Talks & Entertainment

Sally Milz, a sketch writer for the weekly late-night comedy show “The Night Owls,” has long abandoned the search for love. But when Sally’s fellow writer begins dating a glamorous actress, he joins the group of talented but average-looking men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter this week’s host and musical guest, Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models. Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her…right?

With her trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld, the New York Times bestselling author of Rodham, Prep, and Eligible, explores the neurosis-inducing wonder of love while dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age in her latest novel, Romantic Comedy.

Sittenfeld will be in conversation with Martine Powers, the senior host of “Post Reports,” The Washington Post‘s flagship daily news podcast. Book signing to follow.