Q4 Comedy Classes

A quick back-to-school dispatch

Aug 08, 2025

Yes, I pay for Canva Pro to bring you sophisticated, blurry images such as this one

Check out my first post here to read more about the namesake of this newsletter and make a copy of the input/output tracking sheet if you so desire.

Upcoming one-off classes (all recorded if you can’t attend live, class slides sent in recap):

Mine Your Life for Funny Ideas, Saturday, September 20th, 1-3pm ET (online, $75)

Q: How do you come up with a wealth of ideas for funny parodies, satires, essays, novels, memoirs, or out-of-office replies?

A: You mine absurdities, specifics, images, and more from your everyday life, then use comedic tools to spin them into premises for pieces.

In this two-hour interactive and generative workshop, students will complete lists and brainstorming prompts to gather specifics and interesting ideas hidden in plain sight. After generating the raw material, we’ll experiment with comedic foundations and tools like exaggeration, templates, and twists to create premises and titles for future funny writing. Everyone will leave class with a clear, repeatable process on how to mine and refine comedic ideas into publishable writing. The end of class will focus on creative work strategies to draft, get feedback on, rewrite, and submit work on a (reasonable) schedule–because we’re funny, yes, but also professional.

Testimonial:

"I took Caitlin's Mine Your Life for Funny Ideas seminar hoping to build a more intentional foundation for my comedy writing, and the class far exceeded my expectations! The level of engagement was incredibly helpful. Forming ideas firsthand in the workshop gave me a solid grasp of her tools and processes, and a sense of confidence I previously lacked. I can’t wait to continue future training and workshops with Caitlin!” —David

How to Write a Short Humor Piece, Saturday, October 18th 1-3pm ET (online, $75)

In this two-hour class you’ll learn 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.

Write Like an Athlete, Wednesday, November 12th 7-9pm ET (online, $75)

What do writing and athletics have in common? Oh, just a dedication to day-to-day improvement, long-term commitment to a goal, and the cultivation of mental toughness. In this seminar, former competitive distance swimmer Caitlin Kunkel will weave together concepts from writing and sports psychology to help participants strengthen their creative practice. We'll cover things like self-talk, pre-performance routines, practical goal setting, balanced critiques, social accountability, and more when it comes to building and maintaining a healthy and strong writing practice. Don't worry, no physical activity is required!

Here is a recent interview I did on the class.

Testimonials:

“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.”
“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.”

Comedy Writing for Non-Comedians, Saturday, December 6th 1-3pm ET (online, $75)

Comedy can be another tool in your writing toolbox, allowing you to write with a stronger voice, distinct point of view, and punchiness that can be applied to disciplines such as copywriting and content writing. From the rule of three to learning what the heck a callback is, learn how to be funnier on paper…and maybe even in real life! Perfect for fiction and nonfiction writers, as well as those trying to inject more humor into jobs like content writing, copywriting, and more

And one longer class I’m still putting together, respond to this email if interested:

I want to run a book proposal class specifically focused on GIFT BOOKS like the one I co-wrote, New Erotica for Feminists. Gift books are simple in concept and comedic in tone. They’re short-ish, funny books that bookstores, gift shops, and clothing stores stock, and that can sell 1,000 copies to new graduates for one hundred years. They’re often at the front of a store, priced lower, and designed to catch the eye with their packaging. They’re perfect for short-form humor and satire writers to make the leap to longer projects.

I’ve helped quite a few people assemble and eventually sell their gift books and I’ve sold two books myself off proposal, so I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been mulling over the best way to *motivate* writers, and this is what I think the class will look like:

Enrollment: $400/person, payable via Venmo (we are doing this peer-to-peer, no institution taking 50% so I can keep the cost down. This is as low as I can make it and keep it worth my time, you can pay in chunks if need be).
I’ll send out a lengthy written primer on gift books, proposals, brainstorming prompts, and examples prior to our first meeting to help with idea generation.
For the first group online meeting, I ask that you come with either an idea or at least a sense of potential topic/audience. We’ll go over the elements of a gift book proposal together, begin your proposals in google docs, and brainstorm your ideas as a group.
THIS IS THE MOTIVATIONAL PART: During the next TWO MONTHS, you work on your proposal, then schedule your one-on-one meeting with me. You’ll send me your proposal to review three days beforehand. I’ll do written notes, then we’ll have a call. If you don’t schedule within two months of the first meeting, that’s it, you forfeit the rest of the money and don’t get notes on the proposal itself. The best goals are timebound!!!
Max 8 people (likely more like 6), first email mid-September, online class beginning of October, one-on-one Zoom meetings start in early December. Nothing goes into 2026!

I always say in my classes that if you just finish a proposal draft, you are ahead of 90% of people. Everyone has an idea, but not everyone backs it up with the hours of work. I want finishing to be the focus and driving goal of this version of the class. End the year with a gift book proposal you can query agents with (we’ll go over this!) at the top of 2026.

Respond to me if interested, or DM me here via Substack. Interest does not equal commitment, I’ll email everyone who expressed interest more details separately and you can decide then.