Imagine Festival: Jo Caulfield - The Funny Thing About Death

This March, we are delighted to welcome Imagine Festival to The Crescent for a series of events.

Join Comedian Jo Caulfield as she talks about her laugh-out-loud memoir The Funny Thing About Death.

The Funny Thing About Death charts the lives of two unconventional girls raised in the 1970s who did not fit in to the Air Force bases where they were raised or the convent school they attended. It’s flippant and frank – all the things Jo’s fans love her for – and a touching account of the love between two sisters.

Six years ago, Jo was about to go on stage when she found out that her big sister Annie had cancer. Not the best way to start a nationwide comedy tour. But the tour turned out to be a welcome distraction for both sisters. As Jo reported back from various hotels and service stations, they revisited their childhood and adolescence while navigating Annie’s illness, learning through trial and error how to behave when someone you love gets sick. Like her stand-up, Jo’s caustic wit and razor-sharp observations make her account of life with her sister, even in the worst of times, as entertaining as it is touching and relatable.

All of Jo’s profits from The Funny Thing About Death will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Support – a charity which Jo has already raised over £50,000 for through bucket collections at the end of her Edinburgh Fringe shows. There will be a chance to buy a copy of the book at the end of the talk.

“There’s so much I’d like to say about this book, it’s a wildly satisfying and moving read. Big laughs combined with rare insight and heartbreak… I loved this special book.” Graham Norton

“Jo navigates the treacherous waters of bereavement and its unpredictable behaviour and emotions in this open, funny, sad, wry and highly readable gem.” Jo Brand

“Laughter isn’t just for the good times. Laughter is what gets us through the toughest times, and Jo Caulfield demonstrates that beautifully in this heartfelt and hilarious book.” Jimmy Carr

Jo also joins us at The Crescent for a stand up performance. Click here for more details. 

Jo Caulfield was born in Wales to Irish parents and raised in England. At the age of 17 she moved to London and spent two years living in a squat and playing drums in a rockabilly band before making a name for herself on the stand-up circuit. Jo moved to Edinburgh with her husband in 2013, having fallen in love with the city during numerous Fringe shows.

Jo regularly headlines the UK’s biggest and best comedy clubs and is rated as one of the best stand-ups in the UK. She has written for Graham Norton, Ruby Wax, Ant and Dec, Anne Robinson and Joan Rivers, and appeared on numerous TV shows, including Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week and The Royal Variety Show. Her recent book The Funny Thing About Death is a laugh-out-loud memoir of two unconventional sisters that is not afraid to ask the big questions about life, death, love and loss.

Imagine Festival is Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics which takes place in Belfast every March and presents a unique way of imagining the future of this great city — and the wider world. They present high-quality showcases for the discussion of contemporary political and societal issues including new ideas on politics, culture and activism from some of the world’s leading contemporary thinkers.

But it’s not all brain-melting policy discussions: there’s something for everyone in the form of exhibitions, humour, family events, music, theatre, tours, workshops and film and whatever else they can find to fire your imagination. Visit ImagineBelfast.com to discover more.