A Newsletter of Humorous Writing

For September 06-12, 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. Normally, this a newsletter that shares humor essays we've enjoyed. But, now that the NFL season is in full swing, we've decided to pivot. This is exclusively a football gambling newsletter now. A Newsletter of NFL Picks is what we're thinking of calling it. What do you think? Great. We knew you'd love it. Take Atlanta against the spread. It's our lock of the week.

What We Enjoyed This Week

Tips for Wild-Animal Encounters by Jen Spyra (The New Yorker) Friend of the Show, Jen Spyra, takes a simple premise in a fantastic and unexpected direction. This piece is funny, sharp, and constantly surprises you. It's also the rare humor piece that makes you laugh, and is also useful if you're ever stuck in the woods. (Unlike the famed, "I'm Comic Sans, Asshole" which is no help if you're stuck in the woods.)

The Vibe at Eckhaus Latta Was Like a Messy Bun That Actually Looks Good--Something I Have Never Pulled Off by Catherine Cohen (Elle) It's not every day that A Newsletter of NFL Picks features a piece from Elle. But then again, it's not every day that the multi-talented, very funny, Catherine Cohen writes for Elle. Or, maybe it is. We'll be honest, we don't have her calendar handy.

I Wish to Speak to the Chef by Bob Vulfov (McSweeney's) The best pieces are the ones that commit to a strong idea and wring every last ounce of comedy out of it. This is a perfect example. It also makes us hungry. So, bonus points!

What I Assume the Eighteen-Eighties Were LIke by Seth Reiss (New Yorker) Seth Reiss is not only a Friend of the Show, he's an amateur historian. Though, in a way, I suppose we're all amateur historians. Have you ever thought about the past? Boom. Done. Also, we'd go with the Dolphins this week.

An Old Favorite

An Open Letter to the Gentleman Blow-Drying His Balls in the Gym Locker Room by Ross Beeley (McSweeney's)

Here's the thing about this title--it's amazing. But, it's also dangerous. Because, when you read it, you think it's going to be that kind of piece. And to some extent, sure, it's a piece about an old man drying his balls. But, it really is (and just go with us on this) so much more than that. It's written by someone who is genuinely curious. It explores every possible angle of the situation and really tries to understand rather than mock. And in this day and age, couldn't we all use a little more of that?

Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show

Brian will be performing at Encyclopedia Commedia on Saturday, 9/15, at 9pm at Caveat. He'll be doing a reading on Data Mining, so we thank you again for all the information you provided when you signed up for this newsletter. Use the code FRIENDS10 for a discount when you buy here.

See you next week!

@brianagler, @lukevburns, & @jamesfolta

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.