Tuesday Aug 18, 2026
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
POWERHOUSE Arena
28 Adams Street (Corner of Adams & Water Street across from the Archway)
Brooklyn , NY
11201
About the Book.
Based on the groundbreaking podcast of the same name, Last Day weaves together a heartbreaking story of personal loss and an unflinching investigation of what could have prevented it. Alongside expert voices on opioid addiction, Stephanie Wittels Wachs issues a clarion call for change in an ongoing and overwhelming opioid crisis.
Based on the groundbreaking podcast of the same name, Last Day is borne of Stephanie Wittels Wachs’s determination to shed light on the ongoing opioid epidemic in America.
After the tragic and untimely death of her brother Harris Wittels to an opioid overdose, Stephanie connected with Jessica Cordova Kramer, whose brother died under nearly identical circumstances. Together they launched Last Day, a podcast that facilitates unflinching conversations with addiction specialists, harm reductionists, people in long-term recovery, public policy experts pushing for reform, and many others, to determine what could have saved their brothers lives and how we can prevent overdose deaths moving forward.
Ten years ago, Stephanie lost her brother—her person—and over the last seven years, her interviews and research have become a vital resource for others fighting not to lose their person. Heartbreaking yet deeply hopeful, Last Day is, at its core, a powerful story of love that endures long after loss.
About the Author.
Stephanie Wittels Wachs is co-founder and CEO of Lemonada Media, an award-winning podcast network with a mission to make life suck less. In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter named her among “The Most Powerful People in Podcasting.” Wittels Wachs co-created and hosts Last Day, Lemonada’s flagship show that has won Third Coast, Webby, and Gracie awards. Its first season focused on the opioid crisis, which took the life of her brother, writer-producer-comedian Harris Wittels (Parks & Recreation, Master of None). After losing her brother, she authored the best-selling book Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss, which Kirkus anointed “a powerful debut” upon its release. Thanks in part to her wit and forthrightness, Wittels Wachs has been featured in major publications (The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine) and appeared as a guest on a plethora of podcasts (from Comedy Bang Bang to Everything Happens), public radio programs (NPR’s Morning Edition), and TV shows (Late Night with Seth Meyers). She’s been a well-known voice actor for decades and co-founded the nonprofit arts organization Rec Room Arts in 2016. Today, Wittels Wachs is the creative north star for dozens of award-winning podcasts under the Lemonada network, including Wiser Than Me with Julia-Louis Dreyfus, which was named Apple’s Best Podcast of the Year in 2023. Wittels Wachs will release her second book – an adaptation of “Last Day” – on August 18, 2026 from Simon & Schuster.
About the Moderator.
David Manheim is the creator and host of the premier addiction and recovery podcast, Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction.. Dave and his friend Chris started the podcast in 2016 after meeting in rehab five years earlier. Following Chris’s tragic death in July of 2018, Dave continued on, carrying the Dopey message to an audience that has grown to over 200,000 listeners each week. On the show, Dave has welcomed a wide range of guests, including Marc Maron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Margaret Cho, Bobby Lee, Killer Mike, Alec Baldwin, and many more. Dopey has been featured across media, including Rolling Stone Magazine, This American Life, Vice, and the BBC. Dave has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Soft White Underbelly, The Rich Roll Show and WTF with Marc Maron. Dave lives on Long Island with his partner, Linda and their two daughters. He is also currently a featured freelance contributor to Rolling Stone Magazine.