some of my writings on other writers' writings

on george saunders, neil gaiman, margaret atwood, and ram dass

dear friends, fans, folks who enjoy receiving this writing of mine,

i’m very grateful that you are here.
thank you for being here, reading and receiving!
today, here are some thoughts i’ve had about some of my favorite writers.

A) on George Saunders:

George Saunders is the kind-hearted Black Mirror of literature. ¹

B) on Neil Gaiman:

I love his writing.

American Gods.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Neverwhere.

Magical books. With wonderful titles.

I love them.

Also, one reason I'm saying all this is so I can ALSO say I wonder if HE ever says

"Gaiman's the name, and 'namin'''s the game!" ²

C) on Margaret Atwood:

"Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them." -- Margaret Atwood ³

A fair point! And in that spirit, I additionally offer:

"White people are afraid of being called racist. Black people are afraid of being killed." -- many many Black people for a long time probably

D) on Ram Dass:

"Be Here Now" -- Ram Dass, in the moment ⁴
"Be there soon!" -- me, running late for the moment

And that’s all for THIS moment.

Now, for a few FUTURE moments (upcoming standup shows, all headlining sets except for Boston tomorrow, where I’ll be opening for Demetri Martin):

THE WILBUR in boston, ma on 1/15/22! ⁵
LAUGHS in seattle, wa on 1/28-1/29/22!
BANANAS in rutherford, nj on 2/11-2/12/22!
HELIUM in philadelphia, pa on 2/14/22!
123 PLEASANT ST in morgantown, wv on 2/21/22!
COMEDY ZONE in charlotte, nc on 2/22/22!
UNDERGROUNDS COFFEEHAUS in ft lauderdale, fl on 2/25/22!
WYCLIFFE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB in wellington, fl on 2/26/22! — a fundraising (and fun-raising) event for the Palm Beach School for Autism

and that is all for now AND later (with potentially more later coming soon)!
thank you again for being here.
for reading and sharing in this experience.

i appreciate you!

in conclusion, how are YOU doing? what are YOU reading? listening to? watching? i’m always happy to hear from folks who like to share. that could be you.

thank you again, in this now and in all nows!

1. read his stories!
read his books!
follow his Substack if you wish as well!
his writing is meaningful and beautiful.

2. a fun bonus to this story:
when i first tweeted this, Neil Gaiman himself did not reply
BUT
friends of mine, Paul and Storm, responded thusly:

”The man deserves an answer, @neilhimself!”

and THEN
Neil DID respond:

”Not yet.”

(also read all his books and graphic novels.
they’re magical and wonderful.
get started quick because there are a lot of them.)

3. read her quotes!
read her books!
watch TV based on her books!
watch other TV shows!
live life how you think best!

4. “Be Here Now” is a beautiful book.
also Ram Dass has written many beautiful books.
i’m reading one right now called “How Can I Help?” and it helps!
i also just watched his Netflix documentary “Going Home.”
recommended. beauty.
thanks for reading all this!
you’re great.

5. i may have a limited amount of comp tickets for this show
so
if you’re in boston and interested in attending the late show this saturday night
please
feel free to respond and let me know and i’ll see if i can get you on the guest list