There’s an old idea that explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you come away understanding how it works, but the joke dies in the process. Naturally, I decided that was worth spending an hour on.

Jim Stallions is a Boston-based comedian you may know from the stage, from his TikTok account Great Face for Radio, or from being the guy in the room you can never quite predict. He joined me in the Dale Dorman Radio Studio at Massasoit Community College to talk about what makes people laugh, and why anyone would choose a life of standing in front of strangers and hoping they do.

We get into the origins of his comedy, the anatomy of a joke, and whether any of this can actually be taught. We also talk about bombing and why so much great comedy is built on something that hurts.

This is the radio edition of Curiously, recorded live in the studio.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Jim got into stand-up and what shaped his comedic sensibility

• What actually makes something funny

• The difference between being funny in life and crafting comedic material

• How to build a stand-up routine

• The jokes he wishes he’d written and the trends he’d happily retire

• Bombing, and why the useful bombs are the ones that change you

• What comedy is for, and why people still drive to a room to laugh with strangers

💡 Learn more about Jim Stallions: https://www.tiktok.com/@greatfaceforradio

💡 Take the podcast survey: www.curiouslypod.com/survey

💡 About Curiously: www.curiouslypod.com

Can writing be taught? It’s one of the oldest arguments in literary culture, and every year, thousands of writers bet their time, money, and creative confidence that the answer is yes. They enroll in MFA programs, bring their pages into classrooms, and submit themselves to a process called “workshop,” where their work gets dissected, debated, and handed back to them.

Of course, MFA writing programs exist for more than just fiction writers. You can pursue an MFA in poetry, creative nonfiction, literary journalism, graphic novels. But what actually happens inside these writing programs? How is craft taught? What does a workshop feel like from the inside? And what are the things nobody mentions in the admissions brochure?

To answer all of that, I invited two writers I met during my own MFA program—Samantha Cooke and Martin Smith, who writes under the name M. Earl Smith—to talk about everything. We cover the real value of MFA training, how workshops function at their best, and what the path toward publication actually looks like. We also get into the less glamorous side: the gatekeeping, the performative readings, the bureaucratic nonsense, and the moments that make you wonder what you signed up for.

Whether you’re considering an MFA yourself, already in one, or simply curious about what happens when a room full of writers tries to teach each other, this one’s for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What MFA programs in writing actually do, and what they can’t do

• How the workshop model works and why it’s both powerful and flawed

• The craft techniques and storytelling tools you develop along the way

• What the path to publication really looks like for MFA graduates

• The culture inside these programs: the good, the pretentious, the absurd

• Performative readings, academic politics, and other things nobody warned you about

• What Sam and Martin took away from the experience — and what they’d do differently

• Whether an MFA is worth the investment for a writer serious about their craft

💡 Learn more about Sam Cooke: https://samanthaelicooke.com/

💡 Learn more about Martin Smith (M. Earl Smith): https://www.mearlsmith.com/

💡 Take the podcast survey: www.curiouslypod.com/survey

When I was a kid, one of my favorite TV shows was The Magic School Bus. In one episode, Ms. Frizzle shrinks the class down and takes them inside the human body to learn about the immune system. I’ve never forgotten it. For years, I knew I wanted to write a story about people miniaturizing themselves with advanced technology and venturing into the body on a mission. Last year, I finally gave it a shot.

I imagined technology that reduces the space between subatomic particles, shrinking a person down to microscopic size so they can be injected into the bloodstream. Then I gave the premise some heart, because that’s my favorite kind of sci-fi. Two veteran body explorers, Abby and Jackson, were once partners in both business and life. Now they’re estranged. When Jackson disappears inside a billionaire’s brain during an illegal memory-erasure mission, Abby is the only one who can go in after him.

The story is called Micro, and it’s read here by voice actor Laura Neibaur, who responded to my casting call and brought this story to life with a dramatic yet understated performance that honors every nuance of the language. The story was beautifully scored by Brad Parsons of Train Sound Studio, a podcast production house.

Finally, I recorded my intro at Massasoit Community College as part of their Radio and Podcasting Certificate Program, a new chapter I’m grateful to be in.

💡 Learn more about Laura Neibaur’s work: https://www.lbneibaur.com/

💡 Learn more about Brad Parsons’ work: https://trainsoundstudio.com/

💡 Take the podcast survey: www.curiouslypod.com/survey

💡 About Curiously: www.curiouslypod.com