Comical Campaigns: A History of Political Satire
Join renowned political cartoonist and satirist Sean Kelly for a wide-ranging program at Pequot Library. In the days leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election, many community members have had questions about the history of satire and parody. Politics can provide abundant stress, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. This talk aims to alleviate election anxiety in a fun, educational manner. Learn about the earliest political cartoonists and how they skewered Tammany Hall politicians, and later, explore the incredible influence of humorists such as Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and the cast of Saturday Night Live.
Sean Kelly has produced award-winning illustration, visual journalism, and political commentary seen on the arts, business, features, and op-ed pages of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. In 2007, he was named Best Newspaper Journalist by the National Cartoonists Society. Later, he collaborated with Stephen Colbert, host of the Colbert Show and the Late Show, on Stephen Colbert’s Midnight Confessions.
Kelly graduated from Brown University and studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. From 2005-2007, his images of daily life in New York City ran weekly in the New York Times’ popular column “Metropolitan Diary.” After spending years in New York City, Kelly resides in Southport, Connecticut.
