He's not a stand-up comic, but sometimes he tells jokes. Nor is he a musician, but sometimes he plays rock music in front of people.

Not an actor, but he pretends to be someone he isn't. Hal Sparks is an artist, an emissary of human emotion, and these are some things that he does.

Ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek wasn't always the mile-conquering fitness expert he is now. In fact, the winner of ultraRunning's top honors and advocate for veganism used to be a hunting, fishing Minnesotan carnivore, who hated running.

"[Running] was kind of like punishment; we would have to run laps in gym class and at soccer and basketball practice," Jurek said. "While I was involved with Nordic skiing in high school, I ran because I wanted to get in shape for ski season, but it wasn't something I enjoyed."

A heckler in Atlanta once punched TJ Miller in the face. During another stand-up show in Myrtle Beach, a woman slapped her watch and shouted, "You got 15 minutes to say something funny!"

But despite these occasional abuses from his audiences, TJ Miller is devoted to comedy. When he isn't performing stand-up in L.A.'s comedy clubs, he is touring or filming or producing some other form of humor.

With his newest collection of poetry, When All the World Is Old, Detroit-born poet John Rybicki comes close enough that poet Marie Howe compares him to a modern-day Orpheus "singing [his] way into the underworld and coming out alive."

It's one of the first things creative writers learn: in order to tell a story effectively, one must anchor the story in a particular setting or place. Northern Michigan-based writer Jack Driscoll, who has written four novels and four books of poetry, and who just released his second collection of short stories.

Rodney Carrington says there is only one thing he has yet to accomplish during his long and fruitful career as a comedian. "Quit — that's pretty much the only thing I haven't done," Carrington said.

The shelf life for a local improv team is nine months to a year. Apparently, River City Improv is not your average team. Comprised completely of Calvin College alum, the Grand Rapids-based improv team has been providing side-splitting antics on stage since 1994.

When a fan randomly approached Marc Maron on the street a few years ago and told him his comedic style is a crossbreed of Iggy Pop and Woody Allen, the New Jersey-born comic agreed.

In fact, Maron agreed with the branding so much he added the comparison into his official bio. But now, the veteran 48-year-old comic and "WTF" podcast host says things have changed.

A man sitting on death row with guards conversing doesn't sound like an all too hilarious situation. Leave it to the Don't We Boys to find the humor in it.

A church might not be the most common — or even ideal — venue for a comedy show, but Anjelah Johnson is enthusiastic about her opportunity to perform at Fountain Street Church as a part of the second installment of the comedy festival.

"The funny thing is, I started comedy at a church," Johnson said. "I took a joke writing class at my church ...We had to perform at the church as a part of our graduation."