Mining Darkness for Light: The Art of Humorous Memoir (Virtual)

“The secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow.” ~ Mark Twain

The strange and magical thing about humor is that its roots are often in sadness, shame, anger, or humiliation. The stories we find the funniest are the ones in which the teller reveals something deeply vulnerable, but finds a way to mine the absurd even from their darkest moments. In this generative online workshop, we’ll reveal how you can do this in your own life—covering ways to gain perspective and the massive benefits of reframing one’s experience, both to your writing and your mental health.

This will be a two-week generative class in which you will write a 500-1000 word piece and receive feedback from the instructor and your peers. There is one extra week between classes to give students time to give feedback and revise their pieces.

Price: $189

Dates:
Saturday, February 24, 10-1 PST
Saturday, March 9 10-1 PST

NOTE: This is a virtual class and will be taught via Zoom.

About the instructor:
Courtenay Hameister is an author, editor and essayist whose work has appeared in McSweeney's, Portland Monthly and The New York Times, among others. Her book, Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went From Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things was a semi-finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2019.