Laugh tack

Matt Groening

After tackling global warming in 2007 with “Climate of Concern” and human ambition in 2008 with “Thinking Big!,” the Chicago Humanities Festival, which annually stages a collection of lectures, films and concerts around the city, goes after…one-liners. This year the theme is “Laughter,” in all its stand-up, slapstick, slapdash silliness—and seriousness, from commedia dell’arte to political correctness. The gut-busting programming happens Monday 2–November 15. Check out these highlights:

The Not So Funny Future of Alternative Comix (Francis W. Parker School, November 7 at 4:30pm)
A world without Life in Hell? What hell. The CHF persuaded cartoonist Matt Groening—you’ve maybe heard of The Simpsons—to stick around after his November 5 conversation with fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry to participate in this panel discussion about the waning opportunities for cartoonists and graphic novelists in the disappearing world of alternative papers and comics publishers. The Chicago Reader’s Michael Miner hosts the panel, which also includes Barry (Ernie Pook’s Comeek), Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer and local legend Chris Ware.

For more venue and ticket info, visit chicagohumanities.org.

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