(Interview by DCist contributor Austin Dienst)

Curtis Sittenfeld has recently been getting a lot of attention for her new book “Prep.” It has been on The New York Times Best Sellers List for two weeks and for good reason. Sittenfeld creates such an authentic teenager in her protagonist Lee, that it brings those angst-filled, self-conscious years of high school to life in a way that shows like the “OC” cannot. All of the uncertainty and awkwardness of coming of age is heightened by the snooty New England boarding school Lee attends and it makes for some great drama (for more info on the book, check out Sittenfeld’s website or read an excerpt from “Prep.”

Curtis Sittenfeld is fairly new to D.C.; she arrived just two-and-a-half years ago when she was chosen to be the writer in residence at the St. Albans school. Now she works part-time at the school as a freshman English teacher and works on her writing. For a great opportunity to meet Sittenfeld, she will be reading at the Politics & Prose on Connecticut Avenue, Friday at 7 p.m. This would be a great time to get the book, if you don’t already have it, or just hear the words the way the author intended. (More information and events are available here. Somehow Sittenfeld made time in her busy schedule to catch up with DCist over the phone and answer a few questions.