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Throwback week continues on Two Writing Teachers. Today, Anna shares one of Dana's classics.

We wondered if we could offer the students some revision possibilities. We wanted to help them see that there are countless ways to paragraph.

The finalists for the $5,000 Thurber Prize have been revealed. Follow these links to read free samples of the finalists: Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia, Half Empty by David Rakoff and Sports From Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition by Rick Reilly.

This year’s panel of judges included two-time Thurber Prize winner Ian Frazier, 2010 Thurber Prize finalist Jancee Dunn and novelist Meg Wolitzer. The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony on October 3rd in New York City’s Algonquin Hotel.

Here’s more from the release: “The 2011 Thurber Prize for American Humor will be conferred upon the author and publisher of the outstanding book of humor writing published in the United States between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Initiated in 1996, thirty-five years after the death of this key figure in the development of American humor, it is the nation’s highest recognition of the art of humor writing.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Nearly a year has flown by since we awarded Steve Hely the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his hilarious novel, How I Became a Famous Novelist, and we’re excited to announce this year’s prize finalists!

They are:

Mike Birbiglia – Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories

David Rakoff – Half Empty

Rick Reilly – Sports from Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition

If you’re not familiar with the Thurber Prize for American Humor, here’s a little bit about it: The Thurber Prize for American Humor is the only recognition of humor writing in the United States. It began in 1997 as a biennial award, and then it became an annual award in 2004. Each year, the winner is announced at a special event at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City (where James Thurber used to live). The Thurber Humor Prize comes with a monetary award for the winner, who comes to Columbus for a ticketed event within a year of winning the award.

Past winners have included Ian Frazier, The Onion, David Sedaris, Christopher Buckley, Jon Stewart, Alan Zweibel, Joe Keenan, Larry Doyle, and Steve Hely.

This year the Thurber Humor Prize event is Monday, October 3. Stay tuned to find out who won!