Posts by author
Elissa Bassist
115 posts
Elissa Bassist edits the Funny Women column and teaches humor writing. Her next class is "How to Write a Comedic Memoir" on 3/30. She wrote Hysterical, a semi-finalist for The Thurber Prize for American humor, and is co-writing Inside Jokes: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All Writers with Caitlin Kunkel (out in 2026). Her newsletter is Tragedy Plus Time.
Write to Get Paid
“I really believe that most writers in America have taken on this idea that we’re never going to get paid–and so we accept so little for what we do, when…
The Exit Interview: A Conversation with My Ex-Boyfriend
At first, I loved Dan from a distance. Judging on a bell-curve, I was attractive for my high school debate team, but otherwise, I was far from his type of…
The Rumpus Funny Women Interview with Sarah Haskins
Like most women, I am gay for Sarah Haskins. Unlike most women, I got to interview her. Here are some things you should know about Sarah to get the most…
Have I Earned These Clichés?
When life is not the slightest bit luminescent, I read Lorrie Moore. She honors a commitment to the search for truth and morality through emotional and reachable means.
Sassy Gay Friend: Juliet
Things would’ve gone better for Juliet if only she’d had a Sassy Gay Friend.
Funny Women Around the Web, 2/12/09
The best part of editing the Funny Women column is developing e-mail relationships with various women. (Did I say various? I meant you. Only you.) Sabrina Veroczi of Booby Hatch* is my…
FUNNY WOMEN #15: How to Move to San Francisco
First, abandon everyone you know and love. Say goodbye to friends, lovers, would-be lovers, American cheese, and sanity. You don’t need these things in San Francisco. You need isolation. You…
The Rumpus Funny Women Interview with Julie Klausner
Some people say men aren’t funny. In her memoir I Don’t Care About Your Band, comedienne Julie Klausner says it a few times: (1) “I was tired of pretending I thought he…
Annals of Advertising: The Young Ones
“Neil’s Heavy Concept Album.” More from the annals of advertising.
(Mistakenly) Miss the January Monthly Rumpus?
Read about it and see video here, thanks to Evan Karp of The SF Examiner. He condenses the whole night: “I think everyone had fun. I know I did. The main…