Comedy and poetry have much in common. Both transform ME experiences into US responses by framing our emotions within a broader human context. Both create surprise—the Yahtzee of all social responses—which inspires us to re-engage with increasingly complex environments by firing more dopamine neurons than all the other social responses combined.

But what’s so funny about standing at the gates of the Anthropocene? Is now the right time for laughter? Yes, because humor re/connects us; laughter is a social signal that lets people know they are human, alive, and welcome. Animals do it, too. Parrots, rats, dogs, chimpanzees, gorillas, and dolphins use laughter to define safe boundaries for their flocks, packs, and pods. But most of all, because tyrants hate humor. ;)

This class is for poets who want to expand the landscape in their work and connect to their readers in surprising new ways. Using short readings, videos, audio recordings, and podcasts of comedic poets and poetic stand-ups, we will discuss styles of humor, cognitive theories of humor, and strategies to incorporate these moves into our work. We will generate new poems (and other kinds of art) through exercises, discussions, and prompts, and then workshop our results.

The assignment prompts will be designed to evoke your own surprise and your reader’s. 

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our week.