Jen Spyra’s funny essay “I Took My Shirt Off and So Should You” drew 269 comments when it appeared in The New York Times in 2018.
Her wry, witty look at the perils of dressing — or rather, undressing — for a workout likely drew laughs from anyone who has ever worn a T-shirt, sports bra and yoga pants.
Whether she’s stretching Lycra or humor to absurd extremes, the 35-year-old writer’s specialties are satire and storytelling. She’s the author of a new book of 14 stories, “Big Time: Stories” (Random House, $27).
Spyra spoofs brides’ frenzied quest for a chiseled physique, envisions a date with Sherlock Holmes and shows how to survive your most obnoxious friend’s destination birthday party.
Stephen Colbert, her former boss and verbal sparring partner on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” wrote the book’s foreword.
Yes, the author knows some some A-list celebrities, but her roots are in Pittsburgh. Her mother, Ellen, is from Squirrel Hill and her father, Dennis, a bankruptcy lawyer, hails from McKeesport. The author grew up in the East End, attended Falk Laboratory School and graduated from Shady Side Academy.
The book’s first story, “Bridal Body,” was “so inspired by real life. I got married at the Duquesne Club. A friend was a member,” the author recalled in a phone interview.
“When I was getting ready for the wedding, I fell into this trap of trying to be as hot as I could be. The absurdity of that struck me as funny. All of this energy and time of making me hot when it was so beside the point.”
The eldest of two daughters, Spyra’s drive and energy are palpable over the phone.
“I was the one who had the canopy bed and my sister did not have the canopy bed. Birth order, of course, is huge. I am a classic first-born person,” she said.
During the pandemic, Spyra and her husband, Tom Whittington, an actor, comedian and voice-over talent, left New York City’s Upper West Side for the sun-washed shores of Savannah, Ga. There, Ms. Spyra wrote while sitting in outdoor cafes and also met Patricia Lockwood, an acclaimed novelist, poet and essayist.
“Patricia lives in Savannah. She’s even more mind-blowing in person,” Spyra said.
She graduated from Barnard College and worked for The Onion, a publication that satirizes the news. For eight years, she submitted humorous essays to The New Yorker magazine and was rejected each time.
“I started to get them in when I was on Colbert. They were these joyrides where I had full control. It was fun to just pilot my own plane. I was always a huge fan of short humor writing,” she said.
In 2015, when Colbert succeeded David Letterman as the “Late Show” host, Spyra won a coveted spot in the writers’ room. After four years with the show, she decided to leave and write full time.
“The stuff that I miss is the highs and joys of collaboration. At Colbert, there’s a lot of writers’ meetings where you are all together. You write a script for that day’s topical monologue.”
She is working on a novel and adapting some of her “Big Time” stories for the screen.
“If you want to do other things, you do have to rip the Band-Aid off. It’s like having no rules,” she said.
The author enjoys reading classic Hollywood memoirs, including “The Kid Stays in the Picture” and “Life is a Banquet: The Rosalind Russell Story.”
That explains why a tough-talking actress named Ruby Rinaldi narrates the book’s longest story, “Big Time.” Ruby’s film noir-style narration may remind readers of Roxie Hart, that memorable, two-timing woman from the Broadway musical, “Chicago.”
“Big Time” is a melodramatic tale of an orphaned girl from a mine patch who buys a beaver stole at Kaufmann’s department store, then makes her way to Hollywood. You’ll giggle and yes, you will laugh — out loud.
Marylynne Pitz: mpitz@post-gazette.com or on Twitter: @mpitzpg
First Published: May 4, 2021, 9:25 a.m.
