Does the Humor Essay Still Matter?

You have to be a little unwell to write a humor essay. Not wild-eyed or quirky. Just quietly off. The kind of person who notices that vending machines always have the same hum no matter where you are, and then wonders what that hum’s been trying to say all these years.

It’s not about jokes. Not really. Jokes are easy. Set-up, punchline, move on. A humor …