“Purim Spiel” newsletter out!

A couple years ago, I wrote about my Purim newsletter in Tablet. It’s been a family tradition for years, but last year, I didn’t publish our usual f”Purim Spiel” paper. I couldn’t really see the humor in anything (I learned of my father’s death a week before the holiday).

This year we’re back. I can’t even tell if it’s funny anymore, because I’ve been working on it too much. Click here to read it: Purim Spiel 5776.

Note that the second page is first in the PDF. Feel free to print it out and read it that way. And, please, if you share, give the Klempner family credit!

Happy Purim!

 

How to write funny: what you can learn from Isaac Asimov

Asimov on Humor

A must-read for anyone who wants to write humor

When I first married my husband, I was delighted to discover among his possessions a copy of Isaac Asimov’s Treasury of Humor. I had read the book in high school and enjoyed reading it again, this time discussing it extensively with my husband.

Not only does this book contain jokes–great, classic ones–but Asimov explains why they’re funny, how to tell them, the origin of them, and if there are different versions. He explains the differences between shaggy dog stories, puns, black/gallows humor, and so on, and what makes each type tick. Asimov does this all in a chatty way that reminds you of your great-uncle shmoozing with you–it’s just so much fun.

Flash forward a few years. Continue reading