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What's So Funny? Writing Satire with Bob Balmer

  • Friday, May 15, 2026
  • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Zoom Online Meeting

Registration

  • Premium Membership includes free entry to all General Meetings, In-Person Workshops and Online Labs for the year. You must be logged in to select this option. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Standard and Student members are provided a la carte access to Online Labs at the Member rate of $55. You must be logged in to select this option. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Non-Members pay $110 for each Online Lab. Please note that if you choose to join the Guild before registering for this event you will pay a $75 Membership fee, and then attend this event for $55 (50% discount). You will also gain all the benefits of membership in the Guild including 50% off future Online Labs and 50% to 65% (Early Bird) off In-Person Workshops. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Reserved for Facilitators only.
Register


Announcing our next Online Lab

What's So Funny? Writing Satire

with Bob Balmer


“What’s so Funny? A Workshop About Satire”

  •  

    Bob Balmer is a retired award winning teacher.  His writing has appeared in the Smithsonian, Golf Illustrated, ZYZZYVA, the Oregonian, Oregon Coast Magazine, the Seattle Times and other print media.  It has aired on MarketPlace, the Savvy Traveler and Oregon Public Radio and Television.  He has facilitated workshops for the Palm Springs Writers Guild, Thurber House, Fishtrap, Writing in the West, Write on the Sound, South Coast Writers Conference and for other writing organizations and festivals, his bailiwick being humor.

Description: 

Some things are so ridiculous they deserve skewering. Other things are so relentlessly harmful and yet ignored that writers find another way to grab people’s attention vis-à-vis the problem. (Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” comes to mind.

Five Key Points to Take Away

  • Identifying a subject worthy of satire.
  • Discerning the difference of knowing what's funny and what's funny with a message..
  • Choosing a subject worthy of discussion and debate. 
  • Learning the difference between punching up and punching down.
  • Ensuring that your satire, even if absurd, makes a salient point..

Location: Zoom Online Meeting

To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.

Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.

You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.

We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

Event Contact: Ariella Moon
authorariellamoon@gmail.com