Verso University: 'Women Laughing' Film Screening and Panel Discussion With New Yorker Cartoonists Liza Donnelly and Roz Chast

Event Details

Laugh out loud with a special screening of Women Laughing, a new documentary exploring the history, impact, and creative legacy of women cartoonists at The New Yorker — followed by a live conversation with acclaimed cartoonists Liza Donnelly and Roz Chast, moderated by former New Yorker editor Anne Hall Elser.

Together, they'll discuss the making of the film, the art of cartooning, and why laughter remains one of our most powerful forms of communication. An audience Q&A will follow.

Filled with wit, insight, and lively conversations, Women Laughing brings together some of the most celebrated cartoonists working today as they reflect on creativity, storytelling, and the evolving role of women in one of America's most iconic publications.

Through candid interviews, behind-the-scenes conversations, and a look back at a century of cartooning history, the film explores how artists have used humor not only to entertain, but to challenge assumptions, capture everyday truths, and connect people through shared experiences.

Tickets are $5. Registration is required.

Why You Should Come

Laughter is the best medicine. Whether you're a devoted New Yorker reader, an aspiring artist, a creative professional, or simply someone who appreciates sharp observation and great storytelling, this is a rare opportunity to hear directly from two legendary cartoonists whose work has shaped how generations see the world.

You'll leave with a deeper appreciation for the craft behind a single-panel cartoon, the history of women in comedy and illustration, and the remarkable ways humor can illuminate truth, build connection, and spark change.

About the Film

In Women Laughing, longtime New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly sets out to explore her lifelong passion for women’s humor and cartooning by speaking, laughing, and drawing with a diverse group of remarkable women who create cartoons for the iconic magazine. Inspired by her acclaimed book Very Funny Ladies and Liza’s own biography, the film looks at how far women have come in a field historically dominated by men.

Women Laughing includes intimate conversations with some of the most celebrated and groundbreaking cartoonists at The New Yorker including Roz Chast, Emily Flake, Sarah Akinterinwa, Liana Fink, Amy Hwang, and Bishakh Som. Liza also speaks with Emma Allen, the magazine’s first female cartoon editor.

During a dynamic group roundtable discussion with ten cartoonists, we also meet artists Emily Sanders Hopkins, Maggie
Larson, Arenza Pena-Popo and Victoria Roberts. Together, they reflect on what drives them, the obstacles they’ve faced, their creative processes, and much more.

The film also journeys back in time to the earliest days of The New Yorker, a magazine founded in 1925 by journalists Harold Ross and Jane Grant. Surprisingly, the very first issue featured a cartoon by a woman, Brooklyn native Ethel Plummer. And there were several other women drawing in those early days. Women Laughing features some of
their pioneering work and reveals that by the 1950s women cartoonists had all but disappeared from the magazine, not significantly returning until the late 1970s.

A hundred years since its founding, the cartoons of The New Yorker remain the benchmark of the form, beloved around the world. And the magazine has seen tremendous progress. Today half of the artists identify as female or nonbinary, and many more people of color are joining the community, bringing cartoons to new audiences.

Women Laughing offers a unique look at how women cartoonists, past and present, have used single panel drawings to express their lived experiences. The film is ultimately a joyful celebration of women, art, and the creative spirit.

About the Speakers  

Liza Donnelly is a writer and cartoonist for The New Yorker, where she has been drawing cartoons and writing about culture for 40 years. She has been a contributor to CBS News and CNN, as well as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Donnelly’s popular TED talk was translated into 42 languages and viewed over 1.5 million times. She has delivered talks at the United Nations and around the globe.

Donnelly is the innovator of a new digital visual journalism called live-drawing. For CBS News, CNN and The New Yorker, she covered major news events, including presidential debates, trials, The Academy Awards, and more. She is the author/editor of 18 books, most notably Very Funny Ladies, a history of women cartoonists of The New Yorker. She has curated exhibits of international cartoonists, here and abroad. Her solo exhibition, Comic Relief, was held at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts in 2020.

Donnelly is a visiting scholar at Vassar College and a distinguished Athena Leadership fellow at Barnard College. She is a recipient of an honorary PhD from University of Connecticut and has won multiple prizes for her work. Her cartoons are in the Library of Congress Prints Collection, The Museum of Illustration and in private collections, and in numerous books around the world. Donnelly is a member of PEN America, The Authors Guild, and The Society of Illustrators and she serves on the board of the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Roz Chast’s work has appeared in publications including The Village Voice, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review, but she is most closely associated with The New Yorker. In addition to collections of her New Yorker cartoons, Chast has written and illustrated a range of books. Her first memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? won a National Book Critics Circle Award and was shortlisted for a National Book Award.

Anne Hall Elser is a freelance portrait photographer and a former long-time editorial staff member of The New Yorker, working with the magazine’s cover artists and cartoonists.  Her black and white portraits of writers and artists have appeared on book jackets, been exhibited in group and one-woman shows, and are held in many private collections. 65 of her photographs of New Yorker artists are at the Morgan Library in New York City, accompanying The Melvin R. Seiden Collection of New Yorker drawings.

About Verso University

Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.

Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund. 

Refund Policy

Programs, prices, and dates are subject to change. Tickets are non-transferable between events but may be passed along to another attendee. All sales are final. Refunds are issued only if The Westport Library cancels an event outright. In the case of a postponement or reschedule, refunds are not guaranteed provided the event takes place within 12 months of the original date. Refunds, when applicable, are issued in the original form of payment.