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Lena Dunham: Famesick

Art &
Culture

The remarkable mind behind the hit series Girls and the bestselling author of 'Not That Kind of Girl' asks whether fulfilling her creative ambitions has been worth the pain

Lena Dunham is an award-winning actor, writer, director and producer. Her HBO hit Girls earned her eight Emmy nominations and two Golden Globes and redefined girlhood for the millennial generation. Her 2014 memoir, Not That Kind of Girl was a number one New York Times best seller.

In April, Lena will return with her highly-anticipated new memoir, Famesick. In this rowdy, frank reflection on illness, fame, sex, and everything in between, the remarkable mind behind the hit series Girls and the bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl asks whether fulfilling her creative ambitions has been worth the pain.

In April 2026 Lena Dunham came to the Intelligence Squared stage at the Hackney Empire, where she was joined by Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton as she asks herself what the cost of fulfilling her dreams has really been, and whether it was worth it. What she finds is deeper than physical relief, and more lasting, as she learns to live with what she can’t change and turn her regrets into wisdom that can carry her forward, as she reconnects to what, and who, she loves.

Speaker

  • Lena Dunham

    Actor, Writer, Director

Host for Evening Show

  • Dolly Alderton

    Author, Journalist, Screenwriter

Host for Matinee

  • Monica Heisey

    Author, Journalist, Screenwriter

Speakers

Speaker

Lena Dunham

Actor, Writer, Director

Lena Dunham is an award-winning actor, writer, director, producer and philanthropist. Her 2014 memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, was a #1 New York Times best seller. She recently returned to television with the Netflix romcom Too Much. Dunham created and starred in HBO’s GIRLS, earning eight Emmy nominations and two Golden Globes, and making history as the first woman to win a DGA Award for Best TV Comedy Director. An accomplished writer, Dunham contributes to The New Yorker, Vogue, and The New York Times.
Host for Evening Show

Dolly Alderton

Author, Journalist, Screenwriter

Dolly Alderton is the author of the Sunday Times best-selling memoir Everything I Know About Love. It won a National Book Award, was nominated for Waterstones Book Of The Year and a British Book Award. She is also the author of the novels Ghosts and Good Material. She is a columnist for The Sunday Times Style and has also written for GQ, Red, Marie Claire and Grazia. She is the former co-host and co-creator of the podcast The High Low. Her adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice will be released in Spring 2026 on Netflix.
Host for Matinee

Monica Heisey

Author, Journalist, Screenwriter

Monica Heisey is a writer and comedian from Toronto. She has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, The Guardian, Glamour, New York magazine, and VICE, among others. She has written for television shows like Schitt’s Creek, Workin’ Moms, Baroness von Sketch Show, and more. She is also the author of national bestseller Really Good, Actually.