You know it’s a banner day in publishing when Billy Eichner and The New Yorker find a way to work together. Mr. Eichner, the exuberant comedian and host of the Fuse game show “Funny or Die’s Billy on the Street,†will serve as master of ceremonies for “An Evening With Funny or Die,†one of the events on the lineup for this year’s New Yorker festival. This year’s annual gathering of artistic talents and contributors to The New Yorker magazine will be held from Oct. 4 through 6, its organizers said on Thursday.
In addition to Mr. Eichner’s event, which promises new Funny or Die videos and other surprises, other announced programming will include a screening of the “Parks and Recreation†star Aziz Ansari‘s new comedy special, “Buried Alive,†followed by a conversation between Mr. Ansari and Andy Borowitz. There will also be conversations between the actress Michelle Williams and David Denby; the musician Paul Simon and Paul Muldoon; the artist Marina Abramovic and Judith Thurman; the Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson and Lizzie Widdicombe; the author George Saunders and Deborah Treisman; and Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The New York Times, and Ken Auletta.
A panel on television and politics will feature the TV producers Shonda Rhimes (“Scandalâ€), Armando Iannucci (“Veepâ€), and Robert and Michelle King (“The Good Wifeâ€) and W. Kamau Bell, the star of “Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell,†and will be moderated by Emily Nussbaum. Another panel on improvisation and acting will feature Christopher Guest (“Waiting for Guffmanâ€), Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreationâ€), Rachel Dratch and Horatio Sanz (both of “Saturday Night Liveâ€), and will be moderated by Susan Morrison.
A complete lineup of events will be posted at newyorker.com/festival. Tickets for will go on sale at noon on Sept. 13.
