Live Encounters Poetry & Writing, Special Edition on Humour June 2024.
“Ya Gotta Laugh”?, guest editorial by Les Wicks.
Thank you Les for gathering the poets and writers, introducing fabulous new scribes,
and penning the guest editorial. Salaam. – Mark Ulyseas
There have been a panoply of themes in literary magazines ranging from carpe diem to carp. But never, to my knowledge, one that looks at humour.
I believe it’s a potentially rich and fresh area for exploration. The very words ‘humour’ and ‘comedy’ can be ill-laden to some. Perhaps there’s a fear that poetry will “not be taken seriously” if it contains humour. Some may think it downgrades the “lofty” position our artform occupies.
Of course, humour can be broad and obvious, but conversely it can by dry, subtle, ironic, understated. It can make points and move emotions without having to sledge people over the head.
If communication and connection remain core aims of we practitioners, then humour is a demonstrably highly effective entry point to the consciousness of our readership.
One of the interesting challenges in this collection was to showcase the variation of humour across gender, cultures and generations. I’m grateful for this opportunity, thanks Mark Ulyseas!
I hope the issue elicits a few laughs and introspections!
Distilled from a dialogue between myself & Tug Dumbly
© Les Wicks
Les Wicks has been published across 38 countries in 17 languages. His 15th book of poetry is Time Taken – New & Selected (Puncher & Wattmann, 2022). He can be found at leswicks.tripod.com/lw.htm