A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #56
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For October 10-17, 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. Can we ask you a serious question? Should we pumpkin spice this newsletter? Is that something people would want? We hired some consultants to increase our engagement metrics, and they said that the pumpkin spice craze worked for Starbucks and Trader Joes--and because we see them as our direct competitors, we should do it too. They were pretty convincing, and it smells so good, so we think we're going to do it. This is now a Pumpkin Spice Newsletter of Humorous Writing! Can't wait to see the clicks roll in...
What We Enjoyed This Week
Original Stories of M.L.B. Team Names by Blythe Roberson and Dave Holtz (The New Yorker) Resident baseball fan, Brian, here! I'm a sucker for baseball humor. That sounds pretty niche, but remember, the most famous sketch of all time--"Who's On First"--is all about baseball. So who's the weird one now?
Please Purchase My Data From Me Directly by Lucas Gardner (McSweeney's) Friend of the Newsletter, Lucas Gardner, does it again. Not only is this piece jam-packed with great jokes, it also makes you wonder--would you trade the current capitalist hellscape of the internet for this, newer capitalist hellscape?
Op-Ed: Kim And Kanye Are Headed For Divorce, And I'm Headed To The Bathroom To Pass This Kidney Stone by Alex Gonzalez (Flexx) Still Brian, here. In addition to baseball humor, I'm also a sucker for pieces that force a parallel between to wildly disparate ideas, and yet somehow make it feel totally natural to talk about them in the same breath.
Everything I've Done That Made A Rich Old Lady With Opera Glasses Faint Or A Monocle Fall Out Of A Rich Guy's Eye by Alex Watt (New Yorker) This piece was so funny, it made me want to eat a horse's ass! (Ed note: This is only funny if you've read the piece beforehand. Now, it's just weird.)
An Old Favorite
Behold Your Newest Silver-Screen Sex Goddess, Jane Neighbor by Rachel Axler (New Yorker)
The celebrity-profile seems like a genre that's easy to satirize, but it's harder than it appears. Yes, you have to mock the tropes, but you also have to add a little something extra (a zing of pumpkin spice, if you will). It's not enough to simply parrot the form; the best pieces have a unique point of view or character to play with. This piece does that, and more, from the get-go. Right away, you know it's going to be truly insane, but also grounded. It expertly stays within the confines of profile genre while continually pushing them to their logical breaking point. But, perhaps most importantly of all, it includes the phrase, "She is the kind of gorgeous that can only be found in or very near rivers."
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
Nothing from us this week. Fact is, we drank too many pumpkin spice lattes, and stayed up all night discussing P.G. Wodehouse. That's our bad.
Friend of the Show, Karen Chee interviews Friend of the Show, and founder of Little Old Lady Comedy, Ginny Hogan, in this great piece for Vulture. Ginny is doing fantastic work, and it's always great to get some insight into how funny people do what they do.
News About The Next Show
It's happening!
An Evening of Humorous Readings
11/1
Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm
(le) Poisson Rouge
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.
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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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!