1 session, Sunday, April 5th, 2-4pm
online
$75
Enroll in this class.
please note: payments will not be accepted until January 1, 2026. For now, sign up, and in the New Year you will be required to input your credit card information to complete the purchase. Thank you!
Mapping is one of the most reliable engines of contemporary short humor: pair a real-world subject with a recognizable, contrasting frame (a literary character, a workout class script, a teen diary entry, a cooking blog, a Silicon Valley pitch deck, a celebrity memoir, a horror movie trailer, a LinkedIn profile, a dating profile, a criminal profile, I could list nouns forever), and you immediately create comedic contrast and potential. In this class, we’ll dissect how mapping works in successful pieces—how writers use tone, genre expectations, and cultural references to generate jokes, create tension, and invite the reader into a surprising new lens.
We’ll explore the many types of mapping (placing a modern figure inside a fictional world, smashing together two incompatible genres, filtering contemporary frustrations through outdated or overly dramatic templates, etc) and deconstruct how writers in the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and more make it work. Students will also participate in some low-stakes guided brainstorming exercises and generative prompts to help spark ideas for their own writing. By the end, you'll have a better, wider sense of how to use these techniques to generate more comedic premises, sharpen your comedic voice, and strengthen your humor writing.
Enroll in this class.
About the Instructor
Riane Konc is a satire and humor writer whose writing can be found in the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, the New York Times, The Cut, Mad Magazine, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Reductress, and more. She’s also taught satire and humor writing for Second City’s online writing program and for the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop, and she’s served as both a judge for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor and as the ceremony’s co-head writer.
Student Testimonials
"Riane's brilliant sense of humor is what prompted me to take the Second City 'Writing Satire For the Internet' class with her. But her kind, actionable feedback is what helped me get the most out of the course. Taking a class with Riane is one of the best writing career decisions I've ever made." - Carlos G
“I am so beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to take my first ever humor writing class with Riane. Riane is a fantastic teacher — she made challenging concepts accessible and always offered thoughtful and nuanced feedback on my and my classmate's fledgling attempts to write funny. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not be the writer I am today had it not been for Riane's patience, expertise, and support as my teacher. If you have the chance to take a class with her, DO IT!!” - Emily K.
“The first satire writing class I ever took was with Riane, and she took my half-formed, barely-funny ideas and helped me learn to structure them into an actual humor piece. Riane is not only one of the funniest writers and humans on earth, but she has the gift of showing others how humor writing works, and the ability to help people see themselves as humorists. Riane’s feedback was always prompt, specific, and helpful, and she knows exactly how to help elevate a piece. Riane created a writing community in her class, and helped model what it means to give thoughtful feedback to others. I highly recommend taking a class with her to develop your own satire writing skills!” - Amy E.