Workshop: A Line, a Poem, and a Joke Walked into a Bar: Comedy Writing and Performance *IN PERSON*

In person at Woodland Pattern

A limited number of scholarships are available. Writers who are low-income and/or of marginalized identities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Jerry Seinfeld said that poems and jokes are very similar, except that poems aren’t funny. In this supportive workshop, we're going to see what we think about his claim. During our first session, we’ll discuss a number of characteristics that people associate with comedy. In particular, we'll look at director Steve Kaplan’s useful way to think about comic tendencies in individual characters, which he describes as “straight line/wavy line.” We'll also sample several decidedly comic poems to inspire us. In week two, you’ll come to the workshop with a spanking-new comic poem of your own making. You’ll read/perform it for the group. We’ll also sample a number of very different stand-up comedians and styles. Some tell jokes; others weave wild story tapestries. In the final session, feel free to bring a little snack or beverage to share. You'll each perform a very, very short stand-up set or a comic story/monologue. The house will be supportive and full of love. (Warning: Any hecklers will be consigned to live out the rest of their days as a character in a Nicholas Sparks novel.)

Mauricio Kilwein Guevara was born in Boyacá, Colombia, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has published four collections of poetry, and a book of translations was published in Spain. His magical realist comedy, The Last Bridge/El último puente, received a fully staged reading Off-Broadway. He taught fiction writing, poetry, and comedy for many years in the creative writing program at UW–Milwaukee.