Elissa Bassist is the editor of the “Funny Women” column on The Rumpus and the author of the award-deserving memoir Hysterical. As a founding contributor to The Rumpus, she’s written cultural and personal criticism since the website launched in 2009. Most recently her writing appears in her newsletter, Tragedy Plus Time. Elissa teaches humor writing at The New School, 92NY, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and elsewhere, and she is probably her therapist’s favorite. Her next book is INSIDE JOKES: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All People, coming in 2026.

In This Episode:

• Writing with humor on heavy topics aka “traumedy” [3:08]

• Why Elissa wrote Hysterical [4:11]

• The Importance of external validation [4:41]

• The value of researching her book and how Elissa did it [6:28]

• Cultivating an external world for your book in the midst of great interiority [8:30]

• Why its essential to work with an agent and editor who understands you [12:01]

• Standing up to your editor and agents and why you might need to break up with them [12:57]

• The benefits of stalking (and writing about) your obsessions [18:16]

• An unusual horror film that put her life in perspective [21:39]

• Explaining why the footnote was the essay [23:24]

• The life affirming advice she received from Cheryl Strayed [25:26]

• Elissa’s role at The Rumpus [26:14]

• Her next big project [31:45]

Connect with Elissa

Website | Classes | Newsletters

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Elissa’s viral piece on the Human Centipede for The Paris Review

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/11/01/the-human-centipede-or-how-to-move-to-new-york/

Connect with Estelle:

Watch Estelle’s episode #38 with Cheryl Strayed (who gave the advice to Elissa she mentions in Episode #101)

https://estelleserasmus.com/38-cheryl-strayed-on-writing-and-tiny-beautiful-things/

​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at

https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.

Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest

https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals

See Estelle’s latest blog post with news

https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/

Get Her Book

Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0

Order Her Audiobook:

https://shorturl.at/4uG2P

Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests

Estelle’s latest substack post on Micro Memoir

https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-writing-a-micro-memoir

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