A Newsletter of Humorous Writing #94
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
For JULY 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. It's getting hot out there, folks. But you know the old saying, "Nothing cools you down like a nice, ~750-word piece of mirth." That's why we don't use AC...because of all the mirth! Also, if this newsletter stops abruptly, it's because we all got heatstroke. Just a little peek into the Newsletter of Humorous Writing process for ya.
What We Enjoyed This Week
But What About by River Clegg and Evan Waite (The New Yorker) Friends of the Show and Newsletter, River Clegg and Evan Waite, have another winner on their hands. If you're a writer looking for some good examples of voice (or if you're a reader who's into that kind of thing) go and check out their back catalog--easily accessible by clicking their names on the top of the piece. River and Evan do a fantastic job of imbuing their narrators with a specific perspective. It's often the "high-status idiot," but it's so much more than a trope; it offers a very clear view on their world, which makes the piece feel grounded, even in its absurdity.
I'm the Founder of "Word of the Day" Calendar and I Feel Vexation and Chagrin by Meredith Dietz (Points in Case) The title says it all (in so many ways!) Fantastic premise for an article that really delivers. Or gives. Or distributes.
Real Estate Ads in Suburbia for the Priced-Out City-Dweller by Shoshanna Silberman (The Belladonna) What makes this piece funny isn't just the sharp writing and jokes, but also the concept of home ownership! Is that really a thing you can do? Is one just allowed to buy a home? Pfft, not in this economy, that's for sure.
If Google is Serious About Regaining Our Trust, It Must Start by Offering Alternative Ways to Torture the Small Yellow Man in Google Maps by Sean McGowan (Points in Case) Brian here. Did everyone else that thing in The Sims where you find increasingly creative ways to psychologically torture, and perhaps even kill, your Sims? Was that just me? Oooooh boy, I know what Dr. Greenbaum and I are talking about at our next session.
An Old Favorite
Corrections by Megan Amram (Tumblr)
Not to be confused with The Corrections, the decidedly less-humorous Jonathan Franzen vehicle, Amram's piece isn't just very, very funny, it also does something easier said than done: This is a send-up of the NYT wedding announcement section. With a medium that has such a specific tone and style, it's common for humor pieces to simply heighten, and make it "cooky." What Amram does is use the style as a launching pad--creating characters and letting them play in this world. It's not a parody anymore. It's something much funnier and much more interesting.
Updates From Your Hosts and Friends of the Show
James had a hilarious piece in the New Yorker on July 4th. James also hasn't been seen in the office recently, and we think that the piece wasn't so much a form of humor as it was a cryptic clue to his whereabouts.
Other Humorous Writing News
GET PAID TO WORK IN HUMOR WRITING!!! [Airhorn sound]. Our friends at Slackjaw are hiring a part-time Editorial Assistant/Social Media Marketer. More info here.
RIP Mad Magazine. For a lot of us, this was our first foray into humor writing. In this great twitter thread, MAD contributor, Matt Cohen, talks about MAD's storied history of satire, as opposed to puns and parody.
News About The Next Show
This show, you guys, it's going to be a doozy. We've got:
Ariel Dumas (The Late Show, The New Yorker)
Alex Gonzalez (Flex Magazine, Micheal Moore's TV Nationa, Madness Heart Press)
Jen Spyra (The Late Show, The Onion, The New Yorker)
Be sure to mark those calendars and buy those tickets. 7/23 at Caveat. Doors open at 6:30 to hang out and have some beers. Show starts at 7:30
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!