Print Humour Workshop in NYC is a success

On October 18 and 19, 2014, Humber hosted the first-ever Print Humour Workshop in New York City. With participants from both sides of the border and writers and editors from The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Simpsons, Splitsider, and more, the event was a huge success.

Learning and laughing

Mike Sacks, author of Poking a Dead Frog and the New York-based co-organizer of the event says he’s already looking forward to the next one.

“It was a great weekend, just a really fun time. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and hopefully learned a bit about getting published. Can't wait to do it again.”

Participant praise

Dan Dillabough, a writer and stand-up comedian from Toronto who attended the workshop, says he was very impressed with the diversity of the panellists.

“There was a real variety of speakers from all different aspects of print humour, which ensured that there was something for everyone in attendance no matter the focus of their writing. All the speakers were at the top of their game and it was really interesting to hear from the people behind the comedy institutions (like Cracked, Vulture, McSweeney’s, etc.) that I read every day.”

More than dos and don'ts

Kelly Aija Zemnickis, a playwright with a penchant for writing romantic comedies, says she went to the workshop because she’s looking to get published, to get her name out in a medium other than playwriting. Kelly says she was hoping to get the dos and don’ts of pitching, but got a lot more, especially from the last speaker, Sam Lipsyte.

“When he said that many writers have a lot of other careers in order to pay the bills, it was a bit of a light bulb moment for me because I juggle about four different jobs just to sustain myself and put on my shows. So when he said that I thought, ‘Ok, I’m not alone and I shouldn’t feel so bad about ushering or waitressing when I have to.’ It was a comforting moment.”

Impressive to the end

Dan was also impressed with the last speaker.

“One standout was Sam Lipsyte, who I wasn’t familiar with before, but I’m making a point to read some of his stuff now. He had a lot of really practical advice about how to deal with the rigours of writing.”

The head of Humber’s Comedy Writing & Performance program and co-organizer Andrew Clark says he’s already looking forward to Humber Print Humor 2015.

“We’re very happy with the turnout. The panels were smart and engaging and we’re already planning next year.”