My perfect student
by Elissa Bassist

The 92nd Street Y’s august Unterberg Poetry Center has been running writing workshops with an astonishing array of literary talent for more than 80 years. Since the pandemic impelled us to move the workshops online, registrations are booming and creativity blossoms. Elissa Bassist, the writer and editor of the “Funny Women” column on The Rumpus, has run two sold-out humor writing workshops and starts a new one this Thursday, Oct 8. We asked her to describe her ideal student. Here’s what she told us.

Elissa Bassist writes:

Once a student emailed me: “This class taught me so much about humor and also probably made me a better person, for learning how to see the humor in people.”

I cried when I read that — I cried for a full five minutes.

Every time I teach my humor writing workshop, I ask students what they hope to get out of class. The responses are typical, like “publication,” “deadlines,” “publication,” “community,” and “mostly publication.” One student gave the very best response: to be better on dating apps. She explained that growing up, her father didn’t allow her to laugh, and she wanted to learn how in order to make other people laugh.

All my students are my favorite, but my favorite-FAVORITE type of student is someone who wants to be a better writer, yes, but who really wants to be a better human being through writing. My wish list also includes:

• Someone who works doggedly because she wants to, because she wants to learn to laugh and to make others laugh;
• Someone who asks questions about revision before questions about publication;
• Someone who writes not only to express but also to communicate;
• Someone who believes humor writing will help her find love;
• And someone who lets critique push her forward in her work rather than derail her.

I wish I were my ideal student.