February 16, 2006

Talented author Anne Lamott and singer-songwriter
Mary Chapin Carpenter join forces for a special evening
of words and music at UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• Anne Lamott & Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Two acclaimed artists from two different genres unite words and music in one innovative performance
• Lamott is the best-selling author of Plan B, Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies and Operating Instructions
• Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards, two CMA awards and sold over 12 million albums
• Tuesday, April 4 / 8 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General public: $40 / UCSB students: $19
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535

Anne Lamott and Mary Chapin Carpenter will come together to present a special evening of words and music on Tuesday, April 4 at 8 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. Anne Lamott is the author of six novels including Hard Laughter, Rosie, Joe Jones, All New People and Crooked Little Heart (the sequel to Rosie), as well as the best-selling nonfiction books Plan B, Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies and Operating Instructions. Mary Chapin Carpenter is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who has sold over twelve million albums. Her most recent release Between Here and Gone is her 10th album (including two compilations) and her first set of new material since 2001’s Time*Sex*Love.

Anne Lamott confronts life’s brutal truths with a self-effacing humor, ruthless honesty and unerring faith. Carpenter has garnered tremendous acclaim with records that are smart, revealing and emotionally complex. The unlikely pairing of these two acclaimed artists will unite two genres grounded in storytelling for an incomparable evening where music and prose come together in what promises to be a poignant and witty performance.

A similar collaboration by Lamott and Chapin Carpenter in 2002 is described by Los Angeles Times critic Marc Weingarten as, “an affecting meditation on the affirming role of emotional faith.” Weingarten continues, “Lamott and Carpenter created a dazzling evening that stripped away showbiz artifice and relied on the enduring power of compelling narrative to hold the sold-out crown in its grip.”

Faith plays an integral role in the lives and works of both of Anne Lamott and Mary Chapin Carpenter and is a resonant theme in their work. Anne Lamott, who communicate her faith in person and through her books, says, “I have a lot of hope and a lot of faith and I struggle to communicate that.” She is frequently heard on National Public Radio, in particular on This American Life. She is also the subject of the documentary Bird by Bird with Annie (1999) by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, about which the Boston Globe wrote, “Lamott’s indefatigable spirit makes the film shimmer.”

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s examination of faith in her latest release is a meditation on themes of coming and going along life’s path. Composed of characters often found adrift on their life’s journeys, Carpenter’s songs also explore the peace brought by arrival. She describes this moment in the vision of paradise she articulates in “My Heaven:” “No one’s lost and no one’s missing / No more partings, just hugs and kissing.”

Hailed as “a dash board light for life’s dark roads” by Entertainment Weekly, Mary Chapin Carpenter’s recent work contemplates emotional and spiritual forms of growth and the search for courage. The Boston Globe writes, “Slowly but surely, Mary Chapin Carpenter has built a repertoire that ranks with the best of her generation....Now, she’s delving more deeply into personal songs that move from matters of the heart to the soul....The new songs [are] mini-masterpieces.” Similarly praised for her shrewd and bold ability to explore life and its realities, The New York Times says, “Lamott is a narrator who has relished and soaked up the details of her existence, equally of mirth and devastation, and spilled them onto her pages.” Don’t miss this unique event of music and narrative featuring two smart, sparkling women.

Courtesy of Borders, books by Anne Lamott will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Anne Lamott & Mary Chapin Carpenter are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by Casa SB, KCBX Public Radio, the Upham Hotel and Borders. Tickets are $40 for the general public and $19 for UCSB students who must show valid ID at ticket purchase and the evening of the show.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.