Everyone needs a break in their day-to-day. Maybe it’s work that’s getting you down; the weather; or maybe even the book you’re currently reading is just too. dang. heavy. When you need a moment of levity, check out one of these authors on social media guaranteed to cause a guffaw.
On Facebook
Fans of Anne Lamott devour her largely autobiographic books like Bird by Bird; Help, Thanks, Wow; and Almost Everything because of her honesty and humor, trademarked with just enough Christianity to still appeal to the agnostic among us. Her Facebook posts equally encapsulate all these things and more, as demonstrated by this mini novella about accidentally ingesting a fistful of medicine—meant for the dog:
Arguably that’s what readers love about Lamott: You never know what you’re going to get, but no matter what, you leave it feeling lighter.
Gary Shteyngart
Given the fact that Gary Shteyngart is a satirical writer of books with cheeky titles like Little Failure: A Memoir, and Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel, it should come as no surprise that his newsfeed is filled with humorous one-liners. And not just any humor—Shteyngart is a native of Mother Russia who now lives in New York:
Curtis Sittenfeld
Known for her wry writing in novels like Prep and Eligible, and her latest, You Think It, I’ll Say It, Sittenfeld's wit translates to her Facebook page, too. To, er, wit:
On Twitter
Sloane Crosley
In 2006, Twitter officially launched; two years later, Sloane Crosley published her first collection of personal essays, I Was Told There’d Be Cake. The two are intertwined because at the time, no one knew whether either had staying power. But as it turns out, both do—from great gifs to memorable movie lines, Crosley’s feed is what Twitter was made for.
How much longer must we keep up this charade re: chickpeas
— Sloane Crosley (@askanyone) March 17, 2019
Joe Dunthorne
Joe Dunthorne is a journalist, poet and the author behind the novel Submarine, which was made into the 2010 movie starring a bunch of British and Welsh actors you’ve likely never heard of (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it). His Twitter feed is an epic rabbit hole of funny observations about life, parenting, combatting colds, and the unexpected places you sometimes find poetry.
Gmail has mastered the short story. And two words fewer than Hemingway. pic.twitter.com/emN4m5w9rU
— joe dunthorne (@joedunthorne) November 15, 2018
Angie Thomas
Yes, she’s an activist, but activists aren’t serious all the time, you know. Those looking for proof need look no further than the Twitter feed of the best-selling author of The Hate U Give.
“Neighbors complain about Florida man doing yardwork naked.”
Welp. https://t.co/T7VToRjtUb
— Angie Thomas (@angiecthomas) March 21, 2019
Plus, she spreads the word of Angie-approved new releases by celebrating the “book birthdays” of her fellow authors. How fun is that?
On Instagram
Roz Chast
Roz Chast is an illustrator for The New Yorker and a bird lover. You also get previews of her new New Yorker column, “Cut and Paste,” a mashup of dialogue from an old How to Speak French booklet reassembled and accompanied by her cheeky artwork.
Now before you write her off as too high-brow, we leave you with this:
Maybe you missed the quintessential quarter-life crisis; maybe you're in the throes of it now. Either way, you can appreciate the Instagram-only poetry by writer and actress Samantha Jayne, that became the book Quarter Life Poetry: Poems for the Young, Broke and Hangry, which has been turned into an FX series (premiering spring 2019).
