Short Conversations with Poets: Morgan Parker

What does it mean for poetry to feel like—to be experienced as—intimate talk, as if you’re hearing from an old and trusted friend? I mean the kind ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Cure for White Replacement

Racial anxiety comes in several flavors. There’s light (hand-wringing over pop-rap), medium (hand-wringing over “critical race theory”), and heavy ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Choosing Not to Do Business With Spotify Is Censorship. Now, Here’s a List of Books We Need to Ban

“School boards are pulling books from classrooms. Parents are being asked to inform on teachers who teach ‘objectionable’ material. Streaming servi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

An Oral History of the Making of Hamlet

RICHARD BURBAGE (lead actor and shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Me): Well, the thing you have to remember is that 1599 was like the worst yea... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

“The Yellow Wallpaper II”: The Gothic Tale of Female Madness Updated for Women in 2022 with Unvaccinated Children Under Five

It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for quarantine, which is how we now find our family on our ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Vocabulary, Grammar, and Phrasing for People Over Fifty

Lotion is now a verb. Therefore pre-lotion, re-lotion, lotioned, and lotioning are available for use in conversation and Scrabble. You can now refe... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Hello, It’s Me, the Guy Who Gets Visibly Angry at an Image of Minnie Mouse in a Pantsuit

“Fox’s Jesse Watters and guest say Minnie Mouse wearing a pantsuit instead of a skirt is an attempt to ‘destroy fabrics of our society.’” — Media ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Why I, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Would Like to Apply to Hype House

Dear members of the House of Hype,Greetings. My name is Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am a famous philosopher of the mid-nineteenth century. I write toda... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Short Conversations with Poets: Grzegorz Kwiatkowski

Cold water in the face is too mild a description for the effect of Grzegorz Kwiatkowski’s poems. What they present is simultaneously so human and s... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Bombshell Report on One of the Many Ongoing Trump Investigations Mad Libs

Breaking news tonight out of [ANY OF OUR NATION’S COURTS, JUSTICE DEPARTMENTS, OR SENATE SUBCOMMITTEES], I’m [MSNBC HOST WHO MAKES YOUR AUNT SCREAM... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A Scathing Review of Your Thirties: The Video Game

Like most gaming journalists, I couldn’t wait to review Your Thirties, the hotly anticipated release from Life Studios ($59.99 on Xbox, Playstation... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Our School District’s New Emergency Preparedness Guidelines Are Based On the Book of Revelation

Dear Parents,We are pleased to inform you that we have developed effective, easy-to-follow emergency preparedness guidelines to keep your children... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Biggest Issue Facing America Right Now Is People Stealing Puffy Jackets from Multi-Billion Dollar Corporations

“Retail crime has been rising throughout the US for the past five years… top law-enforcement officials place some of the blame for the crime surge ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Mrs. Dalloway Said She Would Buy the Rapid COVID Test Herself

For Richard was still “working” from home. And Lucy had resigned months ago—so queer, Clarissa thought; it seemed no one wanted to serve bourgeois ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

“We Need to Get Back to Normal,” I Say, While I Continue to Live My Life Normally, As I Have Throughout This Pandemic

“We need to get back to normal,” I say, while I continue to live my life normally, having barely changed my behavior and lifestyle—or faced any of ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Nine Months of Pregnancy, Ranked from Worst to Best

9. Third monthThis is an easy call, because the morning sickness is full steam ahead, all day, every day, with every breath you take. The kitchen’... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Excerpts From The House of Girth, Edith Wharton’s 1905 Novel About Powerlifting

Selden paused in surprise. In the afternoon rush of the Grand Central Station his eyes had been refreshed by the sight of Miss Lily Bart.Lily Bart... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

What We Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Bruno

With apologies to Raymond Carver.- - -My son Liam was talking. Liam is five years old, and that always gives him the right. The two of us were sit... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

COVID Will Eventually Be Endemic, and I Absolutely Know What That Word Means

Everyone’s still so scared of COVID. But come on, people. It’s going to be endemic soon enough. And that has to mean, uh, something.Endemic means ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

We Can’t Run This College into the Ground Without Your Help

Dear College Faculty,Effective immediately, there will be a moratorium on resignations. Thanks to COVID, the governor has generously formalized hi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A Boat Surrounded by Sharks Is a Childcare Option I Am Seriously Considering

Hi, it’s me, the mom of an under-five-year-old overtired, under-stimulated, homeschooled, unvaccinated monster child currently using his chubby lit... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

You Can’t Accuse Us of Restricting the Voting Rights of Black Americans If We Aren’t Counting Them as Americans

“If you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.” — Sen. Mitch McConnell, 1/19/22- -... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

We Are the Other Girls of Stars Hollow and We Deserve Recognition Too

It’s been over ten years since Stars Hollow’s favorite daughter graduated from Yale and left town to pursue a career in journalism, and five years ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I Drank from the Wrong Holy Grail and Now I’m an Adjunct Professor of Comparative Literature

I was on vacation with the wife and kids. A week away from the office, not checking my messages, spending all day by the pool. Real nice time. Last... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Increasingly Convoluted Rules for Ordering a Philly Cheesesteak Like a Local

1. If you want onions on your steak, you must say “whiz wit.” But to play it safe, don’t pronounce any “h” in any word while ordering. For example,... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, Now a Rich Man, Receives a Letter from His HOA

Dear Tevye,This letter is to inform you that you are in gross violation of the rules of this Homeowners’ Association (HOA). Please note the follow... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A Health Screening Questionnaire for Teachers

1. Are you a teacher?☐ Yes✅ You are cleared to enter the building.☐ Wait, what? Aren’t you going to ask whether I’ve tested positive for COVID-1... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Collective Nouns for Parenting

A group of toddlers is called a chaos.A group of kindergartners is a “Why can’t I be the line leader?”A collection of salt is called a lot. A col... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Two Years of This Pandemic Is Long Enough: It’s Time to Enter the Metaverse

“Personally, I don’t need an immediate license to party like it’s February 2020, but I want some indication from lawmakers and medical experts tha... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Here’s How Time Works in 2022

Here at Time, we have made a number of changes over the last couple years. Now that 2022 is here, we’re announcing several major updates.A Minute... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

What Your Favorite Sad Dad Band Says About You

The War on DrugsYou make your own paella and take super long naps on Saturday. Like over two hours, consistently. You prefer the smallest possible... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

FAQ for Omicron’s Emergency Spring Rush

Yo, bros! Think you’ve got what it takes to be one of our Omicronies? Find out why our brand-new, hotly talked about squad is on everyone’s minds (... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

I Can’t Help but Notice That This is the Thirteenth Month in a Row I’ve Been Featured as HR’s Commitment to Diversity

So I just wanted to take a minute to touch base with everyone regarding the recent announcement by Human Resources that I would be featured in thei... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Please Listen Carefully, As Our School’s COVID-Reporting Menu Options Have Not Changed

Thank you for calling East Hill Elementary’s absentee reporting and contact tracing hotline. Please listen carefully, because our menu options have... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Introducing Horrible Purple, Pantone’s Color of the Year Inspired by COVID-19 Heat Maps

Inspired by the surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States, we at Pantone are disappointed to introduce our 2022 color of the year: Horrible ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Ho There! I Am a Nineteenth-Century Iron Worker and I Await the Day This Factory Is Refurbished into an Up-Market Food Hall

Ho there! I am a humble laborer at Cooper & Watson Ironworks, and though my life is filled with sweat and toil, I await the day this factory wi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Insurance Providers Are Now Required to Cover the Costs of At-Home COVID Tests for Any American Clever Enough to Navigate the Labyrinth of Terrors

“Private insurers will soon have to cover the cost of eight at-home coronavirus tests per member per month, the Biden administration said Monday. ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

The Safest Place for Your Kids Right Now Is Inside the Scorpion Pit

Americans are locked in a heated debate: Should we close public schools due to this new wave of deadly scorpions? And while some might beg to diffe... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Please, World, in a Time of Infinite Darkness, Just Let Us Have Wordle

“If you’ve spent much time on Twitter in recent weeks, you’ve doubtless seen the grids of green, yellow, and gray squares that have swept across t... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

How We Will Separate You from Any Lingering Hope and Other Important Topics of Today’s Faculty Meeting

Dear Teachers,As we continue to grapple with unavoidable disruptions caused by the pandemic, it’s important that we remain prepared and flexible f... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Questions for the CDC in Light of the Omicron Variant from Concerned Parents, for the Love of Christ

In light of the recent Omicron wave and the skyrocketing pediatric hospital admissions, we’ve compiled a list of questions from concerned parents. ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Teaching Your Parents How to FaceTime

If you’re anything like me, this past couple of years has given you a lot of jobs you never asked for: I became a therapist to my burned-out cowork... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Here’s Why You’re Wrong for Supporting Either In-Person or Virtual School

Use this guide to understand why your opinion about mid-pandemic schooling policy is wrong. If you believe kids should attend school in-person, rea... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

We Do Traditional Macchiatos Here

Hello! Welcome to the Lyon Street Coffeehouse and Drip-Bar. We’re serving a special coconut-infused matcha latte today. It’s not for me, but you lo... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Low-Skilled, Easily Replaceable Employees Must Return to Work Immediately, Otherwise Our Society Will Collapse

“My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe-shine people, those who work at Dunkin’ Donuts — They don’t have the aca... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

If This Post is Not Allowed, Mods, Please Take My Firstborn Child

Hey everyone! I hope this link is okay to post. If not, mods, please accept my sincere apologies. I’ll take it down so fast. My hand is vibrating o... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

A Note of Reassurance from Your School District Regarding Our Updated Omicron Policies

Dear Parents,Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing break with family and friends. We’re delighted to welcome you back to school as we celebrate a ret... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago

Everything We Currently Know About Birds

Birds. Most people just know them as those loud things that are always flapping around the sky like jackasses, but there’s actually much more to th... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 2 years ago