Back to her funny roots: Comedian and WSU alumna Jen Seaman heads back to Palouse for the Women’s Expo

click to enlarge Back to her funny roots: Comedian and WSU alumna Jen Seaman heads back to Palouse for the Women’s Expo
Chris Leher © 2014
Jen Seaman

By Dominique Wald dwald@dnews.com

PULLMAN — Comedian Jen Seaman’s path to laughs started nearly a decade ago at Washington State University.

After participating in a comedy-writing workshop and realizing how much joy she felt while creating jokes and sketches, Seaman decided to start her own comedy club on campus.

She has since made appearances on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” Comedy Central’s “AtomTV” and FOX’s “Laughs.” In 2013, Seaman was named Seattle’s Best Comedian by Seattle Weekly.

When she’s not performing on stage, Seaman is working on her web series, “The Filling is Mutual,” in which she and a fellow comedian use jokes as inspiration for the creation of baked goods.

Audiences will get a chance to experience Seaman’s comedy during her performance this weekend at the Palouse Women’s Expo’s “Girls Night Out.”

“A lot of my routine has to do with my family, and a lot of it is observational,” Seaman said. “I also talk about dating, and how that can be a terrible experience.”

Seaman said she’s inspired by famous female comedians like Amy Schumer and the role they play in an industry that is usually perceived as a “boy’s club.”

“I see people like Amy Schumer and how she stays close with the female comedians she became friends with early in her career,” Seaman said. “I think that’s something to admire … us ladies have to stick together.”

Comedy, Seaman said, is about the human condition. How people experience it varies depending on where they are in life, which is what makes every routine unique.

“I never know what’s going to happen when I go out on stage, but that’s half the fun,” Seaman said.

Apart from performing this weekend, Seaman said she’s making time for a few pit stops. “I’m really excited to go back to Cougar Country and the Old European,” Seaman said. “It’ll be like reliving my college years through food.”

If you go What: Jen Seaman at the 2015 Palouse Women Expo’s “Girls Night Out” When: Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday, show starts at 7 p.m. Where: Best Western Plus University Inn, 1516 Pullman Road, Moscow Cost: Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling (208) 882-0550.