Author event with Dusty Slay

Parnassus Books and Vanderbilt University present an entertaining evening with Dusty Slay for his new book, WE'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME.
About this Event

Parnassus Books and Vanderbilt University are thrilled to present an entertaining evening with Dusty Slay, in conversation with Joseph Hudak, to talk about Dusty's new book, We're Having A Good Time.

This ticketed event will take place in the Commodore Ballroom of the Student Life Center on the Vanderbilt University campus on Thursday, November 12th at 6:30. Doors will open at 5:30.

Tickets:

Each ticket is $33.00 and includes one general admission seat and one signed copy of We're Having A Good Time.

All books will be pre-signed, and there will be a signing line following the event if you would like your book personalized.

Parking and Directions:

For the Vanderbilt Student Life Center, the primary parking is the 25th Avenue Garage, located off Highland Ave (levels 3-11 for non-reserved spots), with paid hourly options available in many garages like 25th Ave, Wesley Place, and Terrace Place for visitors, plus potential metered street parking nearby, but be sure to check the VUPS website for current visitor info and permit requirements for students/staff.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND CARPOOLING AND RIDESHARES IF POSSIBLE.

About the book:

From Dusty Slay, the Southern stand-up comedian and Nashville favorite behind Netflix's Wet Heat and Workin' Man specials, comes a collection of personal essays featuring his signature storytelling rooted in finding the hilarity in everyday life.

Dusty Slay has lived a lot of lives. At eighteen years old, he dropped out of community college. At nineteen, his plans to join the army were foiled by an arrest. By twenty-one he moved from his hometown of Opelika, Alabama, to Charleston, South Carolina.

On the coast, Slay worked as a waiter and pesticide salesman for over a decade while moonlighting as an obscure, often drunk, open mic comedian. It wasn't until he quit drinking in 2012 that he started to take comedy and his unique talent for telling jokes seriously.

These personal essays chronicle the life he's led--from growing up in a trailer park to performing at the Grand Ole Opry--with his signature Southern humor and wit, revealing how to find light, laughter, and gratitude in everyday moments, even through life's challenges.

About the author:

Dusty Slay is a Nashville-based comedian who has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hollywood Squares with Drew Barrymore, Comedy Central, and Netflix's The Standups. In 2024, he released his first Netflix special, Workin' Man, followed by his second, Wet Heat, in 2025. He is the host of the Public Figures podcast as well as the We're Having a Good Time Podcast.

About Joseph Hudak:

Joseph Hudak is a senior music editor at Rolling Stone, overseeing the magazine’s Nashville office and the Rolling Stone Country vertical, which covers the country and Americana genres. Prior to joining the iconic title in 2014, he was managing editor of Country Weekly magazine and spent 12 years at TV Guide magazine as an editor, dissecting and writing about all types of television programming. Most recently, he’s hosted the Country Pickups series for Rolling Stone Country, moderated panels and interviews with artists from Luke Bryan to John Oates, and called for the country music community to speak up about gun control and “alternative facts” in a series of essays for RollingStone.com.