America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
Paul Lander is a TV comedy writer, award-winning columnist and producer. His humor pieces have appeared in MAD, American Bystander, Weekly Humorist, McSweeneys, National Lampoon, Robot Butt, Little Old Lady Blog, Humor Times, Humor Outcasts, Politipod, and mor... More »
…for women who flaunt their décolletage long after their décollet has aged. …for guys who continue to dress like Tony Manero despite the fact that Saturday Night’s Fever subsided decades ago. …for late-night TV sitcom reruns that we’ve seen so many... More »
America as a notion can be defined as a single word. Most days that word is: Meatloaf gasoline hamburgers Cher or Batman others days it’s cowgirl sunglasses alligator spandex motel though those allegations are unproven. America is a saxophone that denies eve... More »
Paul Lander is a TV comedy writer, award-winning columnist and producer. His humor pieces have appeared in MAD, American Bystander, Weekly Humorist, McSweeneys, National Lampoon, Robot Butt, Little Old Lady Blog, Humor Times, Humor Outcasts, Politipod, and mor... More »
By Martin H. Levinson Internet Fasting Day I know what you’re thinking: we’re all too hooked on the internet and social media to last 24 hours without them. The American people would never agree to stay off Google, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and email f... More »
By Martin H. Levinson Today’s business lesson from the Bible is about the role of influencers in getting people to do one’s bidding. The Good Book is filled with examples of such individuals—and animals. Exhibit A: the serpent in the Garden of Eden who t... More »
By D.J. Rosenthal Are you and your unpublished manuscript having a lull in your relationship? If your manuscript is just not emotionally available, you might be wanting different things from each other. Do you need more of a sense of fulfillment from your page... More »
by Lisa Rosenberg Dear Miss Dickinson, Ms. Plath, and Mr. Eliot, My reveries of having tea with the three of you are repeatedly marred by an intrusive image of this transpiring at a supermarket Starbucks. In the suburbs. * Dear Reader, Not wanting to disappoin... More »
By Martin H. Levinson If two heads are better than one, then four heads would be better than two, eight better than four, and so on with regard to getting lots of heads together to come up with smart solutions. It is wondrous to behold the wisdom that can eman... More »
The Simpleton a novel by Alex Bakhtin (Pigeon Classics, 2022), 612 pages Reviewed by James Fable It is almost a truism by now that Postmodernism is obsessed with adaptations. Whether feminist retellings of Greek myth or barely digestible mashups of anglophone ... More »
By Lily Fitzpatrick Dear Olivia, After careful review of your application to Amazon University, we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the class of 2052. We recognize that this decision may come as a disappointment to you, so for yo... More »