A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #396
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For June 4-10, 2025
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. So many late night hosts are getting Ben & Jerry’s flavors, and we figure it’s only a matter of time before newsletter writers get the same tap on the shoulder. We’re working up some ideas for our own varieties of “Prem-ice Cream”, but so far all we have is "Chris’s Some Fun Limes”, “Thurber Sherbet”, and “Mint Juxtaposed With Chocolate Chips.”
What We Enjoyed This Week
QUIZ: Are You Pulling Off This Look or Can Everyone Tell You’re Wearing Shorts for the First Time? by Freddie Shanel (Reductress) Freddie is a master of this type of short, punchy piece. Their finely-tuned joke-writing and skill at adding in small runners makes something brief like a quiz really tight and funny.
Classic Getting-To-Know-You Games (And How To Win) by Bryn Durgin (Slackjaw) Excellent variety here, which is essential for a listier piece. But what really sets this piece apart is the narrator’s POV on the situation: The “how to win” angle gives it a fun edge.
We Are Excited to Offer These Affordable Broadway Ticket Options by Tom Smyth (McSweeney’s) This is another piece that is elevated by voice. Tom has a great eye for detail and pacing, but the tone is particularly great. It’s critical but playful, which makes it cheeky rather than bitter or mean.
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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 #33.
So You've Forgotten Someone's Name at a Party by Glenn Boozan (The New Yorker) Glenn is a rock star; always has been, always will. Well, ok, we don't know if she always has been. Presumably, she was, at a time, an infant. But, we'll never know. We don't exactly have a "fact-checking department" here at the Newsletter of Humorous Writing.
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
Brian’s piece I’m Jeff Bezos, and I’m Your Dad Now went out in The New Yorker’s humor newsletter yesterday. One of those one’s you wish wouldn’t keep being so topical, but Brian always was ahead of the joke.
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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