Episode 16: "Writing is a usually terrible moment of joy."

When

Wendi Aarons

’s first son was born, she never anticipated having to caution him against living in an L.A. rap mansion. She didn’t figure on raising her kids in the oppressive heat (and politics) of Texas, next to this guy. And she never thought her writing would be subject to a “sensitivity review.”

But she’s used it all to inspire an impressive and diverse career as author of I’m Wearing Tunics Now and Ginger Mancino: Kid Comedian and frequent contributor to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s.

Wendi wields her Bombeck-ian sensibilities at a great time in life, when our increased creativity often coincides with a less-frenzied household. And though we Gen-X parent-blogger types might be having a harder time sending our kids off to their next things, the only way she wants to find the humor there is to aim the jokes at herself.

We also talk about 9/11 and COVID as rotten bookends for our kids’ young lives, staying politically active despite the exhaustion, and why more non-Midwesterners need to appreciate polka, Elks Clubs, and saying “uff da” unironically.

Other links:

• Find everything you need to know at wendiaarons.com

• Subscribe to Wendi’s Substack, They're Not All Gems

• Subscribe as well to

  The Fainting Couch
  and
  The Platypusary

• “Things to do at work besides showing your penis to coworkers”

• Check out Wendi’s latest classes on her Instagram bio

• Inside Amy Schumer: “Last Fuckable Day”