A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #155
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For October 21-27, 2020, a roundup of the week's finest prose humor and prose humor-related news.
Hello and welcome to A Newsletter of Humorous Writing, the email propaganda arm of the acclaimed humorous readings show, An Evening of Humorous Readings. Just about Halloween time, and we've been taste-testing candies to rank them from funniest to most serious. We've got them on a grid: one axis measures ones that are funny to eat (Nerds Rope), another measures ones that are funny to say (Mounds), another measures candies that are funny to look at (Peanut Butter Cups), and another axis measures candies that are funny conceptually (Mr. Goodbar). Needless to say, it's a very complicated chart and we've come to no definitive conclusions.
We probably don’t need to tell you, BUT: please, please, please remember to vote! And don't think this is some milquetoast “do your civic duty” appeal. There is a right answer here.
What We Enjoyed This Week
I’m the $250 You’re About to Blow on Throw Pillows by Emily Delaney (The Belladonna) This does a nice job of tracing the slippery slope of giving yourself permission to buy something you know you shouldn't. Those sorts of hastily-built permission structures are part of why we have so much candy around the Humorous Writing Headquarters (HRHQ).
In This House, We Believe… by Sam Kimelman (McSweeney's) A nice, short piece that uses the staccato rhythms of yard signage to tell fun short stories. The little mini-runs (about lava, feet, car GPS, etc.) make the piece feel like a full and satisfying narrative in a way that you wouldn't necessarily expect given its brevity.
Rediscovering “Columbo” in 2020 by Joe Dator (The New Yorker) It's really nice to see some criticism in comic form, and this is a great exploration of why Columbo is one of the very few TV cops who is right for our moment.
An Old Favorite
My 14-Hour Search for the End of TGI Friday's Endless Appetizers by Caity Weaver (Gawker)
The title really says it all here, but rest assured: this piece delivers on its promise and then some. It's a captivating portrait of delirium, and a masterclass in finding new and different ways to describe how bad these mozzarella sticks are.
Do you have an Old Favorite of your own? Let us know by filling out this form and we may run your pick in a future edition of the newsletter.
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
If you're in the mood for some Halloween short humor in an unconventional format, check out Luke's text-based interactive fiction game, A Series of Interactive Stories Where No Matter What You Do You Are Immediately Killed by a Werewolf. Featuring art by Friend of the Show Lucas Adams!
Luke also has just TWO spots left in his intro to short humor workshop on Tues, 11/10/20, from 7-10PM Eastern (via Zoom). Jump on 'em now!
Other Humorous Writing News
We'd never heard about it, but in 1971, National Lampoon released a 15-page parody of MAD magazine. It's pretty specifically a critique of editorial machinations at MAD that may not translate without some backstory, but it's an interesting read, especially if you're interested in older humor and satire.
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.
This newsletter is free, but if you enjoy it and want to support the work we do putting it together, you can send us a tip here. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and 1/3rd of each donation will go to Stand Up To Cancer.
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.
This newsletter is free, but if you enjoy it and want to support the work we do putting it together, you can subscribe to our paid tier, or you can send us a tip here. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and 1/3rd of each donation will go to Stand Up To Cancer.
If you'd like to place an ad in the Newsletter, please fill out this form.
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!