The Jester of Columbia, or simply the Jester, is a humor magazine at Columbia University in New York City. Founded on April Fool's Day, 1901, it is one of the oldest such publications in the United States. Printed continuously at least through 1997. It was revived in 2001 after a short lapse in publication and again in 2005 after another, shorter one. Jester now produces magazines and sponsors comedy events on Columbia's campus.
Issues
Excluding brief lapses in publication, the Jester has always produced issues. Jester publishes four or five times per year, with articles loosely centered around a broad theme. These have recently included "Justice," "Liquid," and "Technology." Issues contain a wide array of articles and jokes, such as narratives, dialogues, and articles composed of short paragraphs discussing a theme. To heighten the effect of period pieces or specific jokes, articles appear as fake documents found and scanned into the issue. Illustrations are a significant part of the magazine, with visual gags and fake ads bringing greater variety.
Jester attempts to not repeat jokes or features, except for a letters to the editor section, an editorial, called the "Editaurus," an obituary section succinctly named "Deaths," and a couple of "list" pages containing short jokes and lists. However, there are no recurring subjects, and news-style pieces rarely appear, except as "sampled" documents. Within individual issues, there are also recurring references, including ones regarding Picabo Street, the Zune, and Q-Zar.
Other activities
In addition to publishing the magazine, the group puts on comedy events, containing sketches, improv comedy, and an event reminiscent of the antics of Andy Kaufmann, where an audience was forced to watch other students eat dinner for 30 minutes while listening to madrigals.
Jester also performs a number of pranks, most recently establishing a pseudo-rivalry with the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal, culminating in a staged theft of issues, attached rebuttals, and a parody website. The Columbia Spectator reported the event as an actual disappearance.
Jester alumni
- Allen Ginsberg, poet of the Beat Generation
- Gerald Green, writer
- Rockwell Kent artist, in 1903 became the Jester's first Art Editor
- Tony Kushner, playwright
- Robert Lax, poet
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz, screenwriter
- Thomas Merton, author and monk
- Ted Rall, political cartoonist
- Ad Reinhardt, artist
- Ed Rice, journalist
- Ralph de Toledano, journalist, co-founded the National Review and edited Newsweek
- Lynd Ward, artist
- Herman Wouk, writer
- Judd Gregg
- Ronald M. Deutsch, journalist and writer
References
- ^ a b DePillis, Lydia. "Humor Comes Back to Columbia". Columbia Spectator.Â
- ^ "KCST Serves up Feast of Mystery". Columbia Spectator.Â
- ^ "Prankstgrüp Makes Columbia Proud". Bwog.Â
- ^ Appel, Julie. "Missing Jester Copies Found". Columbia Spectator.Â
- ^ "CUSJ Antics far Funnier than CUSJ Content". Bwog.Â
- ^ "700 Copies of Campus Magazine Disappear". Columbia Spectator.Â
- ^ DePillis, Lydia. "Humor Comes Back to Columbia". Columbia Spectator.Â
External links
- Jester website
- "Jester Holds Court Again", an article in the January, 2002 edition of Columbia College Today