You Aren’t Funny; You’re Hilarious!
Sep 20, 2025
Laugh’s Comedy Club (University District) 5220 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Are you ready to give yourself permission to explore your funny side? In a dual keynote informed by their comic works, which range from PB to chapter books, middle grade, and YA, Martha Brockenbrough and Rachel Michelle Wilson will guide you through the entire creative process, offering strategies and exercises applicable to any story from PB to YA. Not only will we talk about where humor sits historically in culture and also the heart of childhood, we will show you how to brainstorm and select ideas ripe with funny potential, how to write in a comedic voice specific to who you are, and how to land the funny plane. In part two, we'll explore revision tactics like how to make your jokes better, leverage page turns and chapter breaks, and add layers of humor to your story using concepts, situations, and dialogue. You'll leave feeling confident in your own hilarious potential and excited to get to work.
Martha Brockenbrough is the founding director of the University of San Francisco’s brand new MFA in Writing for Young Readers. She once was rejected by a publisher who said, “Martha is not as funny as she thinks she is.” Another publisher rejected a manuscript because “the chicken isn’t a very good mother.” She has written 25 books for young readers, one of which won a humor award, and zero of which have maternal chickens.
Rachel Michelle Wilson is a children's book author-illustrator with a sweet tooth and a dash of sass. Her debut picture book HOW TO PEE YOUR PANTS: THE RIGHT WAY (Macmillan) was a Kirkus Best Book of 2024 and an ALSC Notable Book of 2025. Kirkus described her latest picture book TO CATCH A GHOST (Scholastic) as "hauntingly good—quirky, amusing, and deeply felt." It received a starred review from School Library Journal and was selected as an Amazon Best Book of the Month. When not making books, you can find Rachel puzzling over a logic problem, hosting a living room dance party, or paddle boarding near her home in Washington state with her husband and dog.