Elissa Bassist is an award-deserving author, humor writer, teacher, and speaker. Her first book is HYSTERICAL, a semi-finalist for The Thurber House Prize for American Humor. Her latest, co-authored with Caitlin Kunkel, is INSIDE JOKES: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All Writers. In this episode, Elissa and Annmarie discuss hair-care products, female medical symptoms and how they’re often dismissed by male doctors, and whether or not writers can be taught to be funny.  Bookstore Shout-outs: Gramercy Books – A locally-owned, independently-minded neighborhood bookstore located in the heart of Bexley, Ohio. Our philosophy at Gramercy Books is simple: we’re about inspiration and discovery, community and adventure. We connect readers and writers with books they love, and host special events and ongoing visits by authors, poets and songwriters who provoke conversation. Stop by or shop online at gramercybooksbexley.com. Loganberry Books – An independently owned and operated bookstore in the historic Larchmere neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Loganberry features a carefully curated collection of new, used and rare books in all genres for both readers and collectors, with an inventory over 100,000 volumes. Find your next great read and shop online at loganberrrybooks.com. Titles Mentioned in This Episode: Hysterical, by Elissa Bassist Inside Jokes: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All Writers, by Elissa Bassist and Caitlin Kunkel Like This, But Funnier, by Hallie Cantor Acne: A Memoir, by Laura Chinn Here’s a trailer for Florida Girls.  Follow Elissa Bassist: Instagram: @elissabassist Facebook: @elissa.bassist LinkedIn: @elissabassist Substack: @elissabassist elissabassist.com **Writing Workshops:  If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.  For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.  For anyone looking for support writing their memoir, Annmarie is teaching a class here. For anyone looking for a month of accountability writing hours and workshops, learn more here. For women looking for a weekend beach retreat to Florida, early bird pricing is available here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices