The State of the Union Is Pretty Good, Not Great, I Don’t Know—What Do You Wanna Hear? It’s Bad, Things Are Bad

My fellow Americans,Tonight I stand before you to say that the state of the union is good. Well, pretty good, or at least kind of solid. You know ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Winners Go to Bed Early: Every Article I Have Written About My Sleep Routine

“Bedtime Starts in the Morning: Nine Ways That Getting Plenty of Sunlight Before 9 A.M. Will Set You Up for Sleep Success Tonight”“No Caffeine, No... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Our Inclusive Company Invites People with Disabilities to Apply for Jobs and Get Systematically Rejected

We are an equal-opportunity employer that prides itself on being welcoming to all marginalized groups, including people with disabilities. We invit... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I Don’t Speak on Behalf of Other Politicians, Which is a Practice I Definitely Didn’t Just Make Up to Avoid Talking about Trump Praising Putin

"Senator Tom Cotton refused four times on Sunday to condemn or even comment on Donald Trump’s repeated praise for Vladimir Putin, the Russian presi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’d Like to Call Out Which Parts of the Group Project Were Mine

Dear Ms. Rako,When you announced that our presentation on Genghis Khan would be a group project, I knew that I would do all the work and my partne... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome in Academia When You’re Six Raccoons Living in a Fjällräven Parka

Imposter syndrome is real. In a competitive field like academia, everybody feels like a fraud sometimes, whether it’s a scathing peer review, a nas... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Say Hello to Satan, Your New Student Loan Servicer

The US Department of Education (ED) will soon transfer the customer service of your federal loan account to Satan, a member of ED’s federal loan se... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’m Dying to Hear What You, Some Guy on the Internet, Has to Say About the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

When I logged onto Twitter this morning, I saw the New York Times’ story about Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Just below that s... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’ll Baptize Your Son at the Y for $25

I’ll baptize your son in the pool behind the weights room.Bring your own floaties.Don’t worry about the lifeguard. I am the lifeguard. I work for... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Protagonist’s Best Friend Would Like to Stop Having to Shoehorn So Much Exposition into Their Dialogue

Hey man, I thought I might find you here. I mean, you do come to this coffee shop every single day. What can I say, you’re a man of routine. There’... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Part I: The Café

This is the first installment of a new serial comic by cartoonist Nguyên Khôi Nguyễn, chronicling his and his wife Thảo’s attempts to start a famil... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

You’re Invited to My Birthday Fundraiser—Also, My Husband Is on the Supreme Court

“The claim that the Justices’ opinions are politically neutral is becoming increasingly hard to accept, especially from Thomas, whose wife, Virgin... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Unfortunately, We Can’t Hire You After Seeing That 2010 Photo of You Drinking a Beer When You Were Sixteen

Dear Applicant:Thank you for applying to our advertising firm. Unfortunately, just as you were forewarned by your parents and teachers back in 201... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’m Music Man Stan, and Daniel Tiger Isn’t Who You Think He Is

Music Man Stan, here, you may know me as the owner of the Neighborhood Music Shop in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. But you know what? I’m a who... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

“My Coat, My Choice”: An Op-Ed by President-Elect William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison served as the ninth president of the United States. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841. On a cold, wet day, he refu... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’m Abraham Lincoln and I Beg of You, Please Commemorate My Birthday with Mattress Sales

Dear citizens, I know that I am not well. Amid this evening at Ford’s Theatre, my body has borne within it an abominable manifestation of political... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

My Real Life as a Writer vs. the Award-Winning Biopic About My Life as a Writer

ChildhoodReal life: My mother stares at me as I try to pick up our dog by the hind legs and push her around the living room like a wheelbarrow. “D... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Lunch Lady from the High School in Euphoria Announces This Week’s Menu

My hairnet is made out of two-hundred safety pins. My uniform has an underboob window and an overboob window. I am middle-aged (twenty-six) and wil... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Best Alcoholic Beverages to Pair with Potty Training

Tequila Sunrise: Served before sunrise, with a handful of Tylenol, as you load urine-soaked sheets into the washer.Old Fashioned: Because it’s Sat... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A High School History Teacher Grades Article II of the United States Constitution

A High School History Teacher Grades Article II of the United States Constitution | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’m Your Three-Year-Old, and I’m Not Leaving Until I’ve Touched Every Goddamn Garbage Can in This Zoo

Well, it looks like we’ve reached a standoff, Pops. I know you think it’s time to head to the car so I can take a nap, but I’m not going anywhere u... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Welcome to Advanced Mathematical Social Dynamics and Applied Psychology in Literary Politics 361

All right, settle down, everyone. Take your seats. This is Advanced Mathematical Social Dynamics and Applied Psychology in Literary Politics 361.L... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Enough With The Hygiene Theater. I Want to Take a Shit Without Washing My Hands

“Open Everything. The time to end pandemic restrictions is now.” — The Atlantic, 2/9/22- - -When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, I was among ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Anniversary Gifts: Traditional, Modern, and I Just Binged Yellowjackets

First AnniversaryTraditional: PaperModern: ClocksI Just Binged Yellowjackets: Non-pond water served in festive flutes made from leaves.Second A... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Happy Valentine’s Day from Facebook. Here’s a Photo of You and Your Ex

Happy Valentine’s Day! Just logging in for a quick scroll? Take your time.You’re not on here as much as you used to be. Still, we’ll never forget ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Hey daddio, listen here. We know you’ve been itching to join our rough and tumble street gang, but I’ve got bad news, bucko: you just don’t got the... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I’m Beginning to Think You Don’t Care About the Forty-Seven Valentines I Need to Take to School Tomorrow

I know it’s way past my bedtime, but I’m just poking my head in for a quick status update on my forty-seven valentines. No pressure, but if I don’t... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Son, Your Mother and I Are Worried About the Quality of Your Supernatural Slash Fiction

Knock, knock, son. Hope you’re not busy. Listen, your mother was cleaning your room and she found this notebook under your mattress. I promise, no ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

We Need to Stop Gentrification, Right After I Move into This Neighborhood

In every American city, long-time residents are being pushed out as wealthier newcomers fight for precious space. We need to stop the tidal wave of... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Season Two Outline for And Just Like That…

“To the surprise of perhaps no one, speculation about a season two for HBO Max’s buzzy ‘Sex and the City’ revival, ‘And Just Like That…’, has begun... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Trader Joe’s Watermelon Jerky

Ailing and isolating for the first weeks of the new year left my kitchen empty, so I decided to rejoin polite society in the aisles of Trader Joe’s... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual Entry for Your Child

This common but surprisingly dangerous creature dwells in billions of households worldwide. Your child may appear harmless, but it uses guile and s... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

If You Love to Write Just Wait Until You Try Not Writing

Do you love to write? Is writing what makes you feel alive? Are you sure?Let me ask you something: When’s the last time you wrote and thought, Tha... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Every Episode of a Television Show Written by Julian Fellowes

Downstairs to DownstairsHOUSEHOLD SERVANT: I’m worried about Rich Lady.OTHER HOUSEHOLD SERVANT: Don’t be. She’s rich, ain’t she?HOUSEHOLD SERVAN... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Rules of Commas

The rules of commas are confusing, arcane, nonsensical, and require fifteen minutes of dedicated study. Who has the time? Fortunately, I’ll summari... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Five Misconceptions About Self-Publishing (Your Own Unauthorized Sequel to Walden)

1. Self-publishing is easyI cannot impress this upon you enough: self-publishing is a ton of work. More than just writing a book, you’re also resp... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

As Comedians, It’s Our Job to Be Irreverent and Dangerous and to Open Portals to Hell By Reciting Dark Incantations from Spellbooks We Found in a Haunted Attic

“Comedians did not sign up to be your hero. It’s our job to be irreverent and dangerous, to question authority and take you through a spooky mental... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A McSweeney’s Books Q&A with Victoria Chang, Author of The Boss

Victoria Chang’s award-winning poetry collection The Boss is back in stock at last with a brand-new printing. To celebrate we’re rerunning both her... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A Return to the New Disquieting Normalcy of Short Existential Plays Starring You and Your Coworkers

Read the first five installments of these plays here, here, here, here, and here.- - -Time[Your cell phone buzzes at your makeshift workstation o... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Odyssey Cruise Lines Now Offering Competitive Rate of $21 an Hour for a Ten-Year Adventure

Exciting new employment opportunity! Odyssey Cruise Lines is now staffing for a once-in-a-lifetime, ten-year expedition through the Aegean Sea. We’... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

What the Number of Half-Empty Sippy Cups in Your Refrigerator Says About Your Parenting

Take a look inside your refrigerator. How many half-empty sippy cups are in there right now? Don’t worry if the cups contain milk, chocolate milk, ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

How Non-Librarians Imagine a Librarian’s Typical Workday

6 a.m. Wake up and put on knit cardigan, slacks, and sensible shoes. Feed my cat, Mr. Foibles. Have tea and English muffin while I read Shakespeare... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Short Conversations with Poets: Hannah Sullivan

Rhyme is not a lost art anymore, if it ever was, and Hannah Sullivan’s work shows, among other things, why that’s thrilling. Straight rhyme—song, g... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Aqueduct New Deal Will Destroy Rome

My fellow Romans, I write to warn you of a grave threat to the Roman economy and way of life. The progressives are at it again in their obsession w... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Your Baby Is Going to Be Such a Lady-Killer

Your baby is beautiful. He’s going to be such a lady-killer. Of course, I don’t mean that this sweet baby you’re holding in your arms and trying to... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Punxsutawney Phil Reckons with His Jungian Shadow

Carl Jung once said, “It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The CDC’s COVID-19 Guidelines for Moms Who Are Just So Tired of This Shit

The CDC recognizes the specific challenge faced by mothers over the past two years in attempting to keep up with the frequent changes to our COVID-... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Other Quotes GOP Congressmen Wrongly Attributed to Philosophers

“Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted a quote from a neo-Nazi on Twitter on Sunday and incorrectly attributed it to Voltaire in an effort to attack Na... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago