[Seth Says] I won the National Press Club Humor Award!
No burying the lead here -- we wouldn't want it to get into the groundwater!
Yes, I am delighted to say that I have won the National Press Club's 2024 Humor Award.
I am chuffed. I am pleased. I am cheesed. It's been a gouda week for me! (and yes, I know that technically that's pronounced chowdah, not goo-da)(no, not like clam chowdah, but like Khkhkhhowda)(it's the sound of angry static, followed by a sullen Irish boy who has just been spanked by his father)(also I recognize the week has been pretty terrible for the world so this was an especially nice counterbalance.)(not that I wouldn't trade it in a heartbeat to undo the Supreme Court, but you know what I mean.)(It's like a regular court, but with extra sour cream.)
Anyway, the first rule of Press Club is that you write and publish information about Press Club! So if you click on the above link to the humor award you'll get information about the official name of the award, and information about the person it's named after, and an exclusive interview with me (exclusive insofar as no one else wanted to publish it)(or alternatively, exclusive insofar as I'm the only one they talked to)(also "interview" is sort of putting on airs, basically my editor asked me to send him some comments, and then said, "Great, I think we can use some of this", because I am filled with too many comments.) (Constantly. That's why they call me... Constant Comment.)(Nobody calls me that.)(That's why they call me Mr. Tea.)(Still tougher than Mr. Coffee.)
EMERGENCY SEGUE
Anyway, speaking of the Press, when I was younger one of my random memories was that I was at some event where someone was wearing a PRESS badge, and I just walked up to him and pressed the badge. I thought this was hilarious, even though I must have been at least a teenager by that point. (Who am I kidding, I still think it's funny.)
So yeah, I won the big national award for newspaper humor columnists and frankly I think that's neat, and I won't pretend otherwise. It has not, however, elevated my status to the point that I am living large purely by writing humor columns (more's the pity), and so I am still soliciting freelance work for speechwriting, ghostwriting, etc. (although usually I'm putting at least a little humor in things, because if I'm hired to make something better, that usually makes things better.) But if you know anyone who needs good writing with some humor, I've just acquired another new piece of authoritative proof that I produce such, and always appreciate any referrals.
I also appreciate any sharing of my columns, because while they may have just won a big award, they still exist in a relatively small paper. (Especially compared to all the other papers that won National Press Club awards. I mean, the list was like Wall Street Journal, New York Times, National Public Radio, and me.)
So any time something I write strikes you funny and you are moved to share it with someone else, I thank you. (Or I guess, I pre-thank you now, because I won't necessarily know about it later.)(and even if I do, I'm often more likely to just heart the share than try to figure out a non-awkward comment of thankingness)(First place award: humor writing; Last place award: interacting with people)
META-COMMENTARY
Some of you may have already seen me announce the award on Facebook, and so this was not really news to you (although obviously I include a lot more parenthetical nonsense commentary here, because that's what it says on the tin).
Others of you may avoid Facebook entirely, for which I applaud you, even though I remain there because it's the only place left where I really keep up with people. I mean, half of my reason for creating this newsletter in the first place was because I was dissatisfied with Facebook and wanted a better way to keep up with people, although this is a lot more unidirectional. (although not entirely! friends reply occasionally when they have something to say about a thing I wrote and that is great.) But I'd say this newsletter is much better than Facebook (although admittedly, look who's telling you this.)
Still, whether you're on Facebook or not, you have to admit (Confess! Confess!) that Facebook has a lot of issues. And you may have wondered why. Well, wonder no further, because I've just "discovered" this arguably real conversation transcript, so I present to you:
Scenes From A Facebook Design Meeting
This column could totally be real, you guys.
EVERYTHING IS FAKE
So I had a nice day or two of living in Won A Big Award land, and now it's like that moment when you've gone to the movie theatre for a matinee and it was all dark and exciting and now you've walked back out into the parking lot where the sun seems unreasonably bright and also all the things that seemed really important half an hour ago have been revealed as irrelevant fantasy because you have to remember what you actually need to do today and where you parked your car (I mean, I don't need to remember that. I certainly didn't park your car. If you thought I did, your assumption is invalet.)
And thus tomorrow (today) it's back to doing more freelance writing for me, but meanwhile I thank you as always for reading, will be back in a couple weeks with another column, and if you're doing something you believe in, just Press on for 20 years and hope that eventually you'll be recognized for your good work.
Free Advice Worth The Price,
Seth