A Reading By, and Conversation with, Harper Steele

Join Harper Steele for a reading of her forthcoming memoir exploring her comically self destructive 30+ years as a writer in entertainment, from her earliest days working at MTV with Jon Stewart to her position as head writer at Saturday Night Live, her work in film, up to her life now as the bitchy, trans-woman she was destined to become.    

Harper Steele is an Emmy-winning veteran comedy writer and producer, most known for her thirteen years with Saturday Night Live where she eventually became the head writer. After leaving Saturday Night Live, Steele took over as Creative Director of the comedy website Funny or Die, started by her friends Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. While at Funny or Die, Steele wrote the films Casa De Mi Padre, Deadly Adoption, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

In 2024, Steele was the subject of the Netflix documentary Will & Harper, which chronicles her evolving relationship with longtime collaborator and friend Will Ferrell. The documentary centers around a road trip the two friends take across America for the first time since Harper’s transition, and nearly thirty years after they first met on the set of SNL.

Harper Steele is a University of Pennsylvania LGBT Center visiting scholar, and her visit is co-sponsored by the Penn's Center for Research in Feminist, Queer and Transgender Studies.

Registration encouraged, but not required

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