Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 8:00 pmBass Concert Hall$10.00-42.00SAVE 15%Buy tickets with aseason subscriptionBUY TICKETS NOWA State of the Union ConversationSponsored by the Schusterman Center for Jewish StudiesPresented in partnership with The Texas TribuneJust a week after the 2012 presidential election, Texas Performing Arts presents a compelling ‘State of the Union’ conversation with two of America’s most respected writers and social commentators. Frank Rich joined New York Magazine in June 2011 as Writer-at-Large, writing monthly on politics and culture, and editing a special monthly section anchored by his essay. He is also a commentator on nymag.com, engaging in regular dialogues on the news of the week.Prior to his days at New York Magazine, he enjoyed a distinguished career at The New York Times, where his Sunday OpEd column helped inaugurate the expanded opinion pages that the paper introduced in the Sunday Week in Review. Before writing his column, Mr. Rich served as The Times’ chief drama critic beginning in 1980, the year he joined the paper.Purveyor of urban cool, witty chronicler of the “me decade,” and the cultural satirist whom many call the heir to Dorothy Parker, Fran Lebowitz remains one of the foremost advocates of the Extreme Statement. Author, journalist, and social commentator, Lebowitz offers insights on timely issues such as gender, race, gay rights, and the media as well as her own pet peeves – including celebrity culture, tourists, and strollers. “Fran Lebowitz’s trademark is the sneer; she disapproves of virtually everything except sleep, cigarette smoking, and good furniture. Her essays and topical interviews on subjects ranging from the difficulty of finding an acceptable apartment to the art of freeloading at weekend houses have come to be regarded as classics of literary humor and social observation.” THE PARIS REVIEW“Whatever you think about Rich’s opinions, there’s no denying that he’s an impressive writer and thinker.” THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWSPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENT On Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 PM Drash Pit and Bookwoman ‘Lay On The Lebowitz.’ Working as warm-up for a Fran Lebowitz/Frank Rich “State of the Union” event Nov. 14 at Bass Concert Hall, the Drash Pit reading troupe plans to make you laugh, groan and jones to experience Lebowitz in her full glory. Lebowitz is the smart, snarky barb. And, we’re the readers to do her wise ass words justice. Though the sly, social commentator’s writer block is as famous as her sneer – her first book, Metropolitan Life, saw daylight in 1978, her “latest” effort, Social Studies, was published in 1981- Drash Pit’s band of puckish readers have unearthed a plethora of her biting bon mots for your listening pleasure. Come to Bookwoman dressed like Lebowitz, toke on candy cigarettes, perfect a trademark sneer, catch clips from Public Speaking, the Martin Scorsese documentary she inspired, enjoy a raucous reading and put your name in the hat to win a pair of free tickets for the Fran Lebowitz/Frank Rich event. Drash Pit’s ‘Laying on the Lebowitz’ is cosponsored by Bookwoman, Texas Performing Arts, and the Jewish Community Center of Austin. Bookwoman is located at 5501 North Lamar. www.ebookwoman.comREVIEWS, RESOURCES AND MORE Review of the new political humor HBO series staring Julia Louis-Dreyfus from executive producer Frank Rich – Los Angeles TimesOther Performances You May Enjoy