Event Type
In Optic Subwoof, Douglas Kearney writes: “Humor and horror, there is no or.” This panel will examine how invoking the laughable in poetry not only recognizes the ridiculous, but also links a reader with their power in relation to the inciting horror. “It is better to say, ‘I am suffering,’ than to say, ‘This landscape is ugly,’” says Simone Weil. This panel will speak to why it might be better to say “this is what I can’t endure alone” than to say “this is what I can’t endure.”
We’ll be discussing how humor influences our ways of writing towards not only diagnosing, but also imagining alternatives to the everyday horrors that are deeply entangled in the business of living. This is an under-examined area of craft that acts as a mode of resistance against hegemonic norms necessary for empire-making. This discussion will center on humor as a method of disorientation that lends itself towards an invitation for mutual care.
The moderator will begin the event by introducing the roundtable and the presenters (3-5 min.). Each presenter will give a brief introduction of their own work, including a short reading or demonstration (7 min. each). The moderator will ask an opening question or two which all of the presenters will have the opportunity to answer (5 min.) before opening the discussion up to the room for audience Q and A (5-8 min.).