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Horn Book Magazine wants your funny and it wants it now. You know that little last page end-bit at the back of every issue? Well apparently HoBo is running out of yuksters. They are in desperate need of amusement. How desperate? Roger's appealing to the nation via his blog.

Alkelda, I'm looking at you. I'm looking right directly at you. Children's Books That Never Were? Too perfect an opportunity to miss, no?

Such good news. Lisa Yee has been named the 2007 Thurber House Children's Writer-in-Residence. She is, needless to say, thrilled. Who can blame her? She gets to spend a month in his house. She gets to sleep, "in the room where the bed fell on his father." Purdy darn sweet, non? A great big congrats going out to the funny woman. And really, shouldn't this program go only to humorous writers? You may read a poem celebrating her win here.

Here's the website's description of the program.

The annual Thurber House Residency in Children's Literature is awarded to a talented author of books for middle grade children and takes place over four weeks during the months of June and July. Candidates should have at least one book for middle grade children with a major publisher and should have experience with and an enthusiasm for teaching children. We are most interested in giving emerging authors an opportunity to work on their craft while providing local children the chance to work with professional writers.

Since 2001, the Thurber House has offered children's book writers a month-long retreat in the furnished third-floor apartment of Thurber House. Each resident spends up to ten hours per week teaching children the joys of writing in both a community-based agency and as part of the Thurber House Summer Writing Camp for children. He or she also receives a stipend and has plenty of time to write in the apartment where the bed fell on James Thurber's father. Past recipients are Deborah Wiles (01), Kathryn Hewitt (02), Natasha Tarpley (03), Laurie Miller Hornik (04), and Shelley Pearsall (05).