It’s Just a Beach Read

Oh this? It’s just a beach read. I honestly don’t know how it got into my tote bag. I certainly would never have meant to pack a book like this. I’... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

How to Unlock Luigi in Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time

In Search of Lost Time is universally hailed as one of the most influential literary works of the twentieth century, having revolutionized the mode... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Omega Theta Chi’s COVID-19 Flip Cup Rules

“The University of Alabama system reports between August 28 and September 3, 846 UA students tested positive for the virus in Tuscaloosa… Universi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Virtual Birdwatching Saved My Sanity During the Pandemic

Trills and caws fill the room. Rain is falling, bouncing off the birds and making the squirrels dance underneath. A yellow-bellied sapsucker (a ter... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Hercule Poirot Solves the Case of the COVID Comorbidities

The assembled dignitaries took their seats before a small lean man with an upward curled moustache.“Messieurs et Mesdames,” began Hercule Poirot. ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

22 Ways I Will Destroy You With Karate

1. Hip toss into a giant vat of butterscotch pudding. Destroyed.2. Rising punch you off of your skateboard. Miraculously you land back on it then ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Why I’m Leaving This Plane of Existence

You guys, I moved to this plane of existence 43 years ago. 43 years! That’s a long time! When I came here in the ‘70s, this world was a totally dif... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

HQWL

With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg.- - -II saw the dullest minds of my generation destroyed by hashtags, stupid gullible red-capped,scrolling mind... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I Like My Men Like I Like My… (2020 Edition)

STATUES – Significant. Rock-hard. Monumentally destroyed if racist.ZOOM MEETINGS – Pants-less. With a good background. Generally on mute.TOILET P... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I Appreciate Your Concern, But Our Enormous Wedding Was Socially Distanced

After I posted photos from Jared and my beautiful wedding weekend on Instagram, many of you expressed concern. You saw photos of 300 guests gatheri... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

The Age of Consent Fairy

A FAIRY bursts through the bedroom window of sleeping girl.FAIRY: Happy 18th Birthday!GIRL shoots up in bed and turns on a lamp.GIRL: Who the h... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Middle School Hallway Posters for the 2020-2021 School Year

AT LINCOLN MIDDLE, WE’RE SELF-ESTEEM SUPER SPREADERS!- - -SOMEONE CALL THE CDC, WE HAVE AN EPIDEMIC OF POTENTIAL ON OUR HANDS!- - -LET’S MAKE... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

McSweeney’s Announces Of the Diaspora Series

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 11, 2020) — McSweeney’s is proud to announce a new series of elegantly-designed and powerfully-voiced books. Of the Di... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Welcoming Remarks Made at a Literary Reading, 9/25/01

Every year, we wonder what might be appropriate on this day, and we can never think of anything more appropriate than this piece, which Mr. Hodgman... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

All the President’s Book Deals

“[Journalist] Bob Woodward is facing widespread criticism for only now revealing President Donald Trump’s early concerns about the severity of the ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

New “Days-of-the-Week” Shirts

- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - - | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Short Conversations With Poets: Edward Hirsch

Our good friend, poet Ilya Kaminsky, knows contemporary poetry like no one else. We’re proud to be publishing his mini-reviews and one-question int... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Looks Like I Wasn’t Muted in Our Zoom Meeting

Hey there, esteemed colleagues. I want to apologize that during our Zoom meeting when I was crouched out of sight and yelling to my husband in the ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Welcome to Chopped: Toddler Dinner Hour

Our contestant tonight is Mom, a 30-something from Virginia and a veteran of the competition. Mom has been the sole competitor on our show this wee... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

45 Facts That Have Become Debatable in 2020, Thanks to Politics

1. The coronavirus is a new disease that can kill people.2. Kamala Harris is a U.S. citizen who is eligible to hold office, including the Vice Pre... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Short Conversations With Poets: Carolyn Forché

Our good friend, poet Ilya Kaminsky, knows contemporary poetry like no one else. We’re proud to be publishing his mini-reviews and one-question int... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised; It Will Be Broken Down Into Ten-Minute Increments and Streamed On Quibi

With apologies to Gil Scott-Heron- - -You will not be able to plug-in, turn-on, and cop-out, because you can only watch on your phone and will pro... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I Assure You, the Vaccine Our Administration Is Rushing to Release Is Not Just Three Kids Stacked Under a Trench Coat

In recent weeks, President Trump has promised we’d see a coronavirus vaccine by November 1st, a date which many have called “politically motivated,... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Creative Nonfiction Writing Prompts, Fall 2020

1. Write a self-portraiture to remind yourself, after six months of doomscrolling, that you still possess an unmediated, material form.2. After An... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Victoria Chang

Our good friend, poet Ilya Kaminsky, knows contemporary poetry like no one else. We’re proud to be publishing his mini-reviews and one-question int... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

2020 Election Voting Booth Assembly Instructions

Only polling volunteers may view these instructions. The US Senate commissioned this voting booth design specifically for the 2020 Presidential Ele... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

“COVID Odyssey (Campus Health to Freshman Tom)”

With apologies to David Bowie.- - -Campus Health to Freshman TomCampus Health to Freshman Tom Swab your brain and put your face mask onCampus H... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Scents of Pre-COVID: A New Candle Collection

Introducing SCENTS OF PRE-COVID. Enjoy the nostalgic fragrances of life B.C. (Before COVID) with this new candle collection.- - - | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

A Meditation for Kindergarten Teachers Who Are Teaching In-Person During the Pandemic

Take a moment to get comfortableAnd take a seat in a tiny chairIn your classroomNow that school is done for the day andYou have the room to you... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Lest We Forget the Horrors: A Catalog of Trump’s Worst Cruelties, Collusions, Corruptions, and Crimes: The Complete Listing (So Far): Atrocities 1-889

To be read before the 2020 Presidential Election. Register to vote here.- - -Early in President Trump’s term, McSweeney’s editors began to catalo... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Encounters from Dungeons and Dragons: 2020 Edition

Uncle Ken posts on Facebook that his Amazon package was stolen by Antifa. Roll a Persuasion check with disadvantage.- - -You come to a T-shaped in... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Why I’m Saving Doctor’s Visits For Marriage

A doctor’s visit is a beautiful thing. It’s a union between a person who needs medical care and a professional who can offer that medical care. But... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Rydell High’s Reopening Plan

Dear Students of Rydell High,After much consideration, we have decided to open for the upcoming school year. We have laid out specific guidelines ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Updated Guidelines for What Not to Wear After Labor Day

Way back in late February, we started to hear rumors about having to lock ourselves inside for three weeks — a length of time that now seems positi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Biden Family Breakfast, 1951

“My mother has an expression. Clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack.” – Joe Biden“My father had an expression. He said, ‘The only conflict that is w... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I’m Back In a Relationship With FiveThirtyEight’s Elections Forecast Model, But This Time I Swear He’s Changed

Girls, I have a confession: I’m seeing my ex again. Yep, the model. The FiveThirtyEight elections forecast model — the statistical analysis designe... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

An Excerpt From Mike Sacks’ New Book Passable in Pink: The Novelization

Copyright 1982The following is an excerpt from Passable in Pink: The Novelization, originally published in 1982 to coincide with the film of the ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I Support a Woman’s Right to Choose Not to Wear a Mask

I’m seeing mandatory mask rules at more stores and restaurants, and as a staunch defender of civil liberties, I’m appalled. The government can’t fo... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Love, American Style: “Boston Marriage” and Beyond

“Today, we have many terms for romantic relationships between women: lesbian, bisexual, same-sex and queer, among others. In the late 1800s and ear... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Are You Going Back?

Lakeland, Florida- - -With national leadership urging schools to reopen this fall despite rising cases of COVID-19, classroom teachers are facing ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

As Democrats, We Must Protect and Uplift People of Means

Recently, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced her endorsement of Rep. Joseph Kennedy III in the Massachusetts Senate primary. Her decision ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Your University Is Here to Help By Offering You More Ways to Pay Your Full, Unreduced Tuition

Dear Students,As we all deal with the greatest challenge our community has ever faced, this university administration is pleased to announce yet a... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Gun Ownership In America: A Flowchart

“Police have charged Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, with murder in connection with the shootings that killed that man and another protester after he drove t... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I Started School In-Person This Week, and It Was Fine

Salida, Colorado- - -With national leadership urging schools to reopen this fall despite rising cases of COVID-19, classroom teachers are facing b... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

I’m Worried My Quarantine Baby Will Be Stunted

My baby has been in quarantine his whole life, and I’m panicked he will be developmentally stunted. There are so many experiences and enriching act... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

We Should Not Punish White Teens for Their Naïve Acts of Terrorism

“Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintai... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

Will You Really Miss Me?

- - -AUTHOR NOTEI have been collecting scrap materials for over 25 years. Gathered from crowded junk drawers, dusty supply closets, and the... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago

In Suspense

Lexington, Massachusetts- - -With national leadership urging schools to reopen this fall despite rising cases of COVID-19, classroom teachers are ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 years ago