Joke Farming, 9780226829920
Paperback
Grow your own comedy: a practical guide to harvesting jokes.
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Joke Farming

how to write comedy and other nonsense

$30.39

  • Paperback

    304 pages

  • Release Date

    12 November 2025

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Summary

Joke Farming: Cultivating Comedy Gold

The winner of four Emmys, a Peabody, and two Writers Guild Awards (all of which badly need dusting) explains his process for writing comedy without going insane.

Philosophers may debate the meaning of comedy (thankfully keeping them too busy to fall into a life of crime), but the rest of us are more likely to wonder how we can make an audience laugh—or at least, how to entertain our friends and followers. Accord…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780226829920
ISBN-10:0226829928
Author:Elliott Kalan
Publisher:The University of Chicago Press
Imprint:University of Chicago Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:304
Release Date:12 November 2025
Weight:454g
Dimensions:216mm x 140mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Kalan has always been hilarious, and Joke Farming is a shining example of his talent and expertise—which surprised me, because I really thought he had been winging it. A seat of the pants type thing. Live and learn.” – Jon Stewart“Kalan gives a tantalizing peek behind the sausage and shows how the curtain is made.” – Kristen Schaal“Kalan is one of the sharpest comedic minds that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with. For as talented as he is at making comedy, he’s also someone who appreciates the craft of comedy and sharing it with others. His book Joke Farming serves as both an instructive guide for anyone looking to infuse humor into their work and a thoughtfully researched compendium of satire, highlighting generations of funny minds from the silent film era to stand up to the current social media comedy scene.” – Wyatt Cenac

About The Author

Elliott Kalan

Elliott Kalan is an Emmy, Peabody, and Writers Guild Award–winning television writer and producer whose credits include head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and head writer for the reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000, among other shows. He is currently executive producer and head writer for the forthcoming Ghostbusters animated series on Netflix. He also hosts or cohosts the podcasts SmartLess Presents: ClueLess, The Flop House, and The Power Broker, a limited series from 99% Invisible. Additional writing credits include the history podcast Presidents Are People, Too!, the children’s sketch comedy show The Who Was? Show, three children’s picture books, and comic book series for Marvel and DC Comics.

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