A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #121
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For January 9-15, 2020, a roundup of the week's finest prose humor and prose humor-related news.
Our next show is January 28, tickets here.
Hello and welcome to A Newsletter of Humorous Writing, the email propaganda arm of the acclaimed humorous readings show, An Evening of Humorous Readings. Well, it happened again. There was a big pile of dog doo-doo at the front door of HRHQ. We don't know who is responsible, but we do know that Bullies Quarterly and Dog Shit Aficionado both have offices in the neighborhood, so we've got to assume it was one of them. Anyway, we're going to have to deal with this, and then, plot our revenge (big pile of short-form humor outside their door???) before we can make our picks for the week.
What We Enjoyed This Week
Zillow Listings of New York City by Jen Spyra (New Yorker) Jen read this at a previous Evening of Humorous Readings and it absolutely killed. Don't believe us? Host your own reading show, and have Jen read this. Then, let us know what happens. We'll be waiting...
My Layoff Letter Ground Up with Text From Meat Processing Trade Magazines by Tina Gross (McSweeney's) We talk a lot about specifics, and how they can make a piece. This piece is proof. It's also, maybe, the most specific piece we've ever read. In a similar vein, it's also the most horrifying piece we've ever read.
DENT 1113: Introduction to Dentistry Small Talk by Brad Stennerson (Points in Case) There's so much to like here. The form. The voice. The specifics (again!) Next time you're at the dentist, bring this piece up--it'll be a great distraction, and they won't realize you don't floss...or floss too much.
Maybe This Will Be The Year I Finally Get Around to Not Reading Ulysses by Ross Murray (McSweeney's) We'll admit it, there's a lot of classic humor we haven't read. Sure, we pretend to have read it. But it's all just us trying to keep up appearances. I mean, come on, do you honestly expect us to read every Jack Handey piece? Give us a break.
An Old Favorite
Noted Post-Marxist, Socialist Philosopher, and Cultural Critic Slavoj Žižek Welcomes You to the Gym by Evan Johnston (McSweeney's)
This piece is a classic--not only because it still holds up, but because it is a perfect example of that old McSweeney's style that never goes out of fashion: literary-person-does-non-literary-thing. In a world of topical satire, there's something refreshing about how evergreen this is. Also, it's just funny. The voice. The dissonance. It still works, 11+ years later.
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
Brian wrote a piece for the New Yorker based on a time he got lost in a food hall in Brooklyn. Come to think of it, where is Brian?
Luke has been directin' up a storm! Three sketch teams he's working with will be putting up shows soon, and you should check 'em out:
-The extremely funny Maude team House of Birds has a show going up at the UCB Theater in Hell's Kitchen on Feb 3 at 7:30. (It is almost certainly going to sell out!)
-Outside Advice, a very talented indie team, is putting up a show at the PIT on Jan 24 at 7:30. It would make a great double feature with...
-The show being put up by Denise, a delightful Boogiemanja team, which is in the same theater later that same day, Jan 24 at 9:30. Luke's gonna be at the PIT all night, so at least stop by and say hi!
Other Humorous Writing News
In what has become an all-too-common story, the staff of College Humor was all let go last week. For many humor writers (and comedians in general) College Humor was the first place they got published, or even better, got a paying job. College Humor may be a shell of its former self, but the comedians who made it so wonderful are still out there, and you should read/watch their work. Or, if you're a comedy mogul (or mogul of any kind), hire them. Adam Conover has a great tweet thread explaining the situation and highlighting the staff.
Talking Points Memo published a great piece about the state of American satire, which is something we think a lot about here at HRHQ. As Trump, politics, and the news of the day become our main sources of humor fodder, it's helpful to think about why--and what we're hoping to accomplish. This piece features a quote from Belladonna and Satire and Humor Festival co-creator, Caitlin Kunkel.
News About The Next Show
The next show is January 28th at Caveat. Hang out starts at 6:30, and the show starts at 7:30.
And who will be joining us?
-Nicole Boyce (The New Yorker, Reductress, New York Magazine, @nicolewboyce)
-Bizzy Coy (McSweeney’s, The New Yorker, @bizzycoy)
-Steve Macone (The New Yorker, The New York Times Sunday Review, The Atlantic, @steve_macone
Now that's a lineup.
See you next week!
@brianagler, @lukevburns, & @jamesfolta
Did we miss a piece you loved? Did you love a piece we mentioned? Let us know! This is an experiment and we're hoping to continue to make it better and better. If you have any thoughts, notes, wishes, or dreams for this newsletter, please email us or respond to this email and tell us what the score is.
See you next week!
@lukevburns & @jamesfolta
We started this newsletter with our dear friend Brian Agler, and we want it to always honor his memory and his love of all things humorous. You can find our newsletter tribute to Brian here.
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If you have any thoughts, notes, wishes, or dreams for this newsletter, please email us or respond to this email and tell us what the score is!