Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson’s new Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) is by turns hysterically funny, endearingly odd, and—surprisingly—very moving. By email, the Texan also known as “The Blogess” recently discussed her anxiety about public appearances for Let’s Pretend (Amy Einhorn Books, $26.95). “I still rely on anti-anxiety drugs,” says Lawson, “but the most helpful thing is knowing that if I had to hide in the bathroom to hyperventilate before a reading, people would be okay with it and would understand. That’s they benefit of being a known psychopath.” Who are her non-psychotic literary idols? “Neil Gaiman, Dorothy Parker, Ray Bradbury, and David Sedaris.” And what does Lawson’s young daughter, often featured on her blog, think of her writing career? “She’s seven. She’s fairly unimpressed with the whole thing, but she once saw someone ask me for my autograph, and she was in complete awe.” DEBORAH SUSSMAN

Thu., Aug. 16, 8 p.m., 2012