A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #81
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For April 04-10, 2019, 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. We had quite the editorial meeting this morning here at Humorous Readings HQ (HRHQ). Luke and James got their hands on a leaked, un-redacted copy of the Mueller Report, and they said we had an obligation to the country to post it. But Brian said, "No! We have to post more short-form humor." Keep reading to see if we made the right choice.
What We Enjoyed This Week
My Girlfriend Tries to Break Up With Me, A One-Off Character Who Needs to Quickly Deliver a Lot of Exposition by Spencer Roth-Rose (Points in Case) This is a fantastic idea executed perfectly. Dialogue pieces can sometimes run into the problem of just being a sketch that really should be on stage, rather than a piece that happens to involve conversation. Not here. Roth-Rose does a great job of using dialogue to add pacing to the piece, and building in pauses to make the jokes hit harder.
The Atlantic’s James Parker Reviews ‘Paw Patrol’ by W.F. Carolyn (Robot Butt) A few years back, you used to see a lot of humor pieces that followed this construction, "Famous Writer X Does Thing Y." For whatever reason (Budget cuts? Supreme Court? We're not really sure.) you don't see it as much anymore. And that's too bad! It's a solid structure, and it gives writers the chance to make a piece sing, as this one does, with hyper-specific language choices. Add this winner to the growing list of 'Paw Patrol'-related humor.
New High School Senior Portrait Packages by Taylor Kay Phillips (Points in Case) Brian, here. I don't remember a lot about my high school senior portrait--but I do remember that I was 'wearing' a tuxedo in it, which is to say, I was wearing the top of a tuxedo (a jacket, shirt, and tie combo) that had been stitched together, and draped over my head. Apparently, that was more efficient.
Okay, Fine, I’ll Solve Climate Change by Mia Mercado (Weekly Humorist) Friend of the Show, Mia Mercado, figures it all out with this one. The jokes are funny, and the clueless-yet-well-meaning narrator is super clear. Now, all we have to do is get those crumbums in Washington to get off their keisters and do something! Common sense solutions, folks. It's what America wants.
An Old Favorite
A Response By An Aspiring Screenwriter Whose Screenplay Was Turned Down Because It's Exactly Like Robocop by Mike Lacher (McSweeney's)
Friend of the Show, Mike Lacher is a machine. His McSweeney's stuff runs the gamut of style and substance, but it's always funny. We could have picked any one of his pieces to feature here--but there's just something about this one that really works. The title gets you right away; you know exactly who this narrator is and what their deal is. The logic is just insane, and yet, weirdly makes sense (if you view it through the twisted lens he sets up). Finally--and this is important--Cyborg Policeman: Operation CrimeKill is just a great collection of words.
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
There's still time to get tickets for Luke's narrative romantic comedy sketch show this Monday April 15th at 9PM at the UCB Theatre in Hell's Kitchen. Or if you can't make it this month, you can go see it May 30th at 9PM also at the UCB Theatre in Hell's Kitchen. Either way, it's gonna be funny!
News About The Next Show
We had a great show this week, thanks to everyone who came! We'll have some news about the May show soon. Keep an eye on this space for updates!
Our next Hangout of Humorous Readings is April 23 at 7p at Peculier Pub. It's chill, low-key get-together where you can mingle with like-minded comedy nerds, enjoy some fine company, and talk about what matters most: short-form humorous prose. Everyone’s invited! Come on down for some great Humor Talk (tm).
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!