an elf assistant to a department-store Santa. An immediate hit with listeners, Sedaris became a regular contributor to Glass's
This American Life program on NPR, recounting ostensibly autobiographical tales of his upbringing, his struggles with work and with drugs, and much else. These pieces have been collected in nine best-selling books, from Barrel Fever (1994) to Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls (2013). Sedaris presently lives in England. See also davidsedarisbooks.com.