First Person Funny: Writing the Comic Essay


Do funny things always happen to you, or is it just that you see your world through a comic lens? For humor essayists, the answer is a little of both. In this workshop, geared toward the writer who “thinks funny,” we focus on telling personal stories with your distinctive comic voice. Nora Ephron, David Sedaris, Calvin Trillin, and Tina Fey are among the laugh-out loud essayists we’ll discuss, emphasizing comic timing, character arc, word choice, and the line between “person” and “persona.” Since a story is only as amusing as the way it’s told, we’ll try our hands at several forms, including funny diary entries and satirical “how-to” guides. The emphasis is on those small , funny moments that bridge the gap between personal and universal. You’re the character. Just add material.

Dan Zevin is a Thurber Prize-winning humorist. Two of his books, Dan Gets a Minivan and The Day I Turned Uncool, were optioned by Adam Sandler, and the latter is now being developed for Sony TV by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Seth Grahame-Smith, and Lauren Rogen. Dan has been an award-winning humor columnist for the New York Times, a comic commentator for NPR, and a contributor to print or digital editions of The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Rolling Stone, Salon, the L.A. Times, Real Simple, and Parents, among others. His latest project is a series of picture book parodies featuring adorably annoying adults, including Mr. Selfie, Little Miss Overshare, Mr. Humblebrag, and Little Miss Basic.

Event Location and Ticket Information

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Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College 1 Mead Way
Bronxville, New York 10708
Handicap Accessible? Yes

Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 - Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Times: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Ticket pricing:


Presenter: Sarah Lawrence College Writing Institute
Presenter Phone: 914 377 0700