A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #308
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For September 27 - October 3, 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. A notice to our neighbors: if you heard solemn music and loud sobbing coming from Humorous Readings Headquarters (HRHQ) this weekend, don't worry: it was just our annual October ritual of rolling up and putting away our slip 'n' slide.
What We Enjoyed This Week
Just Making Sure You Saw My Thing by Django Gold (The New Yorker) Django is a great joke-writer ("Just me and my thing and the open plain. I’m sort of like a cowboy, in that sense."), but this is also a fun example of how personal experience can be transformed into a great evergreen premise. Django's been promoting his terrific new stand-up special lately, and we strongly suspect this idea came from the work of promoting it online. Taking this very present-tense idea and spinning it into something broad and relatable, makes for a piece with longevity, that doesn't require specific contextualizing for the reader.
Maximize Anxiety While Prepping for Your Annual Physical by Laura Berlinsky-Schine (Points In Case) Pieces structured around a big concept like anxiety can float in generalities; Laura gets specific here by honing in on a character game about someone who is anxious to impress their doctor. Leaning into character voice and motivation, even when the format of a piece isn't necessarily voice-focused, is a great way to find an additional level of specificity.
Grandma’s ‘Cure’ for Stomach Ache Also Recipe for Baking Soda Volcano by Freddie Shanel (Reductress) This one heightens really well, not an easy thing to do for a premise that's starting off in an already very absurd place. Grandma's remedies keep getting wilder and wilder, but Freddie also expands the world around Grandma, bringing in other voices.
-- ADS --
Wonder what the raccoon going through your trash really thinks about American politics? Now’s your chance to find out! Come to Caveat on October 9th at 9:30 pm for It’s a Jungle in Here, an animal-themed humor show. Featuring your favorite writers from The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and more.
Use code SLOTH at checkout for $5 off.
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There’s a lot going on, all the time. It may feel overwhelming. Don’t worry. It will all be over soon. Until then, This Won’t Help is here to guide you through our modern maelstrom. With exactly 100 sharp, satirical essays, stories, and correspondences (and just four ad breaks!), humorist Eli Grober stares down a world raging with inaction, while corrupt politicians and the 1 percent maximize the profits of self-destruction. On sale Oct. 24—PREORDER NOW!
“A ton of fun, and a masterful display of joke writing.”—Luke Burns and James Folta, editors, A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
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*** The Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center Presents “Writers on Writing: From Sketch to Books and Everything in Between”***
Deadlines. Some people love them. Some hate them. But how do we stick to them? In this panel, five writers talk about their process. Whether you’re dipping your toe into short-form writing or gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, this panel is sure to help with your own work. Featuring Beth Newell (co-creator of Reductress), Melinda Taub, Akilah Hughes, Evan Waite, and Carrie McCrossen.
Register here and you’ll have access to the live event, plus the recording for a week afterwards!
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(Do you have an ad you'd like to place in the Newsletter? Fill out this form!)
An Old Favorite
This week's Old Favorite is a Brian Agler Selection (TM)--a piece whose accompanying note was written by Brian--from Newsletter #124.
Aesop's Fables Written After a Bad Breakup by Riane Konc (The New Yorker) Pieces that combine "classic thing X" with "modern thing Y" often struggle with balance--getting just the right mix of both in order to create something that feels organic. Riane has no such problem. The X's are fleshed out and the Y's feel so natural that you almost forget they weren't supposed to be there in the first place.
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
Luke's got just a few spots left in his advanced short humor writing workshop starting on October 12 (just one week away)! Meet other funny folks, write three pieces in four weeks, and get support and feedback along the way! (Scholarship spots are still available as well!)
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!