Carol Leifer, Susie Essman And The Art Of Writing A Funny Speech Announced At 92NY In April

Emmy-winning comedy writer Carol Leifer visits The 92nd Street Y, New York on Wednesday, April 9 with actress Susie Essman to discuss her new book, How to Write a Funny Speech…For a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation, and Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place.

Leifer will also discuss her career in comedy and television. Tickets are available on 92NY's website.

How to Write a Funny Speech (co-written by Rick Mitchell), is the ultimate how-to guide of serious and humorous speech-giving – it delves into wedding toasts, livening up a Bar Mitzvah, and honoring graduates and retirees, among other occasions.

Leifer will share insights on how to speak from the heart while also entertaining the crowd. She will share humor-infused words of wisdom, and touch on essential skills needed to give an effective speech.

Carol Leifer is an Emmy, Golden Globe, Writers Guild Award & Producers Guild Award winner for her work on Hacks. In addition to Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Hacks, Leifer has written for Saturday Night Live, Modern Family and 11 Academy Awards shows (most recently for Host Conan O'Brien, 2025).

As a stand‐up comedian, Leifer has appeared on The Tonight Show, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and she made 25 appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. Her two previous books are When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying. Leifer is a popular speaker on the corporate/nonprofit circuit, delivering speeches for over one hundred organizations.

Actress and comedian Susie Essman is well-known for her starring roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm (“Susie Greene”), and Broad City (“Bobbi Wexler”), as well as the voice of “Mittens” in the animated comedy film, Bolt. She has appeared at comedy clubs throughout the country for more than three decades, and she has appeared in several popular films and television shows, including: Keeping the Faith, The Aristocrats, Crocodile Dundee II, Crank Yankers, Bless This Mess and Hacks, among many others. Essman is the author of the book What Would Susie Say: Bullshit Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy (Simon & Schuster, 2009).