We’re on a plane to Hawaii. You’re one row behind me, messing with your phone, posting photos or something like that. We couldn’t get seats together so we’re sitting tandem. Tomorrow night we perform in Honolulu before setting off on a weeklong honeymoon. We tried to honeymoon last year, closer to the wedding, but…

My last A.V. Club column was published on June 5, 2015. Just about three weeks later, the Supreme Court ruled on marriage equality. I didn’t write about it. It was busy time and, in my mind, I let that be the reason I stopped writing the column. I was engaged and planning a wedding, working on selling two television…

I’m at home in Los Angeles for a full 10 days—one of the longer stretches I’ve had in town over the past two years—and so I’ve had more time than usual to think. Which is perfect, because last week I saw something I can’t shake from my brain.

I’m mid-tour on a packed spring run. I’ll play 22 cities in four months, most of them clustered in May and June. I was in Denver last week, headlining Comedy Works, and stopped for a night at WiseGuys in Salt Lake City on the way back to L.A. This weekend I’ll drive to a gorge in the middle of Washington state to play…

I’m on a plane to Austin to perform at Cap City Comedy Club, a club generally held to be one of the best in the country. It’s my first time headlining there. The last time I was at Cap City it was 2009 and my then-girlfriend and I were in Austin to visit college friends.

I kissed a woman for the first time when I was 20 years old. I attended a college in Boston where it was very hip to be an activist; we had a term for it: social justice-y. Whoever had the greatest number of safety pins holding their backpack together was king, that kind of place.

I was in Iowa City last week for a festival. My big sister traveled there with me—I flew to Chicago and she drove me to Iowa so we could spend time together and because she rules. Iowa City is home to a huge university with a Girls-approved writing program and those crumbly, red brick buildings of which so many…

About a year ago, a strange thing happened to me: For the first time, I began to imagine having a baby. Not raising a kid or parenting—I’ve always wanted to parent a child, and my non-comedy work experience only confirmed this. I worked in special education and loved it. Then I was a nanny for several years and my…

I’m on my way to Baltimore for a show after several weeks at home, the longest stretch I’ve had at home in about two years. Tonight’s show kicks off the start of my spring tour—I’ll be back on the road through June, at least—and I’ve been doing press to promote the various stops along the way.

Not long ago, I was home in Chicago performing at a beloved local treasure called The Hideout Inn. The Hideout’s owner, a guy named Tim with enough Chicago soul to fuel a thousand Bluesmobiles, brought me out with a beautiful introduction—he spoke of my grind coming up in that city and claimed me as a Chicagoan…

I was on a train—a CTA Blue Line train—with my then girlfriend. Maybe this was five years ago. I was in my late 20s and my girlfriend was much younger, just out of college, and I’d just returned from two weeks on the road. My ex had ridden a westbound train to O’Hare Airport to meet me so we could ride an eastbound…

Rhea Butcher and I walk into Mississippi Studios for a sound check. It’s around 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday in January and the sky outside is gray and heavy and spitting that bullshit non-rain that doesn’t soak you but leaves you freezing.

I’m driving back to Des Moines International Airport—well, being driven actually. I performed at a college the night before and the gal driving me helped to organize the show. She’s sweet and chatty and I really like her right away.

I haven’t been to an open mic since the Bill Cosby allegations kicked up again. I haven’t joked about or tweeted about him. But I’m glad others are.

Career-wise, this past year has been inarguably huge for me. There isn’t a bit of arrogance in that statement—I like to store up my arrogance for the stage and for debates over Christopher Nolan movies and wouldn’t waste it on something like an opening sentence to what will certainly be another amazing column.

Hello, gentlemen. I hope you are doing okay. It seems like only yesterday you were at the top of the world, since it was socially acceptable for you to become explorers and travel to the North Pole in a boat or on foot or however you get to the North Pole.

Direct your attention to that little gay kid. See her over there jumping off the swing set and breaking her leg? See her combing her hair straight back after she gets out of the shower in hopes of looking like a businessman? See her collecting Kens (because that’s who gets to date Barbie)?

Yesterday I filmed a sketch for the upcoming season of Comedy Bang! Bang! on IFC. I played a server and had four whole lines and who knows if I fucked them up or not! There’s one thing I know I didn’t fuck up: standing in only my bra in front of a stranger and being all chill about it.

“You’re a good looking girl. Wow. I want to attack you.” That’s what a dude said to me last week while I walked through Toronto’s Chinatown. I was in town for a comedy festival and feeling fairly free. With shows every evening, I’d get up early and bang out some work, then have a few afternoon hours to explore the…

My fiancée, Rhea, is losing someone very close to her right now. She found out a little over a week ago that she needed to get home to Akron, Ohio. We were supposed to be on tour together this week. I booked us a five-day run to a few smaller cities (Nashville; Lexington; Peoria, Illinois). I’ve been in a lot of…