3 Things: Emma Hunsinger, Michelle Buteau, and Ana Fabrega

I'm feeling very nostalgic this month. I had my college reunion, I wrapped writing forProblem Areas, and Mollie and I are getting ready to move out to LA at the end of the summer. Time keeps on slipping into the future.

Comedy and writing sometimes look solitary from the outside, but they're actually only possible with friends to bounce ideas off of and folks who believe in you (and want to read your emails / see your shows). Thinking about the past few years has made me even more grateful for the creative and supportive communities I'm a part of.  So thank you for being a part of mine (whether I've met you in person or not). And if you identify as LGBTQIA+, happy Pride Month! 

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
Last night's series finale of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas looked at segregation and how we might finally achieve the goal of integrated schools. Both full seasons of the show are now streaming on HBO. Link

You can listen to all the episodes of my podcast You're the Expert on any podcast app. Three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters. Link

NYC:
TONIGHT! Saturday, June 8 at 9:30 p.m. at The Brick. I'm back for another month of Monster Mash, Carley Moseley's super fun show of snacks from a guest chef and improv from NYC's best comedy writers. Link

Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at The American Museum of Natural History. I'm part of a night of dinosaur-themed comedy at the museum. I was born to be on this show. Link

SEATTLE:
Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Join me in the audience for Liz and Mollie's book talk and discussion about emotions at work for No Hard Feelings. Link

You can find ticket links for all upcoming shows online at my website here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
Emma Hunsinger's cartoons almost always have an unexpected twist. Her flow chart for whether or not you can wear a t-shirt to the office becomes a quiz about whether you're really over your ex. A nuclear family is actually a corporation focusing on branding and development. Or in her new, beautiful piece, the quest to draw a perfect horse is actually about processing her feelings for another girl in her class. How to Draw a Horse


FUNNY:
Netflix's Always Be My Maybe is a classic and hilarious romantic comedy. For whatever reason, it's a genre that's not being made a lot these days, which makes this movie feel even more special. If you need a break and to laugh, let Randall Park and Ali Wong take over. To me, the funniest performance in the movie was by Michelle Buteau. Michelle has been one of my favorite standup comedians since the first time I saw her perform, so it's very fun to watch her crush in a movie now too. She's one of those people where I think it's just impossible for her not to be hilarious? See for yourself. Always Be My Maybe


INTERESTING:
Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres have a new show premiering on HBO next Friday called Los Espookys. It's about "a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business." Ana stars as Tati, "Los Espookys' test dummy [who is] constantly juggling several odd jobs, such as breaking in other people's shoes and testing child safety locks." Julio plays Andres, the "dark and mysterious heir to a chocolate empire. His only true nemesis is his gorgeous boyfriend." I've never read a description that made me want to watch a new show more. If you don't know Ana already, I strongly recommend followingher on Instagram and watching some of her comedy shorts (like this or this). She makes me laugh so much and I can't wait to see what she makes with a full budget. It's going to be amazing. Los Espookys Season 1 Trailer


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you cansubscribe here.

Have a great Saturday,
Chris

3 Things: Cixin Liu, Mindy Kaling, Ora DeKornfeld

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with your friends. If someone forwarded this email to you and you want to start getting them yourself, you can sign up here.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
This week's episode of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas looked at culturally-responsive education in Austin, Texas and the success of dual-language programs. You can stream the episode now on HBO. Link

And of course, you can always listen to my podcast You're the Expert. Three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters. Find it on any podcast app.  Link

NYC:
SOLD OUT Tuesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Space. I'm at Uptown Showdown, a comedic debate. This month the topic is thinkers vs feelers and features me, Aparna Nancherla, Bowen Yang, Julio Torres, and more.

Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m. at The Brick. I'm back for another month of Monster Mash, Carley Moseley's super fun show of snacks from a guest chef and improv from NYC's best comedy writers. Link

SEATTLE:
Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Join me in the audience for Liz and Mollie's book talk and discussion about emotions at work for No Hard Feelings. Link

You can find ticket links for all upcoming shows online at my website here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
I'm halfway through The Three-Body Problem and I can't put it down. It's the first book in a best-selling Chinese sci-fi trilogy written by Cixin Liu, a former engineer at a power plant in Shanxi. The book is "set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, [as] a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens." My friend Max described the book really well, saying that the ideas are interesting but also the storytelling itself is completely different from how an American sci-fi novel would be structured. I haven't read anything quite like it. Read an excerpt here: The Three-Body Problem


FUNNY:
Mindy Kaling has already established herself as one of the comedy greats, from her role inThe Office to The Mindy Project to her best-selling books. But she's only getting started. This is a great profile of her in Vanity Fair, where she talks about her multiple new movies, TV show, and everything else she's got coming down the line. Mindy Kaling in Full Bloom


INTERESTING:
Ora DeKornfeld is one of my favorite documentary filmmakers. She's working on a longer doc right now about Scott Warren, who is facing up to 20 years in prison for providing water to undocumented immigrants in the Arizona desert. While the longer piece is still in progress, a short multimedia piece featuring her work came out in The New York Timesthis week and it's stunning. To Stop Border Crossings, the U.S. Made the Journey Deadlier


Thanks for reading! If you like these emails, please forward to a friend. If someone sent you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Have a good one,
Chris

3 Things: Min Jin Lee, Wanda Sykes, and Mario Guevara

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with your friends. If someone forwarded this email to you and you want to start getting them yourself, you can sign up here.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
This week's episode of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas looked at for-profit colleges and how they are taking advantage of veterans using their GI Bill benefits. You can stream the episode now on HBO. Link

I visited Paste Studios this week to help my friend Jon Seale with a live concert session. Jon developed an app that lets audiences play along with him during live shows so even tone deaf folks like me can contribute. It was very cool and I love his music. Son of Cloud at Paste Studios

And of course, my podcast You're the Expert continues to exist as well. Three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters. You can listen on any podcast app.  Link

NYC:
Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. at the 92nd St Y. Mollie and Liz are doing a talk and book signing for their bestseller No Hard Feelings. Limited tickets are still available. Link

Tuesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Space. I will be performing at Uptown Showdown, a comedic debate. This month the topic is thinkers vs feelers and features me, Aparna Nancherla, Bowen Yang, Julio Torres, and more. Link

Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m. at The Brick. I'm back for another month of Monster Mash, Carley Moseley's super fun show of snacks from a guest chef and improv from NYC's best comedy writers. Link

SEATTLE:
Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Join me in the audience for Liz and Mollie's book talk and discussion about emotions at work for No Hard Feelings. Link

You can find ticket links for all upcoming shows online at my website here.

This week’s list

GREAT:
It took Min Jin Lee, one of my favorite authors, eleven years to sell her first novel. She was in her late thirties before her career as a writer even began. Now, Pachinko is an international best-seller and a television series that will come out on Apple's new streaming service. But it took decades for Lee to get to the place where she could put her work out in the world. She wrote a fascinating essay about the power of "the confidence to speak for yourself." Breaking My Own Silence 


FUNNY:
Wanda Sykes is hilarious as a standup. She's hilarious on television shows. She was hilarious as a judge on Last Comic Standing. And she's hilarious in this interview. But she's also not afraid to grow and to publicly admit when she could have done better, which I think can be particularly hard for comedians. Wanda Sykes makes being self-reflective and thoughtful about social progress look easy, but just as importantly, she also makes you laugh while doing it. Wanda Sykes On Ignoring Michelle Obama and the Roseanne Debacle


INTERESTING:
Mario Guevara is a reporter for Atlanta's largest Spanish-language news organization. He covers immigration and ICE detentions. "Operating alone, shooting his own video, he has built a large local following and a national reputation for his intrepid reporting." As Guevara records ICE agents pulling people into unmarked vans in the early morning hours, the agents shine flashlights into his camera. They attempt to block his view. They threaten him. But he asserts his First Amendment rights and documents what's happening every day in America. It's a reality that many of us would prefer not to see. Watch this op-doc about Guevara's work: The Abandoned Vans of Atlanta.  (And if you'd like to take action on immigration, here are some suggestions for how you could help.)


Thanks for reading. If you like these emails, please forward to a friend. If someone sent you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Enjoy the weekend,
Chris