LEWIS BLACK TO HEADLINE BOOKEXPO AMERICA’S ANNUAL
BOOK INDUSTRY FOUNDATION SATURDAY NIGHT BENEFIT

Lewis Black, New York Times-Bestselling Author and “Daily Show” Regular,
to Launch His New Riverhead Book, ME OF LITTLE FAITH, at BEA

Norwalk, CT, January 16, 2008: Lewis Black, New York Times-bestselling author, standupcomedian, playwright, and actor, is the first announced headliner for the BookExpoAmerica (BEA) star-studded author event line-up for this year’s convention, which willtake place in Los Angeles, May 29 – June 1, 2008. Celebrated comedian and RiverheadBooks author Lewis Black, who is one of the most prolific and popular performersworking today, will take the stage at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles in aperformance exclusively for BEA’s audience on Saturday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m. Mr.Black appears in front of sell-out audiences more than 200 nights a year throughout theUnited States, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand, and he is one of the few performers tosell out Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Proceedsfrom Lewis Black’s performance at BEA will go to help support the Book IndustryFoundation which is comprised of the American Booksellers Foundation For FreeExpression (ABFFE) and the Association of American Publishers’ Get Caught ReadingCampaign.

Lewis Black will appear at BEA’s Saturday night benefit on behalf of his new book, Meof Little Faith, which is being published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of PenguinGroup (USA), on June 3, 2008. Me of Little Faith is a ferociously funny exploration ofreligion and faith in which Black examines how the rules and constraints of religion haveaffected his life and the lives of us all.

“I’m a huge fan,” notes Lance Fensterman, Industry Vice President and Show Manager for BEA. “I’m ecstatic to have a comedian of Lewis Black’s stature, who is both wickedly funny and a widely respected writer, perform at our show in support of literacy and free speech – the latter an issue that is clearly dear to him if you’ve ever heard his exceptional act. We are thrilled that Mr. Black is committing his valuable time to support BEA and these crucial causes, and I’m certain the audience will be just as thrilled.”

BEA’s annual Saturday night fundraiser is a signature event for BEA Cares, the arm of BEA that funds not for profit ventures within the bookselling and publishing world whose primary or secondary missions include the protection of free speech, the promotion of literacy for all ages and the development of new readers.

Mr. Black will be performing at the Orpheum Theater, which is located in downtown Los Angeles, near the Los Angeles Convention Center. Tickets for Black’s performance will cost $35.

Lewis Black is a hugely popular New York Times-bestselling author, stand-up comedian, playwright, and actor. Besides appearing on The Daily Show since its inception, Mr.Black has written and starred in a string of successful HBO specials and one-man shows. In 2001, he won the American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic, and in 2006 he won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. In December 2007, he was part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Christmas show – along with Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Ronan Tynan and Miss USA Rachel Smith – that entertained U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kryzistan, Spain and Italy. Lewis Black’sseries, “Root of All Evil,” premieres on Comedy Central, March 12, 2008.

His new Riverhead book, Me of Little Faith, is a ferociously funny exploration of religionand faith in which he examines how the rules and constraints of religion have affected his life and the lives of us all. His hilarious experiences with Rabbis, Mormons, gurus, psychics, and even the joy of a perfect round of golf give Mr. Black the chance to expound upon what we believe and why — in the language of a shock jock and with the heart of an iconoclast.

Mr. Black was born near Washington, D.C., graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Drama.