Sara Benincasa
Sara Benincasa is the author of REAL ARTISTS HAVE DAY JOBS (William Morrow 2016), D.C. TRIP (Adaptive Books 2015), GREAT (HarperTeen 2014), and AGORAFABULOUS!: DISPATCHES FROM MY BEDROOM (William Morrow 2012). She is currently at work on ABRAHAM F***ING LINCOLN (Grand Central 2027), a biography of our 16th president. Also an actor and TV writer (Mystery Science Theater 3000), Sara has spoken and written extensively about mental health awareness. Her popular Substack newsletter, SARATONIN, is a digital zine covering a wide array of topics. Born and raised in New Jersey, she holds a BA from Warren Wilson College and an MA from Teachers College at Columbia University. She lives in Chicago.
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How To Work From Home Without Losing It
A guide to staying present while going remote. In this lively, engaging, funny and heartfelt 45 minute presentation, author, comedian and mental health awareness advocate Sara Benincasa brings her wit and insight to the topic of staying creative and focused when your work environment is also your home environment. For the past ten years, Sara has worked from home as an essayist, screenwriter and digital marketing consultant. During that time, she’s also traveled extensively as a college and corporate speaker and published five books, including “Real Artists Have Day Jobs.” With sensitivity to the very issues your own workplace may be facing, Sara will entertain, enlighten, and inspire your team.
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Real Artists Have Day Jobs
Author, comedian, podcaster and digital marketer Sara Benincasa quite literally wrote the book on how to make your art while you make your money – even if those two goals never overlap! With humor, compassion and a practical attitude, Sara helps students and employees alike learn how to improve their art by maintaining a day job – and how to actually be happier at work by devoting more time to their art! Topics covered include: creativity, personal organization, focus, work/life/art balance (spoiler alert: they’re all interconnected), finance, and mental health awareness.
See Sara Benincasa in action.
The author of Agorafabulous deconstructs mental health with humor and grace.
A longtime history nerd and recent transplant to the Land of Lincoln, Sara Benincasa is the author of REAL ARTISTS HAVE DAY JOBS (William Morrow 2016), D.C. TRIP (Adaptive Books 2015), GREAT (HarperTeen 2014), and AGORAFABULOUS!: DISPATCHES FROM MY BEDROOM (William Morrow 2012). She is currently at work on ABRAHAM F***ING LINCOLN (Grand Central 2027), a biography of our 16th president.
A comedian, actor, and college speaker on mental health awareness, Sara wrote for the 13th season of beloved cult comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. She adapted her novel DC TRIP as a screenplay, and her memoir AGORAFABULOUS! as a pilot for TV with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody and executive producer Ben Stiller. GREAT, a queer YA novel inspired by THE GREAT GATSBY, has been optioned for television multiple times.
A former Sirius XM host and producer, Sara has been heard on various programs on BBC Radio and NPR. She’s appeared as a talking head on CNBC, CNN, and other networks. She’s guested on Meditative Story, WTF with Marc Maron and a lot of other podcasts. She is a popular guest on storytelling, live lit, and comedy events in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
Her popular Substack newsletter, Saratonin, frequently covers mental health, current events, pop culture, and memoir. A regular columnist for political humor site Wonkette, Sara has written cover stories for BUST and Women’s Health and has contributed to Playboy, CNN, Glamour, InStyle, Buzzfeed, Bitch, Pipewrench, Bustle, Glamour, the Guardian, Longreads, the Sunday Longread and more.
Sara serves on the Creative Council for Emily’s List, one of the largest financial resources for pro-choice women Democrats seeking elected office.
Sara studied journalism and writing at Emerson College and has a degree in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She has an M.A. in secondary school English education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She’s based in Chicago. Her perfect cat, Polly the Demon Queen, has extra toes.
Our speakers get attention.
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I Am Anxious… Sara BenincasaSara Benincasa is a writer (most recently MST3K: Season 13), author (Agorafabulous!, Real Artists Have Day Jobs & two novels: DC Trip and Great) and actor (Law & Order: SVU)…
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So Everything Sucks & You Need HelpSome tips on how to (maybe) find a good therapist in the U.S.
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Yes, We’re All Still Sleeping Miserably By Sara BenincasaTired of being tired? Here’s how to kick your “coronasomnia” once and for all.
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2 do’s and 2 don’ts of working from home long term, according to expertsIf you’re working from home for the long haul, investing in your work space and reassessing your expectations can help improve your focus and productivity, experts say.
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Depression is no joke. So why are comedians so good at talking about it?Stand-ups and other funny people are performing a revolutionary service for public health. And it happens to be hilarious.
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How Women Survive and What We RememberAOC and Katie Porter share the hard-earned ‘gift’ for noticing what others can’t yet see
"Sara is the best keynote speaker I have worked with - considerate, personable, and, of course, fun! Her keynote address brought tears to everyone's eyes and laughter, too. All of our supporters loved the multiple opportunities to interact with her, and she was so lovely and on-message."
