Stand-Up Comic.Author.Trauma Alchemist.

Whatever you can't laugh at owns you. Vanda's work turns her wild life and hard truths into laughter, insight, and freedom.

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"Brilliant, terrifying and hilarious."

— Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

The Memoir

Tap Dancing for Daddy

A darkly funny memoir about a girl from suburban Massachusetts who runs away to 1977 New York, falls into the underbelly, survives what should have broken her, and eventually discovers comedy as a way home.

★★★★★ 4.9 stars from 48 Amazon reviews

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Hahas. Ahas. No pretending.

The Pitch

Watch Vanda Tell the Story

Before people buy a memoir, they want to know if they trust the voice. This is Vanda in her element: funny, direct, unsentimental, and alive to the absurdity of everything.

In three minutes: prep school, 1977 New York, a pimp, a hospital ward, Richard Pryor, and the beginning of a life in comedy.

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As Seen On

Featured on Soft White Underbelly

Vanda appeared on Soft White Underbelly, Mark Laita's long-form interview channel known for raw, unscripted human stories.

The interview gives viewers a direct encounter with the voice behind Tap Dancing for Daddy — the humor, the history, the damage, and the refusal to become only the damage.

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On Vanda

"Vanda has reached a sort of Comedic Enlightenment, managing to combine her wry, insightful and penetrating humor with a transcendent ability in dealing with people in both business and entertainment situations. She’s organized, respectful and friendly, not to mention hilarious."

— Eric Black