Words with Nerds: TED Talks, but way funnier May 1, 2026

A hilarious comedy show for information sponges who love to laugh! Think TED Talks, but way funnier.

Join us for Words with Nerds, a great show for information sponges who love to laugh! Think TED Talks, but way funnier.

Speakers and topics at this show include:

• Sasha Rosser – “Weird Science: Crazy Research that Actually Got Funded”
• Ben O’Connell – “Free Speech (through the Lens of My University Chancellor Making Porn)”
• Victoria Flynn – “Can Handwriting Be Used to Diagnose a Person? A Behavioral Test of Graphological Claims”

Plus: stand-up by special guests!

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Friday, May 1, 2026

Doors open at 6:30PM, show at 7PM

The Lincoln Lodge

2040 N Milwaukee Ave

Chicago, IL 60647

Tickets are $10 advance or $15 on the day of the show.

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Words with Nerds is produced by Best of Madison winner Cheshire Cat Comedy and mixes TED Talks with stand-up by bringing local specialists and comedians together to present on a topic of their choice. Come for the laughs and walk away with strange new knowledge – previous performers have regaled audiences with presentations about dinosaur rib anatomy, a principal component analysis of the Taco Bell Menu, nipple equality activism, what can be learned from watching 100 Hallmark movies, how to perform self-surgery, and much, much more. Presenters span local entrepreneurs, professors, researchers, activists, union organizers, surgeons, engineers, and stand-up comedians with an itch to nerd out on stage.