A Newsletter of Humorous Writing

For August 9-15, 2023

Hello and welcome to A Newsletter of Humorous Writing, a roundup of the week's finest short humor pieces and funny articles, and a celebration of the fantastic writers who wrote them. While most newsletters are put in a dryer before being sent out to subscribers, A Newsletter of Humorous Writing is always dried outdoors on a special line in the garden behind Humorous Readings Headquarters (HRHQ). It's what gives our newsletter that extra-fresh smell--and also why it's sometimes a little late arriving when it rains on a Wednesday.

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What We Enjoyed This Week

Can I Get Away with This on the Bus? An FAQ for the Modern Commuter by Seif Drywater (McSweeney's) A nice collection of great "bad behavior on the bus" specifics that heighten in a really satisfying way. The FAQ format once again does what the FAQ format does best, creating a delightful setup/punchline structure for all of those aforementioned great specifics.

How to Stop Teenagers from Making Fun of You in Public by Brett Miller (Points in Case) There are so many wonderful small details in this piece, like the reveal about what the teens are mocking ("If they say something like, 'Nice cowboy hat, asshole,' pretend you didn’t hear them.") and the insults that the teens use on the narrator. (“Giddy up, Calzone Cowboy.”) You get a lot of jerk and/or idiot narrators in short humor, so it's always refreshing to encounter a narrator like this one, who is sweet and funny at the same time. ("You buy the perfect outfit. You put it on and feel like the person you were always meant to be. Then you run into some teenagers and they ruin your life.")

Obscure Baseball Players of the 1880s by Laura K. Duncan (251) The player names are great (as they would have to be, given the premise), but what really takes this to the next level is the addition of the TEAM names, which are also, in a word, great.
 

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An Old Favorite

We Never Wore Seat Belts When We Were Kids and We Survived—Except for Those of Us Who Can’t Contradict This Post Because They’re Dead by Jennifer Byrne (McSweeney's) If you thought it wasn't possible to write a piece about something like survivorship bias, think again! The voice of the narrator is so funny, and the joke pattern that Jennifer sets up in the title (confident statement undercut by a surprising admission about the reality of the situation) plays out nicely over the course of the piece without getting too predictable or repetitive. That joke pattern also allows Jennifer to make her satirical POV clear (through those surprising acknowledgements of reality) while still staying true to the character.
 

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.

 

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Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show

Luke's got a few spots left in all his September and October short humor writing workshops! There's something for everyone, from beginners who have never been published to experienced writers with multiple acceptances under their belts. Check out the offerings and feel free to drop Luke a line with questions!
 

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Other Humorous Writing News

And in strike news: There has been a lot of chatter about meetings, counteroffers, and renewed negotiations but good reminders from David Slack and David Simon to not trust everything you read about the negotiations in the trades, especially if it's unattributed. An interesting interview about the Hollywood strikes with Lina Khan, the head of the FTC and anti-trust expert: "...protecting these markets where people are able to share their ideas, share their stories… it's so essential to what really makes us human." And speaking of anti-trust: some good history and context in this LA Times op-ed -- "The separation of the means of production and distribution stabilized the industry, allowing it to become one of America’s most culturally and economically important contributions to the world." We'll be the first to admit that writers aren't often the best at business stuff, but this Twitter thread is a great reminder that the people running businesses are also not the best at business stuff. And nature's showing some solidarity!

If you're looking to support striking workers from WGA and SAG, as well as Unite Here 11 hotel workers, Teamsters, and IATSE members, here's a great list of mutual aid funds that could use your donations!

And as always, there's lots of info and ways to show solidarity on the WGA's Strike Hub!

(A few of you have shared links and updates from the picket line with us--thanks! If there's anything you'd like us to share, a link, or a resource, or your personal thoughts or anecdotes from the strike, please send 'em along!)

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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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