About Vanda
Stand-up comic. Author. Former drunkard. Current enthusiast for being alive.
Short Version
Vanda Mikoloski is a stand-up comic and author whose work turns wild life, shame, survival, spiritual searching, and human absurdity into laughter and insight.
Her memoir, Tap Dancing for Daddy, has been called "brilliant, terrifying and hilarious" by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tim Page.
She lives in Philadelphia, writes on Substack, performs comedy, and is currently working on her next book, All My Cults: A Drunken Stumble Toward Enlightenment.
Longer Version
Vanda Mikoloski came to earth in 1959 and has been trying to understand the assignment ever since.
She grew up in a Catholic family in New England, took LSD at 11, ran away from prep school, became a stripper in New York and Boston, spent years looking for external validation in men, comedy, substances, spiritual groups, personal-growth worlds, and whatever else seemed likely to explain the human condition by Thursday.
She built a career as a stand-up comic, appearing on Showtime's Comedy Club Network and Lifetime's Girl's Night Out. She later left showbiz to follow a spiritual path, became a yoga teacher, and toured as a yoga instructor with the Dixie Chicks.
Now, at 66, she writes, performs, and tells the truth for people who are tired of pretending.
Her plan is to stay vitally alive until she is dead, and to keep her heart open and soft, like a good chocolate truffle.
"When asked if she has any tips garnered from her life’s experiences, she says she wishes parents would talk more with their children. Today, Vanda is proof that people can have a life of dignity, respect, and love—even after a seriously dark time."
A few things she's done
- —Stand-up comic for four decades
- —Showtime's Comedy Club Network
- —Lifetime's Girl's Night Out
- —Author of Tap Dancing for Daddy
- —Featured on Soft White Underbelly
- —Toured as yoga instructor with the Dixie Chicks
- —Substack writer
- —Working on All My Cults
From the Archive
Old clippings, strange chapters, and evidence that yes, some of this actually happened.