Twain Events
Writer's Craft Workshop
April 27, 2012
Location TBA
An Evening with David Rakoff
April 27, 2012
7:00 PM
Michael P. O'Brien Athletics and Recreation Center
An Evening with David Rakoff
David Rakoff will discuss defensive pessimism and his award-winning new book, Half Empty. Photo by Paul Roossin.
"Assault of Laughter" Writing Contest
WINNERS WILL BE FORMALLY ANNOUNCED FRIDAY, APRIL 27th AT THE ANNUAL TWAIN LECTURE.
1st Place
Julie Durbin (SMCM Junior)
"The Defecation of the Reputation of the Great Blue Heron"
2nd Place
Thor Peterson (SMCM Junior)
"The All-Student Email"
3rd Place
Benjamin Stoehr (SMCM Alum, '03)
"You Buy?"
Mark Twain recognized the power of humor to combat even the most serious situations, but he also understood how to use this exceptional force as a means of mending such matters. According to Twain, laughter exists as the "one really effective weapon" available to the human race, yet it is, at the same time, "the great thing, the saving thing after all." In the spirit of Twain's sense of humor and his understanding of its power, The Twain Lecture Series and The Writing Center present the "Assault of Laughter" Writing Contest. Entrants will utilize the full power of humor to exlore a range of issues affecting society and culture today.
See full Contest Guidelines here.
Follow the links below for samples of Humor Writing:
"A Politically Correct Christmas? Who Cares!" by Firoozeh Dumas
"Undecided" by David Sedaris
Excerpt from Half Empty by David Rakoff
"Time Lost and Found" by Anne Lamott
"Your Child Deserves a Halloween Costume by Calvin Klein" by Dave Barry
"Report: Increasing Number of Educators Found To Be Suffering From Teaching Disabilities" by The Onion
"The Uncompassionate Conservative" by Molly Ivins
"About the Man Uglier and Scarier than Ratzinger" by Dave Eggers
"Dear Mountain Room Parents" by Maria Semple
"Who Wrote Shakespeare" by Eric Idle
"Goodbye Cruel Words" by Gene Weingarten
"Gift-Challenged" by Jeff Hammond
"My Life at the Comfort Inn" by Jeff Hammond
