For May 13-19, 2026

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. It was a real scorcher in New York City yesterday! Fortunately we were able to beat the heat the best way we know how: Reading short humor pieces set in winter. Nothing cools ya down like reading a piece like James Thurber’s A Visit from Saint Nicholas (In the Ernest Hemingway Manner). Unrelated: We’re incredibly dehydrated.

What We Enjoyed This Week

Honey, I’m Sorry I Messed Up Our Moment on the Kiss Cam by Mary Spencer (McSweeney’s) We really enjoyed Mary’s pacing in this one. The situation spirals out of control so quickly, with the narrator doubling down on bad decision after bad decision, and the reader’s just along for the ride, enjoying each new wrinkle.

Help! I Mrs. Doubtfire’d So Hard That I’m the Most Sought-After Nanny in the Tri-State Area by Andrew Wood (Points in Case) Andrew cleverly uses a time jump as a way to heighten this piece to some delightful and unexpected places. The idea of Mrs. Doubtfire-ing being a thing that any number of dads might do is also very funny.

What I Imagine William Shakespeare Thought Every Time He Rewrote the Same Scene Over and Over Again by Josh Mendez (McSweeney’s) It’s very funny to imagine Shakespeare going through the same banal struggles that the rest of us do when working on a draft. This piece is filled with great punchy lines like “The perfect amount of ghost is unclear.”

---

-- ADS --

---

Trying to structure a long-term creative project around the dreaded day job? Register now for DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB, a two-hour writing workshop from humor writer, author, and day job-haver Lillian Stone. You'll leave with a practical framework for protecting and advancing your creative work—even when life refuses to cooperate. Class is in session June 6!

---

Maeve Dunigan's 'Read This To Look Cool,' a humorous essay collection that Stylist magazine calls "a bible for overthinkers," is OUT NOW wherever books are sold! Both cringe-inducing and uproarious, 'Read This To Look Cool' is a deeply relatable meditation on the absurdity inherent in the constant performance of ourselves, offering a fresh perspective on self-love and the true meaning of cool. It’s a book that says “I see you” and also “Don’t look at me, though, my hair is doing something weird.”

Order here or from your local bookstore!

---

(Do you have an ad you'd like to place in the Newsletter? Fill out this form!)

An Old Favorite

A Mass E-Mail by Amy Ozols (The New Yorker) A relatable situation—someone trying to rebuild their contact list after losing a phone—that gets heightened to some really fun, absurd places. “What would be really helpful is if you could let me know your birthday, then wait three weeks, then send me your e-mail address, so that I can store it in my two-phones-in-the-future phone for use on your next birthday.” The button is particularly delightful—a very nice touch.

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 Editors and Friends of the Newsletter

Luke’s got just THREE spots left in his Wednesday afternoon advanced short humor workshop starting on June 3rd! And if you can’t fit a full four-week course into your schedule, Luke’s also got two single-session workshops coming up in June: “How to Get and Give Helpful Feedback” and ”It Doesn't Have to Be a Monologue! (Form and Narration in Short Humor Writing)”