A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #27
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For MARCH 22-28, 2018, 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. What makes something funny? It's a question that's stumped philosophers for ages. Freud believed humor had a connection to the unconscious mind. Henri Bergson said that comedy was, "the mechanical encrusted upon the living." As for us? We think it mostly has to do with dogs in funny hats. Any time you can get a dog in a funny hat, you know you've got some comedy on your hands.
What We Enjoyed This Week
How to Move Heavy Furniture by Yourself by Bizzy Coy (New Yorker) Bizzy is a longtime friend of the show and newsletter, and this piece is not only fun, but hits on an essential truth about moving--namely that it's terrible. That's another theory of comedy for ya! Famed improv guru Del Close used to say that "truth is comedy," but again, we're sticking with the dogs in funny hats thing.
I'll PIng You by Gary M. Almeter (McSweeney's) Gary was a frequent reader at our Washington D.C. Humorous Readings offshoot. This piece is another Almeter classic.
Is Your Teen an Activist? by Riane Konc (McSweeney's) Didn't get enough Riane at our last show? Don't worry, we got you covered.
Daily Itinerary of Your Mom's Friend's Perfect Daughter As Told by Your Mom by Jen Albanese (The Belladonna) Great piece with a great voice. No dogs in hats, but that's how good this thing is; it still works!
An Old Favorite
New Baseball Stats by Ezra Deutsch-Feldman (McSweeney's)
Today is MLB Opening Day, so it's only appropriate that we feature a baseball piece in the newsletter. We love this piece because it is--to borrow a baseball phrase--right down the middle. Super-clean premise. Tight jokes. Even if you aren't a fan of advanced statistics or even a fan of baseball in general, this piece still works.
If you're looking for more fun, and funny baseball-related content, we suggest you check out the guys at Cespedes Family BBQ, their colleagues at MLB Cut 4, the fine folks writing in the "Short Relief" section at Baseball Prospectus, and the podcast, The Poscast, hosted by the great baseball writer Joe Posnanski and Parks and Recreation/The Good Place creator Michael Schur
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
Luke's Maude team is performing at UCB in Hell's Kitchen at 9:30 on Monday, April 2nd. Give 'em a watch!
James is looking for submissions to Points in Case. Give him a shout!
Our friends at Comedy Cake wrote a review about our first show! If you didn't go, it'll make you feel like you missed out, which is true...you did.
Other Humorous Writing News
The Ringer's Alison Herman and Viktor Luckerson wrote a fantastic piece about the online comedy ecosystem. The article features cameos from many friends of the show, but unfortunately, paints a bleak picture about the economic sustainability of the form. In short, if you like humor, don't just look at it on Facebook. Go to the site and read it.
News About The Next Show
The next show is coming at you fast.
The Gallery @ (le) Poisson Rouge
Wednesday, April 11th
8pm
FREE!
We've got heavy hitters, Ariel Dumas and Ginny Hogan. Maybe even a dog in a funny hat? You'll have to show up to find out.
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!
@brianagler, @lukevburns, & @jamesfolta
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!