Jacob Eckrich, 21, has always been known as a funny guy, the class clown. Humor is something that just comes naturally to this Fresno City College student. He can recall the day in high school that marked an era of a new passion for the art of comedy which would pave the way for an interest in writing.

“It happened on Father’s Day, freshman year. I just happened to turn on Lewis Black’s 2002 half-hour [stand up] special. He’s a very angry comedian; he yells and he’s political. That’s kind of how I felt. The fact that someone could express that anger in such a humorous way and be applauded for it, I had never seen that,” Eckrich said.

He immediately delved into the world of comedy, influenced by such comedians as Steve Martin and Woody Allen.

It wasn’t until junior year of high school that Eckrich became interested in other types of literature and really began writing. Much of his interest is credited to his Honors English teacher at Clovis High School, Beth Lederach.

“Sophomore year, I did not do well in English; I despised it. It wasn’t until junior year when I took Lederach’s Honors English class was I exposed to what I consider to be better literature”, Eckrich said.

Eckrich remembers books such as The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury that really changed his views. “[The books] were more real and more colloquial, something I could relate to a little bit more, something that was actually interesting to read.”

Lederach was very supportive of all of his writing, including his comedy pieces. “She plays a large part in my writing because she was very encouraging,” he said.

Senior year of high school, Eckrich was also influenced by his AP Senior Literature Instructor, Andy Dominguez. Eckrich was writing short stories and humor but still hated poetry stuff that he called boring and dull. Dominguez saw Eckrich’s comical nature and introduced him to Charles Bukowski, a very popular American poet, novelist, and short story writer.

“[Bukowski] is the reason I started writing poetry,” said Eckrich. He described reading Bukowski’s work as a culture shock. “It’s almost the same thing as when I saw Lewis Black for the first time on TV. I didn’t know you could do that!”

With a few pieces already written and a new love for poetry, Eckrich began college at Fresno City as a Creative Writing major. In a poetry class he was taking, he met Bryan Medina, host of Inner Ear Open Mic Poetry Jam, the Central Valley’s longest running open mic held every third Thursday of the month at Full Circle Brewery in Fresno.

Medina mentioned to Eckrich about the Inner Ear and invited him to come check it out. When he arrived, Medina told him that they didn’t have a featured poet for the night, and he needed Eckrich to fill in.

“It really put me in head first,” he remembered, but turned out to love it.

Eckrich continued participating in every open mic he could. He also competes in the Inner Ear’s Poetry Slams held at the Revue Cafe’s recently opened theater on the second Thursday of each month.

He is currently finishing up his last semester at FCC. His first priority is obtaining a Master’s in poetry and hopes to later teach at a community college or lower division university, as well as continue his writing.

In the mean time, his big goals are already in the making.

“I’m working on my first play, my first book of poems, and my first book of humor,” he said.

“He’s trying new things and he goes off in different directions”, Medina said. “A lot of people don’t understand it, but that’s an artist for you.”