February 28, 2008

 

The minute you start to analyze something funny, the fun goes away – or does it? See “The Serious Stuff about Humor – What is It? Why is It?” on Monday, March 10 at the Michigan Theater for some answers. The free conference takes place from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

The New Yorker’s cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff, will lead a panel that includes:

• Syndicated political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant
• New Yorker cartoonist Matt Diffee
• “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” writers Kevin Bleyer and Tim Carvell
• “Mama’s Boyz” cartoonist Jerry Craft
• Philadelphia Daily News political cartoonist Signe Wilkinson

During the conference, Oliphant will draw political cartoons on stage. Well-known as a Pulitzer-Prize-winning political cartoonist, he is also an accomplished sculptor, incorporating characteristic biting satire in his statues of leading political figures. Eight of his bronze sculptures will be on display in the Michigan Theater’s Grand Foyer.

Other panelists include:

• University of Michigan professor of psychology Richard Lewis
• College of William and Mary religion professor John Morreall
• University of Western Ontario clinical psychologist Rod Martin
• Boston College English professor and columnist Paul Lewis
• Independent psychologist and humor researcher Michael Apter.

The conference is presented by the University of Michigan Knight-Wallace Fellows in cooperation with The New Yorker Cartoon Bank; University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities; University of Michigan Department of Psychology; and University of Michigan Depression Center.

The conference is free and open to the public. For more information, call 734-998-7666 or visit the Michigan Theater web site: http://michtheater.org