Wyatt Cenac is an award-winning comedian, writer, and producer. Born in New York City and raised in Dallas, his love for comedy began as a child watching The Cosby Show. He started performing at open mics in Raleigh while attending University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. After interning for Saturday Night Live in New York City and graduating UNC, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his comedic dreams. Cenac began his writing career on FOX’s King of the Hill, but his big break came in 2008 when he returned to New York and joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as both a writer and correspondent, becoming the first Black man to do so.
About Life Stories
Life Stories is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization that creates and distributes documentaries, interviews, and educational resources about people whose lives inspire meaningful change. These stories address issues of civics, history, politics, the arts and culture by shining the spotlight on relatable human stories of purpose and meaning in times of change. They provide open access to all our content for communities and classrooms through our curated website and YouTube channel.
About The Thread
The Thread is a documentary interview series exploring what it means to live a purpose-driven life through conversations with multi-faceted people who have helped shape our society. Each 30-minute episode takes viewers on a personal journey into the life of extraordinary people who candidly share their triumphs and failures. The Thread is available on the Life Stories website and YouTube channel, and as a podcast across all major platforms. Teaching The Thread brings the series into the classroom with episode lessons designed to strengthen social emotional learning and media literacy skills and expand the scope of subject matter in Social Studies and English Language Arts.
Before You Begin
Content Note:
Editor’s Note:
Introduction
Writer and comedian Wyatt Cenac, formerly a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, details the struggles of being a Black man in a predominantly white professional field. This episode of The Thread is a conversation with Wyatt Cenac whose story is one of frustration, introspection, and ultimately, a determination to help us all learn “to do better by one another.” To see the full lesson created by Life Stories, please visit: Wyatt Cenac: A Writer’s Life.
Inspired by Wyatt Cenac’s professional path, in this lesson, you will identify the goals you have for your future and then reflect and take steps towards achieving those goals.
STEP 1
To begin, watch this clip of Wyatt Cenac’s The Thread video: 1:10-13:17. Then, freewrite your answer to this question in your writing journal: Wyatt Cenac saw himself in Eddie Murphy, and he tried to follow Murphy’s path as he started his career. What dreams and goals do you have for your future? Who do you look up to as a role model in that work or space?
STEP 2
Next, begin imagining your life five to ten years from now. Answer the questions on page 1 of the Your Future, Your Vision with Wyatt Cenac— Handout to help you get started.
STEP 3
In the video, Wyatt Cenac shared some of the steps he took to achieve his goals, including sending a letter to Saturday Night Live that indicated his interest in working there one day. Choose one of the goals you wrote about in Step 1; then, try to identify 3-5 tangible steps you could take to help you achieve that goal. These can be big, life-changing steps (e.g., “Move to NYC”); or, they can be smaller, more manageable steps that you can start doing now (e.g., start studying Spanish).
STEP 4
Finally, choose one of the writing prompts below.
by 826 National and Life Stories
From skateboarding to fashion, we all have a deep love for something. Choose a hobby or skill that you’re passionate about and then tell the story of how you grew to love it.
by 826 National and Life Stories
In this lesson, you will find the funny in your everyday life experiences and depict those moments in a cartoon.
by 826 National and Life Stories
In this lesson, you will hear about the life and art of Reginald Dwayne Betts and write a poem that captures a meaningful moment from your everyday life.
by Jason Reynolds
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and NYT Bestselling Author, Jason Reynolds, joined 826 students for a conversation on his video project, "For Every One."
by 826 National, featuring Boo Gyves, Grade 11, 826 Valencia
From the 826 National original publication, UNBOUND, this list poem is a reminder of all the small things in life that can make us happy and prompts you to make a list of your own.
by Mychal Threets, librarian and literacy ambassador
Librarian and literacy ambassador Mychal Threets invites you to write about your feelings, your way with four writing prompts to explore your emotions on the page.
by Austin Bunn
Fiction writer, playwright, and screenwriter Austin Bunn shares a writing prompt that will get you noticing--and reimagining--the objects you see everyday.
by 826 National
In this lesson, you will learn a strategy for writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly.
by 826 National, featuring Adri. S. Cordoba, Grade 10, Woodburn High School
From the 826 National original publication, UNBOUND, this poem celebrates the writer's connection to the natural world and asks you to write about the little things you appreciate.
by 826 National
Nicole Dungca, Investigative Reporter at The Washington Post and President of the Asian American Journalists Association, shares strategies for asking key questions.
by 826 National
Television writer and showrunner Tim McKeon shares how you can study your favorite TV show to learn about screenwriting.
by Lila Coffey, Grade 10, MA
Lila Coffey addresses her fears for women and children, in her poem addressed to the next President of the United States. Viewer disecretion is advised.
by 826 National and Life Stories
How do the names we carry affect our identity? In this lesson, you will explore the names you carry and the impact they have on your self-image.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Stories are the strands that connect us. In this lesson, you will connect with a friend or a family member, write about a memory you share, and maybe even learn something new!
by 826 National and Life Stories
Activism and art are personal—they are fueled by your perspective of the world. In this lesson, you will write a poem or a narrative that shares your deep connection to an important topic or issue.
by 826 National
Revision is the process of making substantial changes in your writing. In this lesson, you will use revision strategies to strengthen a current piece of writing you’re working on.
by 826 National
Writers are guided by their personal and artistic values as they work to achieve their goals. But what are those values built on? In this lesson, you will discover that for yourself.
by Sean Prentiss
Essayist, poet, and National Outdoor Book Award winner Sean Prentiss shares his favorite way to develop the setting of a story or essay as a fully formed character.
by 826 National, featuring Alistar Bedell, Grade 11, CA
In this lesson, you will practice analyzing different types of a narrative technique called irony. Then, you will write your own scene that uses irony to develop an imaginary experience or character.
by 826 National
Television writer and showrunner Tim McKeon shares how he became a scriptwriter and the valuable skills you'll need if you'd like to become one too.
by Tony Weaver, Jr., educator and author of the graphic novel Weirdo
Author and educator Tony Weaver, Jr. invites students in grades 5—12 to explore science fiction with different writing prompts that invite them to build new worlds and reimagine what's possible.
by 826 National
Radiologist Matthew Bucknor shares while it's important for students studying STEM fields "not to sleep on the Humanities."
by 826 National and Life Stories
In this activity, you will explore your values and the lived experiences that have shaped them, and then write a poem that shares your vision for the future.
by 826 National
Writer and 826michigan staffer, Eli Sparkman, shares stories about some of his favorite personal objects and encourages students to write down their own.
by 826 National
In this lesson, you will build your confidence as a writer by battling the page on a consistent basis.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Like any muscle, creativity can be strengthened and developed over time. In this lesson, you will carve out time for your own creative practice and reflect on the process along the way.
by Jason Reynolds
Part letter, part long-form poem, "For Every One" offers reflections and courageous words about unraveling and rebuilding one's dreams.
by Sean Prentiss
Essayist, poet, and National Outdoor Book Award winner Sean Prentiss shares 5 techniques to use when writing scenes.
by 826 National
Law student Brenda Quintanilla shares how writing is a vital tool to use when advocating for your community.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
Journalist and 826 MSP staffer, Cristeta Boarini, shares a poetry prompt that walks students through using shapes to convey meaning.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Stories can bridge our past to our future—but only if we build them. In this lesson, you will reflect on a story from your personal history that you think others could learn from.
by Amanda Gorman
Presidential Inaugural Poet, activist, and bestselling author Amanda Gorman shares one of her favorite techniques for starting a poem or getting over writers' block.
by 826 National, featuring Isabella Baldisseri, Grade 10, OR
Isabella Baldisseri reads her original piece of writing—a letter to the next President of the United States—addresssing her concerns about Palestine. Viewer discretion is advised.
by 826 National and Life Stories
In this lesson, you will learn about Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis’s life, an idea she calls “fierce-love,” and the importance of learning to love yourself.
by Amy Dupcak, 826NYC
Writer and teaching artist with 826NYC, Amy Dupcak, shares a memoir writing prompt that helps students use specific sensory language to describe a place they love.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Songwriters are powerful storytellers. Their lyrics can connect us, uplift us, and even heal us. In this lesson, you’ll identify a story of your own and turn it into original song lyrics.
by 826 National
Senior Business Development Manager Erin Polgreen shares more about the ways she sees LinkedIn users engaging with writing on the platform.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Who or what has shaped your creativity? In this lesson, you will reflect on the creative influences in your life and create a short piece inspired by one of those influences.
by Robin Reid Drake, 826CHI
826CHI Teaching Artist, Robin Reid Drake, shares an original writing prompt that encourages students to borrow lines from their favorite pieces of writing and then remix them into something new.
by Javier Zamora, 826 Valenica alumni and New York Times bestselling author
Author Javier Zamora invites you to raise your voice and write to the next President of the United States.
by 826 National and Life Stories
Have some fun and break the rules—the writing rules, that is. In this lesson, you will examine genre conventions and create a piece of writing that breaks or blends rules, making it uniquely your own.
by 826 National and Life Stories
You will write a “soundscape” poem filled with familiar sounds of your neighborhood or home.
by Natalie Moore
In this lesson, you will use journal entries as inspiration for a dynamic narrative poem.
by 826 National, featuring Priyanna Kumar Singhania, Grade 8
In this lesson, you will write down a story that’s been passed down to you, using precise words and phrases and sensory language, to convey a vivid picture of the event.
by 826 National, featuring Samuel Wang, Grade 12, 826NYC
From the 826 National original publication, UNBOUND, this poem uses imagery to explore the roots of a good story and asks you to write about a vivid memory of your own.

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