Calvin Comedy Series presents three consecutive weekends of wit and wisdom

Sardonic wit and incisive social critiques from master of satire David Sedaris on Saturday, October 20th at 8PM

 With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, master of satire David Sedaris slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness as one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. He is the author Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, all bestsellers. There are a total of seven million copies of his books in print and they have been translated into 25 languages. Sedaris’s pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and his original radio pieces can often be heard on This American Life. As funny and moving as his writing is, there is really nothing quite like seeing and hearing Sedaris read in his own voice. Mr. Sedaris will  be available for a limited time after the show to sign books but no photos will be allowed. Local bookseller Broadside Books will be on-site with copies of his books to sell as well as copies of a current Sedaris favorite, “The Bill From My Father” by Bernard Cooper.

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Lewis Black's new Broadway show “Running on Empty” comes to Northampton's Calvin Theatre on Friday, October 26th at 8PM

Two-time Grammy Award winner and New York Times best seller Lewis Black has a lot to say and he doesn’t hold back with his signature comedic rants about pretty much anything that vexes him to the core.  Mr. Black, who began performing on “The Daily Show” when Craig Kilborn was the host, channeled the middle-class outrage that has long been a focus of American politics. For Mr. Black, whose Broadway show “Running on Empty” begins Oct. 9 in New York City and comes to Northampton's Calvin Theatre on Friday, October 26th, anger is not just an emotion. It has a rhythm, an attitude and, of course, a volume.A flagging economy, the 2012 presidential election and a convoluted health care system. And that’s just a pinch of what you’ll get in one of Black’s emotionally-charged tirades that often leave him voiceless.

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That Is All: An Evening with John Hodgman, Friday, November 2nd 8PM with special guest Jonathan Coulton

Daily Show Resident Expert John Hodgman will explain and illustrate most every subject you can imagine, including: how to enjoy fine wine, how to commit the perfect crime, how to make money and find happiness as a deranged millionaire, the coming global superpocalypse known as RAGNAROK, and also, if pressed SPORTS. There will also be some ukulele playing. People who may be pregnant and/or prone to seizures please note: JOHN HODGMAN will be performing without shoes or socks. “That Is All”  is the name of the show but is also the third and final book in a trilogy by John Hodgman which details a bizarre and insanely detailed world. . After the first two books established this vivid and realized world, “That Is All” looks at the collapse and apocalyptic end of the world. It’s hilarious, detailed and rich. At the end of all this silly anarchy, Hodgman forges a fairly profound reflection. We knew Hodgman was a brilliant comedian. “That Is All” shows us something more: he’s a remarkably talented author who can write some shockingly effecting prose.

Jonathan Coulton

Opening the evening, Jonathan Coulton has created a self-sustaining universe of songs and fans that would never have been possible in the pre-internet era. In 2005 Jonathan Coulton dropped out of a perfectly good software career to write music on the internet. He embarked upon a bold experiment called Thing a Week, in which he home-recorded and released a new song every week for an entire year, giving them all away for free. Even he thought he was crazy. But while a struggling music industry fell to pieces over filesharing and shifting business models, Jonathan Coulton quietly and independently amassed a small army of techies, nerds, and dedicated superfans who buy his music even though they don't have to. Seeing your first Coulton show is like walking into an insider club meeting, but one that gleefully welcomes and indoctrinates you in short order.

Tickets are on sale at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413 586 8686 and online at IHEG.com.