When Matt King enrolled in a humor writing course at WashU School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), he wasn’t trying to launch a new career. He simply wanted to reconnect with a part of himself he had set aside.
“I’ve written for a long time,” King said. “I was a journalism major, I did sports writing and blogging, but I kind of got away from it. I wanted something that would hold me to the fire and make me finish things again.”
King has worked in the Office of Continuing Medical Education at the WashU School of Medicine for five years, helping coordinate conferences that support physician licensure. His wife, a longtime WashU staff member, had taken CAPS courses of her own.
“She kept an eye on what was available,” he said. “So I did too.” After a video editing course, the new humor writing class caught his attention.
The course guided students through satire, observational humor, dark comedy and personal essays. King appreciated the structure.
“It was a fun opportunity to stretch those muscles again,” he said. “Having assignments and deadlines made me actually get things done.”
One assignment—a humorous reflection on the strange reality of being a parent playing the tooth fairy—stood out.
“In class, that piece got the most traction,” King said. “People really responded to it.”
Encouraged by his instructor, he submitted a brief pitch to the St. Louis Storytelling Festival’s Amateur Story Hour. A month later, he learned he had been selected as one of seven featured storytellers.
Preparing to perform an eight-minute comedic piece brought new challenges.
“I had never done anything like that,” he said. “I had to memorize the whole thing.”
Practicing at home made the nerves even more real.
“My niece, nephew and kids sat there staring at me with completely blank faces,” he said. “It shook me so badly I had to stop and ask them to leave the room. After that I thought, if I survived that, I can handle an audience.”
The performance at the library went far better.
“Everyone had a different style, but mine was definitely the most overtly humorous,” King said. “I was able to get a lot of audience reaction, which was nice.”
Six classmates from his CAPS course, including his instructor, came to support him.
“That was such a cool thing,” he said. “We only knew each other for six weeks, but we built this really supportive group.”
After the course ended, several students chose to stay connected.
“A few of us meet about once a month now to share writing and give each other feedback,” King said. “It keeps me motivated.”
King hopes to keep writing and exploring new formats.
“The biggest thing now is just to keep going,” he said. “I’m looking for opportunities to publish, to perform and to have a creative outlet again.”
For King and many other students, CAPS offers space to pursue interests, build skills and stay connected to learning.
“I’m constantly checking to see what’s available,” he said. “Anything that can be a fun creative outlet is something I’m looking for.”