Being Funny [Michael Shilling]

As writers, it’s very hard to make people laugh. Yet if you can be funny on the page, readers will follow you almost anywhere. In this generative class encompassing both fiction and memoir, we’ll discuss what makes comedy such a powerful artistic tool to tell memorable, moving stories. To that end, we’ll do in-class writing, workshop some pre-existing pieces you wish were funnier, and look at genius-level funny writing by authors such as George Saunders, Maria Semple. Caroline Blackwood, and Martin Amis.