Blog Post 3: Super-Knope and Wonder Poehler

When I saw Amy Poehler on the syllabus, I was truly ecstatic! As a long-time fan of Parks and Recreation, by “fan” I mean I have watched every season of the show all the way through at least 20 times (I swear that is not an exaggeration, to be honest it is probably a humble understatement) and can quote almost every episode, I adore all of the quirky Knope anecdotes and tremendous character development displayed over the span of the show. However, I must say I am a bit ashamed that I have never looked into the actress herself much in the past, and I have never read her book before this course. Amy Poehler’s chapter “let’s build a park” about the time leading up to and during Parks and Recreation was riveting to read, especially when Poehler described the way in which the show was filmed, as well as her interactions with the other actors. I really enjoyed the unique perspective and insight into a show I have watched over and over (and over, and over, and over…) again, and the equally unique insight into the writing process that Amy Poehler herself was directly involved in. Though I have never looked much into Poehler before, I have often wondered how similar the actress herself is to her character on P&R, Leslie Knope.

For those who may not be as familiar with the series as myself, Leslie Knope is a full-time Deputy Director of the Parks Department, she is also a full-time Pawnee (Indiana) enthusiast. She is a great friend, daughter, and girlfriend (and eventually wife, oops), and viewers get to see every one of these sides of her, and many, many more. Leslie has a tendency to be vulnerable and emotional, yet simultaneously tough and crass; Leslie loves people, she loves the government, she loves waffles and a small horse, she believes wholeheartedly in what she sees as The Right Thing to do. This is the precise reason she earns the title of Boss Bitch from her coworkers, though she also earns the title of Bitch Boss. Leslie Knope, like Amy Poehler, is a well-worded author and a diligent worker, she has passions and goals that she whole-heartedly plans on achieving, and she is (capital H) Hilarious. Not only all of this, she is a Feminist Icon.

Amy Poehler, as described in her book, is an actress, comedian, author (duh), creator, mother, wife, and, of course, Boss Bitch. As an actress on SNL, and at the time of writing this book, Poehler worked a demanding job where she would be “shooting twelve hours a day” (x), the kind of job someone must be passionate and diligent to perform successfully. Not only did Poehler serve long, taxing shifts while composing this work, she also had the responsibility of raising “two children under six” (x) alongside her husband, which I believe qualifies to be categorized under “Super-Mom”. Amy Poehler wrote a thorough, eloquent, and humor-filled book “after [her] kids went to sleep…on subways and on airplanes and in between setups while [she] shot a television show” (x), she appears to be a hard-working, courageous, caring individual with insane talent posited within her. Amy Poehler is a role model feminist, as a mother and wife, successful actress and comedian, certified Hilarious Lady and Boss Bitch, author of a kick-ass book, and creator of so many diverse and unique female characters.

As passionate as I am about Parks and Recreation, as well as Leslie Knope herself, it was an amazing experience to be able to learn about the actress and comedian that formed her, as well as the individual who wrote a large portion of her scenes. It is wonderfully reassuring to know that the feminist, woman-supporting Leslie Knope was written and portrayed by an equally feminist, woman-supporting, mother of two, Amy Poehler.