(CLASS) Joke in the Box: An Introduction to Gag Cartooning

Sun Mar 29 2026 at 01:15 pm to 03:00 pm UTC-04:00

Union Hall | Brooklyn

Union Hall
Publisher/HostUnion Hall
(CLASS) Joke in the Box: An Introduction to Gag Cartooning An introduction to the subtle wizardry that is gag cartooning, taught by Emily Flake.
About this Event

In this single-session class, we’ll be doing exercises meant to generate ideas, spark jokes, and inspire cartoons in the single-panel format. If we do this right, you’ll walk out with a stack of beginnings and ideas for comics that you’re excited about. If we do it wrong, I’ll be left tied to a pole covered in gasoline out in the desert somewhere. Worried about your drawing skills, or lack thereof? Don’t be. Some of the best cartoonists really can’t draw for shit. But we'll cover a bit of technique, too, promise.


Emily Flake is a cartoonist, writer, and comic whose work appears regularly in the New Yorker. She is the author of several books, most recently “Joke in a Box: How to Write and Draw Jokes.” She was nominated for a WGA award for her screenwriting work on Stephen Soderbergh’s “Command-Z” and was a Yaddo fellow in 2025. She is the founder of the St. Nell’s Humor Writing Residency in Williamsport, PA.


Supplies: Bring a hardbacked notebook or a clipboard and paper for note taking and drawing, as well as a pen and a pencil of your choice.

1pm Venue Opens / 1:15pm Class Starts (in downstairs Venue)

Ages 21+

Please check the FAQ below or contact [email protected] with any questions.

Event Venue

Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn, United States

Tickets

USD 48.35

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