The Optimist: One Man's Search For The Brighter Side Of Life
In this exclusive Toronto appearance, British comedian Laurence Shorter will deliver a stand-up performance based on the yearlong worldwide quest to find positive thinkers that he chronicles in The Optimist: One Man’s Search For The Brighter Side Of Life.
What’s it like to sit down for a chat with such luminaries as Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu or California’s Renowned Surfing Rabbi? Are they as inspiring in person as they are on TV?
The Optimist rocketed up bestseller lists all across the United Kingdom last month and is now poised to do so on this side of the pond. Following his set, Shorter will discuss the fine line between hope, despair and comedy with award-winning author and journalist Patricia Pearson.
When it comes to bad news, we’ve never had it so good.
Laurence Shorter is feeling anxious. Every time he opens a newspaper or turns on the radio he finds another reason to be tearful. It’s time to make a change. It’s time to be optimistic!
His plan is simple:
1. Learn how to jump out of bed in the morning.
2. Secure personal happiness.
3. Save the world.
The Optimist charts Shorter’s ambitious, year-long, international quest to seek out the world’s most positive thinkers, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jung Chang, Matthieu Ricard, California’s renowned Surfing Rabbi, and Bill Clinton. But optimism doesn’t come easy, and Shorter’s resolve is tested at every corner: by a flagging career, a troubled love affair, and his ever-pessimistic dad.
The Optimist is a hilarious and ultimately life-affirming stand against the grind of everyday strife, packed with reasons to be cheerful.
Laurence Shorter is a stand-up comedian and writer. He has been writing and performing since 2001, when he was selected for the Old Vic Theatre’s noted "New Voices" programme. He and his work have appeared on the BBC, in The Observer and The Independent, and at the Edinburgh Festival and assorted London theatres. The Optimist is his first book and has quickly become a runaway bestseller in the United Kingdom. Shorter lives in London, England.
Patricia Pearson is a novelist and journalist. She has won two National Magazine Awards, a National Author's Award, and the Arthur Ellis Award for best non-fiction crime of 1997. Her most recent book, A Brief History Of Anxiety (Yours And Mine), received popular and critical acclaim. Her commentary has been characterized as “David Sedaris meets Dorothy Parker” and appears regularly in several publications, notably the Toronto Star, the CBC, USA Today and The New York Times. Pearson lives in Toronto.
