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NEWS & EVENTS

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

Sat., Oct. 2, 2015

9 a.m. (bright & early!)

Berkeley

"Living with Richard Pryor: A Biographer's Tale"

A Homecoming event on the UC-Berkeley campus

Maude Fife Room (Wheeler 315)

Recent News and Reviews

Becoming Richard Pryor longlisted for PEN Biography Prize!

 

A wonderful feature on Pryor and the book in The New Yorker by critic Joan Acocella.

 

The San Francisco Chronicle publishes twin features on Becoming Richard Pryor—one on the book, another on its companion website.

 

"Richard Pryor taught us offensive comedy can liberate": a thoughtful review in The New Republic.

 

An excerpt—on Pryor's vexed performance at a 1977 gay rights benefit—in The Guardian. 

 

Becoming Richard Pryor recommended as a holiday gift by the 

New York Times.

 

On Fresh Air with Terry Gross, talking about Richard Pryor and his artistic legacy.

 

"Killing It in Berkeley": an excellent feature on Pryor's time in Berkeley from California magazine.

 

On MS-NBC's "The Cycle".

 

On KQED's Forum with Michael Krasny.

 

On "The Leonard Lopate Show" (WNYC).

 

An excerpt—on Pryor's collaboration with Lily Tomlin and That Nigger's Crazy—in The Nation.

 

"Saturday Night Live's Edgiest Night": an excerpt in Salon.

 

"Pimp's Progress: How Richard Pryor Made The Mack His Own": an excerpt in Deadspin.

 

"Richard Pryor, Burning Man": an excellent feature on the book in Newsweek.

 

"How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby": a Q&A and excerpt in The Daily Beast.

 

An extensive and illustration-rich Q&A in VICE.

 

A Berkeley-centered Q&A in Berkeleyside.

 

A Peoria-centered exploration of the book and its digital companion in Peoria Arts & Society magazine.

 

Click for reviews and other coverage in the Chicago TribuneCleveland Plain Dealer, Empire (UK), Flavorwire, Georgia Straight, The Independent (UK), the National MemoNew York magazine, the New York Times, Paste, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Sunday Times (UK)TIME MagazineUSA TodayVogue, and Vulture.

 

 

Past Events

Apr. 24-Apr. 27, 2015

Midwest Tour

 

 

 

 

April 24, 3 pm: Loyola University, Chicago (Galvin Auditorium)

 

April 25, 3 pm: Rhythm Kitchen, Peoria, Illinois

 

April 26, 4 pm: "Rickipedia" conversation with celebrated author Rick Perlstein, Seminary Co-op (5751 S. Woodlawn Ave, Chicago)

 

April 27, 4:30 pm: Northwestern University (Leopold Room, Harris Hall)

"On Culture, Comedy and Richard Pryor":

a very special conversation with comedian W. Kamau Bell

Berkeley JCC (1414 Walnut Street, Berkeley). Tickets purchased here!

Tues. May 5, 2015

8 pm

Berkeley

Mar. 24-Apr. 1, 2015

East Coast Tour

 

 

March 24, 3:30 pm: U Mass-Lowell (478 O'Leary Library)

 

March 27, noon:  George Washington University (Rome Hall 771)

 

March 30, 5 pm: Yale University (New Haven Free Public Library)

 

April 1, 4 pm: Columbia University (601 Fairchild Hall) 

 

Mar. 3, 2015

San Francisco

 

Scott Saul discusses Becoming Richard Pryor at Booksmith.

 

Booksmith
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, Calif.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
7:30 p.m.

Mar. 9, 2015

Corte Madera

Scott Saul discusses Becoming Richard Pryor at Book Passage (Marin)

 

Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera
Monday, March 9, 2015
7 p.m.

Feb. 8, 2015

W. Hollywood

Scott Saul discusses Becoming Richard Pryor at Book Soup.

 

Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, Calif.
Sunday, Feb, 8, 2015
4 p.m.

Scott Saul discusses Becoming Richard Pryor at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore.

 

Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore
2904 College Avenue (corner of Russell and College)
Berkeley, California
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015
7:30 p.m.

 

Jan. 29, 2015

Berkeley, Calif.

Dec. 15, 2014
NYC

 

Scott Saul, Mark Whitaker (Bill Cosby), and Mel Watkins (On the Real Side) in dialogue with noted critic Gary Giddins (Visions of Jazz)
 
The Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY
Elebash Recital Hall
365 5th Ave. (NE corner of 34th St.)
Dec. 15, 2014, 6:30 p.m.

 

Gary Giddins, director of CUNY's Leon Levy Center for Biography, will be moderating a conversation with myself, Mark Whitaker (author of a recent biography of Bill Cosby), and Mel Watkins (author of the groundbreaking On the Real Side), about the history of African-American comedy and its two seminal postwar figures.

 

Historian and writer

SCOTT SAUL

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