Comments on: Honk for Humor

By: betty tisel

betty tisel — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:54:10 +0000

my 14 year old’s favorite funny books: the Skulduggery Pleasant series. She laughs and laughs when she reads them.

By: Stephanie Greene

Stephanie Greene — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:51:18 +0000

Ah, now, that would be music to my mother’s ears, Carin. Actually, I think the first Al is still in print, as is Beat the Turtle Drum. But the others, not. It’s great to hear she still has fans.

By: Carin Siegfried

Carin Siegfried — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:26:03 +0000

I adored all the Al books as a kid! Such a bummer that they’re OP. Tell your mother that I love her books too! I keep an eye out for them at used bookstores and really regret that my original copies are long gone. They should be reissued.

By: Stephanie Greene

Stephanie Greene — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:03:11 +0000

I told her, Erica. She was very pleased. Congratulations on your book.

By: Erica Perl

Erica Perl — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:00:59 +0000

Wow! Please tell your mother that she is one of my favorite writers ever! I was just interviewed by Read Kiddo Read for my new middle grade novel, When Life Gives You O.J., and I cited her as one of my all-time faves. I loved A Girl Called Al and its sequels when I was a kid (and I still do… they’ve totally influenced my writing).

All best wishes,

Erica S. Perl (erica at ericaperl.com)

By: Ann Jacobus

Ann Jacobus — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:39:04 +0000

If there’s anything the world needs, it’s more laughter! I think your award is wonderful, hope more people will follow suit and regret that I had nothing funny to submit when I was a student at VCFA. I completely agree that humor in both literature and film tends to be dismissed as “not-serious” and is therefore often overlooked by award committees. I recently wrote a blog on this subject called 11 Funny Things About Humor and How It Can Save the World. http://www.annjacobus.com/blog/2011/3/3/11-funny-things-about-humor-and-how-it-can-save-the-world.html

By: Stephanie Greene

Stephanie Greene — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:16:36 +0000

I’m going to print this out and send it to my mother, Constance Greene, who’ll be delighted to see “A Girl Called Al” on your list. There are as many kinds of funny books as there are dramatic ones, and some types of humor are easier to write than others. But writing “funny” is hard.

Good for you for drawing attention to good funny books.

By: Sarah Lamstein

Sarah Lamstein — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:15:20 +0000

What a wonderfully generous thing for you guys to do, Elizabeth! Humor in literature is precious. I’m particularly fond of Polly Horvath. Carolyn Coman’s Big House and it’s sequel Sneaking Suspicions are wickedly dry. Let’s not forget the big guy – Mark Twain – a model for us all.

By: Alexis O'Neill

Alexis O'Neill — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:14:44 +0000

Elizabeth – Many honks from me for establishing your Flying Pig Grade-A, Number-One-Ham Humor Award for Vermont College MFA students. In 2003, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) also recognized the need to spotlight novelists who are terrific at writing “funny” and established the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. The first award went to Sid Fleischman, of course. But other winners include Lisa Yee (Millicent Min, Girl Genius), Gennifer Choldenko (Al Capone Does My Shirts), David LaRochelle (Absolutely Positively Not), Sara Pennypacker (Clementine), Donna Gephart (As If Being 12 ¾ Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President) and Allen Zadoff (Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have). So let’s hear it for having the skill to make readers laugh out loud!

By: Val Howlett

Val Howlett — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:15:10 +0000

Hi there! I am a VCFA student, and while I myself haven’t churned out something laugh-out-loud enough to submit to your contest, I just wanted to say that I’m really glad it exists. So rarely does humor actually get recognized or awarded. I do have a few friends who submitted to it; I’d say they’re pretty thrilled as well. So thank you!

I’m also really curious about how you judge the pieces. I imagine gut reaction is a pretty key factor when it comes to humor, but do you analyze the pieces? Count the laugh-out-loud moments? Look for some sort of humorous consistency? Maybe part of the reason why humor is little-recognized is because it’s so very subjective.