arrow-right cart chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up close menu minus play plus search share user email pinterest facebook instagram snapchat tumblr twitter vimeo youtube subscribe dogecoin dwolla forbrugsforeningen litecoin amazon_payments american_express bitcoin cirrus discover fancy interac jcb master paypal stripe visa diners_club dankort maestro trash

Shopping Cart

Funny at 40 (or beyond) Zoom Seminar with Janine Annett, Sunday, May 19th, 2024
€70,95

Funny at 40 (or beyond) Zoom Seminar with Janine Annett, Sunday, May 19th, 2024

Sunday, May 19th, 2024

Live Seminar via Zoom from 11AM - 2PM Eastern Time

Now Enrolling!

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Taught by Janine Annett, author of the humor book I Am "Why Do I Need Venmo?" Years Old: Adventures in Aging and her writing has been published in the New Yorker's Daily Shouts, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, Parents, Scary Mommy, and many other places. Janine has taught humor writing for the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, Gotham Writers, Thurber House, and the Hudson Valley Writers Center.

Learn more about Janine in our Meet the Teaching Artist series.

As a late bloomer and the author of the book I Am "Why Do I Need Venmo?" Years Old: Adventures in Aging, I know a thing or two about becoming a professional humor writer... a bit on the later side (it's never too late!!!).

This class is geared toward those who want to find the funny in being middle-aged or older and is perfect for those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. Heck, even people in their 20s and 30s are welcome if they feel like old souls! Often, aging is associated with negative things, but I promise there is humor to be found - if you are flexible enough to look for it.

In this three-hour seminar, we'll discuss how and why to find the humor in aging and bring it out in your writing. We'll talk about different frameworks for writing about your own experiences in a funny way and developing funny characters/personas. We'll do some in-class writing exercises and look at other funny writers of a certain age who have managed to turn the aging human body and mind into comedy.

This class is perfect for writers of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, memoir, satire) and levels. Prerequisite: You must have at least one body part that aches constantly.


*We will look at texts from writers such as Nora Ephron, David Sedaris, Erma Bombeck, and Laura Zigman.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
  • How to brainstorm ideas for humorous writing that will resonate with an audience
  • Learn about how to flesh out your ideas more by focusing on things like voice/POV, time-honored techniques for adding humor to a story, structure, and more.
  • How to not just tell an anecdote but engage on a deeper level.
  • How not to subscribe to society’s ideas that aging = less than. 

TESTIMONIALS:


"Janine Annett's Funny at 40 (or beyond) seminar was fantastic, and so is Janine. I walked away with a bunch of ideas and the plan to try to get published. I also appreciate the resources that were sent out after the class concluded." -former student

"Janine Annett's Funny at 40 (or beyond) seminar exceeded my expectations. The feedback she gave when everyone discussed an aspect of their work seemed universal in its application. Hearing from other writers in a group format was also a benefit I wasn't expecting but got some much from. And Janine's Power Point included great examples." -former student

"I just finished Janine Annett's Funny at 40 (or beyond) class and thought it was one of the best classes I've taken. I loved her pointers on how to generate ideas for stories and techniques to add in humor to my writing. I'm glad she was willing to send both her slides as well as lists of the books she referred to AND places we can submit our humorous work. I love your classes. Nice to be able to choose from single sessions to longer classes. Instructors are great! Thanks!" -former student

“Janine is The Source when it comes to humor writing: what elements make for good humor writing; the entire range of using humor, from inclusion in novels to essays to short pieces; the different forms, formulae and styles of humor writing; how to analyze humor pieces and how other writers use their voice and language; where to submit pieces to get started in the genre. She obviously knows the genre A-Z, loves it, and generously shares all that she knows. Her enthusiasm for the genre is inspiring.” -former student
“Since taking your writing seminar, I am still at it after writing about 70 essays. I am enjoying it and want to compliment you for giving me the confidence to start writing for publication. As my skills improved, I felt empowered to go public with my writing.” -former student
"Janine Annett's Writing Humor at 40+ was awesome. Janine was prepared, moved the class along well, had some great, practical ideas, and she encouraged us to seek to collaborate together In the future. I loved it!" -former student 
“Thank you for all of these great resources, and for an amazing class. Your class was so much fun and so different from any writing I’ve ever done.” -former student
“What a great class – it was my first ever real writing class and I got so much out of it!” -former student
“This class was wonderful. Janine really knows the world of humor writing and publishing.” -former student
“Your humor writing class was the best part of my writing year this year! The class was so inspiring. I have been focusing on writing short humor pieces using everything I learned from your class, with the goal of submitting something. My first two pieces got rejected, but my next two got published after one rewrite. Thank you for your knowledge and inspiration!” -former student 

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.
  • Sunday, May 19th, 2024
  • Live Seminar via Zoom from 11AM - 2PM Eastern Time

If you have questions, please use the Chat Button or contact us via email HERE.