Hello and welcome to the September issue of my monthly links round-up.
It feels like it has been a very busy start to the school year as I get my kids readjusted and have been overhauling my teaching curriculum in light of the generative AI developments, but I am hoping things are somewhat leveling out and I can soon actually finish some of the (too many) books I’m in the middle of and maybe even have time for some writing projects that have been on hold.
Despite all of that, I have been enjoying some things this month…
Funny stuff and other distractions:
Funny TV: I started watching Reservation Dogs on Hulu and regret not starting it sooner because it is making me laugh frequently. I also took the advice of newsletter reader Liz Alterman and watched Fisk on Netflix and appreciated the dry humor in it.
Short video: One of my kids recently found this classic SNL clip and I feel like it holds up.
Kids book recs: Two things that have been keeping my kids entertained lately: The Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales book series and the nonfiction audio originals by Scott McCormick. They have particularly liked the Vikings and Pirates ones. So I guess their current interests involve semi-dark historical nonfiction? Whatever works.
Recipe: I recently made this corn cacio e pepe recipe and highly recommend it, especially if you’ve got fresh corn. Try not to think about the dwindling supply of fresh corn and the inevitable slide toward winter when you make it.
Writing-related links:
I have an annual writing cycle in which I think of holiday-related pitches or humor pieces when the holiday arrives and it’s too late to pitch them. But this tweet reminded me that now is the time to start planning for holiday pitches.
One of the writing residencies I would most like to do is open through October 5th: The Erma Bombeck Humorist in Residence. I’m also planning to go to the in-person conference in April and hopefully see some (all?) of you there.
Chicken Soup has a current call out for funny essays.
Writer friend and Substacker
is teaching a class on query letters this weekend that looks great. Get more info here.Funny writer and Substacker
has been doing an excellent series on rejection and I particularly appreciated the tidbit on Reductress rejections in this one. (And for the record, my rejection rate with Reductress is currently sitting right at 100%.)I have been pondering the changing landscape as Twitter (yes just going to keep calling it that) unravels and everyone fractures to different social media. So I appreciated this perspective on it from The Intrinsic Perspective.
News from me:
I enjoyed talking to
for her Substack Sketch Pad about my college experience and its impact on my writing career.I wrote a book review of Aparna Nancherla’s book Unreliable Narrator for the New York Journal of Books. I particularly appreciated her perspective as an overthinking introverted comedy person (surprise, surprise) and recommend checking out her book.
I’m planning a future newsletter on the topic of writing funny personal essays. Do you have a quick tip to share on the topic? Hit reply to this email or fill out this form to let me know.
Love the reminders for holiday pitches (maybe this year I'll actually think about them ahead of time). The Erma writer's residency would be a dream come true and I'm running out of time to finesse my entry. Like, seriously running out of time.
Thanks for the reminder about holiday pitches! I have had no rejections from Reductress. Zero. Zilch. I have also not pitched there. Keep fighting the good fight.