How to Write a Short Humor Piece Zoom Seminar with Caitlin Kunkel, Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Live Seminar via Zoom from 1:00PM - 3:00PM ET
Note: If you can't attend live, this class will be recorded. All enrolled students will receive a link to watch the recording, which will be available for 30 days.
Now Enrolling!
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.
Instructor Caitlin Kunkel's writing has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, McSweeney's, and on public radio. She co-founded the comedy site The Belladonna, created the online satire writing program for The Second City, and co-created the Satire and Humor Festival. Her first co-written book, NEW EROTICA FOR FEMINISTS, was published by Penguin Random House and named one of the 10 best comedy books of the year by Vulture (NY Mag). INSIDE JOKES, a humor writing craft book, co-written with Elissa Bassist, is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing in 2026.
Do you want to write funny in 750 words or less? Do you have something to say on a topic you know well? Do you crave fun, need an outlet for your creativity, and hunger for more bylines? Then, short humor is for you.
In this two-hour class, writer and creator of The Second City’s online satire writing program, Caitlin Kunkel, will teach a repeatable process for writing a short humor piece in the style of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Belladonna, Points in Case, and other online sites (note: we will not cover satirical news like The Onion or Reductress).
You’ll learn how to brainstorm, find a structure for your piece, craft a strong comedic premise and title, and use the two-list system of joke writing to fast draft a humor piece.
Come ready to write and leave with a new piece and a set process to write even more in the future.
STUDENTS LOVE CAITLIN:
“Caitlin is an outstanding teacher. The time FLEW by because I was so engaged. So much amazing information and I feel energized to go write.”
"Thanks so much for the amazing class, Caitlin! I really learned a lot about humor in general, as well as what interests me specifically. I only recently started writing humor, and your focus on premise and format were insanely helpful. So thank you, seriously, for such an informative and fun class; I'll be taking so much of what you taught us into my future work!"
“Caitlin’s an excellent teacher. Her enthusiasm is infectious, her experience broad, and her generosity appreciated. I always look forward to a class with her.”
"Thank you so much Caitlin! You packed a huge amount of information into a very compact period. I’m very impressed with your follow-up as well. Way above and beyond."
"I thought Caitlin was amazing. She packed a lot of knowledge into the two hours, and I highly recommend it. The discussion of the impact of comedy writing across all types of industries was super interesting, and I loved the reading and website suggestions. I can't say enough great things about Caitlin."
"You are a gifted teacher – a lot of energy, insight and expertise come through. I am the one who teaches Creative Thinking at Harvard (and other places) and I was struck by how aligned your techniques are with the ones we teach in our class. Kinda’ cool. But we don’t follow up with materials half as well as you do."
"Caitlin was engaging, entertaining, and provided an excellent intro into comedy writing."
- Class is on Saturday, May 17th, 2025, via Zoom from 1:00PM ET - 3:00PM ET
- Tuition is $75.
- Note: If you can't attend live, this class will be recorded. All enrolled students will receive a link to watch the recording, which will be available for 30 days.
If you have questions, please use the Chat Button or contact us via email HERE.