Name: No Laughing Matter: Satire in the Age of the Political Absurd
Start: 2026-05-30T14:45:00-0400
End: 2026-05-30T15:30:00-0400

No Laughing Matter: Satire in the Age of the Political Absurd

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center @ 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Satirists from The Onion and The Atlantic reveal how parody, sharp humor and viral comedy cut through today’s news cycle — exploring the importance of humor when reality can feel like a bad internet meme.

Speakers

Mike Gillis

Head Writer, The Onion

Mike Gillis is head writer for The Onion. He's also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Tricycle, ClickHole, and the Supreme Court (in the form of a recent amicus brief in defense of parody and free speech).

Ally Jarmanning

Senior Reporter, WBUR

Ally Jarmanning is a senior reporter focused on criminal justice and police accountability. She champions data and public records in the WBUR newsroom, reporting her own stories and working with fellow reporters on projects and daily news. She started at WBUR writing for Morning Edition and later... Read More →

Alexandra Petri

Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Alexandra Petri is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, she wrote a humor column for the Washington Post. She won the 2025 Thurber Prize for American Humor for her book AP’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up). She is the author of two other books... Read More →

Saturday May 30, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center

Politics

The WBUR Festival

Mike Gillis

Ally Jarmanning

Alexandra Petri

Get help with the event

The WBUR Festival

Mike Gillis

Ally Jarmanning

Alexandra Petri

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