Jonathan Goldstein and Monkey Toast

Has any book inspired as many jokes as The Bible? And can you think another bestselling title with such a clumsy ending? To celebrate the launch of Ladies And Gentlemen, The Bible! (Penguin Group Canada) noted author and CBC Radio personality Jonathan Goldstein will share the stage with Canadian Comedy Award-winners Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show. Come, witness all of human history, from The Book Of Genesis to The Apocrypha, told in the form of divinely-inspired improvised comedy. Marc Glassman, Executive Director of This Is Not A Reading Series and Proprietor of Pages Books & Magazines will host the evening.

Yes, it's the greatest story ever told, but let's face it: It always could have used a little punching up. In Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!, author Jonathan Goldstein brings human depth, humour, and snappier dialogue to millennia-old biblical stories. Goldstein's version of the Bible answers the questions you need to know: Wouldn't a person get bored living inside a whale? How did Joseph explain Mary's pregnancy to the guys at work? How could anyone be as dense as Samson?

Jonathan Goldstein is the award-winning author of Lenny Bruce is Dead. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Ready-Made, and the New York Times. He's a contributing editor to PRI's This American Life, where his work is regularly featured. He lives in Montreal.

Monkey Toast features some of the best improvisers in Canada on a rotating basis. Monkey Toast presents its acclaimed one-of-a-kind talk show at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. They received the Canadian Comedy Award. Each show they interview three different celebrity guests. After an interview segment, Monkey Toast’s Host/Interviewer, David Shore, throws the focus to the Monkey Toast players who then use the interview as the inspiration for their improvised scenes. For more info, visit: www.monkeytoast.com.