Funny Is The New Deep [Steve Almond]

Registration is still open by phone – please call 2063227030 if you’d like to register now.

This is a Workshop for Democracy. The instructor will be contributing 100% of his teaching pay to the organization Black Votes Matter [https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/donate/]. The instructor asks that students pay Hugo House a discounted fee for the class, and contribute the balance of your fee to a candidate or cause of your choosing. The suggested donation is $100, though students are free to contribute more if they wish. Before class, we will briefly discuss our contributions, and how to be citizens of good faith in this vital moment.

Contrary to popular belief, writing funny doesn’t mean sacrificing depth. On the contrary, for most literary writers, the comic impulse is inextricably linked to tragedy. It’s not a conscious effort to entertain the reader so much as an unconscious effort to face some tragic moment or realization. In this informal class, suitable for both fiction and nonfiction writers, we’ll look at the work of Lorrie Moore, George Saunders, and others in an effort to learn how you can be funny and break hearts while doing it.