Junot Díaz speaks in much the same way he writes — candidly. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author was at Benaroya Hall Tuesday night, delivering a lecture that was in stark contrast to the venue’s typically formal events.

Looking out on the packed auditorium, which boasts a 2,500-person capacity, Díaz joked, “Guys, you should be up here, this is super fucking scary!”

This comment set the tone for the night, as Díaz proceeded to read and discuss his acclaimed work in a casual manner that kept the audience laughing and applauding throughout the 90-minute lecture.

The 40-year-old Díaz is the author of two bestselling books, "Drown," a short story collection published in 1996, and the 2007 novel "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic before moving to New Jersey with his family at the age of six, Díaz’s incorporates many autobiographical elements into his writing, which predominantly depicts Dominican-American characters. This is, however, a tag Díaz refuted Tuesday night.

“My books are always said to be immigrant literature,” Díaz said, in responding to an audience question. “However, in neither of my books do I describe the immigrant experience.”

This was a statement that held true for the material that he shared at Benaroya Hall. Díaz began the night by reading one of his older short stories, “The Sun, The Moon, The Stars,” about a husband’s infidelity and attempted marriage-saving vacation with his wife.

Although the story brought multiple rounds of applause, Díaz was quick to undercut himself, telling the audience, “People will read stories about infidelity, you know. They like that crap.”

Díaz’s second and final reading was an excerpt from his novel, a section entitled “Wildwood.” The second person narrative addresses Lola, the protagonist’s sister, as she learns of her mother’s breast cancer. Like much of "Oscar Wao," the excerpt balances humor with somber themes, exemplifying why Díaz’s novel has become so widely read and highly acclaimed.

When Díaz was asked to describe what it’s like teaching at MIT, where he is a professor of creative writing, he took the opportunity to praise the University of Washington, stating, “It’s a lot like the UW, which can claim to be a state school, but por favor! It’s a select college.”

Similar to the way in which he addressed the Benaroya audience, Díaz’s work features bits of Spanish and Spanglish slang. When asked about this stylistic choice, Díaz spoke to the value of the unknown word or phrase.

“Unintelligibility is an invitation to community. It helps readers to reach out to one another,” Díaz said. “Reading is a collective affair.”

The event was a part of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ yearlong author series and was emceed by SAL’s Executive Director Linda Bowers. Although Díaz had given Bowers a hard time throughout the night with frequent teasing remarks, she was clearly entertained by the unreserved author, telling Díaz at the end of the program, “Thank you, you made me laugh my mascara off.”

Reach A&E editor Joe Darda at arts@dailyuw.com.

The next SAL lecture, featuring film writer, producer, and director Mira Nair, will take place April 28 at Benaroya Hall. Tickets are $25-50 for general admission, $10 for students.