Lena Dunham talks up new book at BAM
Notable Friends Jemima Kirke, Zadie Smith, Jack Antonoff and Mike Birbiglia Join Unique Book Launch Event
“I’m so happy to be here on the last night of my tour,” Lena Dunham, the acclaimed writer, director, producer and star of HBO’s “Girls,” told a packed room at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Tuesday night. Dunham, who hails from Brooklyn, where her TV show is set, was there to talk about her new book, a collection of essays titled “Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s ‘Learned'” (Random House), as part of BAM’s and Greenlight Bookstore’s Unbound literary series.
This was not a run-of-the-mill literary event. While the evening focused on Dunham’s reading, a cast of the star’s notable friends backed her up, sharing their diverse talents. Comedian and writer Mike Birbiglia — who Dunham revealed was the first to read any of the essays featured in her new book and who introduced her to her boyfriend, musician Jack Antonoff — drew continuous laughter from the audience as he riffed on his love of inside jokes.
Antonoff, best known as the lead guitarist for the band fun., performed three songs, and was joined on the last one by musician Sonia Kreitzer, who attended Oberlin College with Dunham.