You know, for someone who claims he’s “not a big fan of poetry,” a pal recently quipped, “you sure do quote a lot of poets.” Do I? Perhaps, but I’m usually off by a word, or a line, or incorrectly attributing those words to someone who didn’t actually write them. Better yet, I’m often caught misrepresenting other writers in one way or another, because that’s just the kind of guy I am. And by “guy” I mean “jerk.” Sigh.

Such is the case regarding the title above, because I have misquoted poor Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) throughout my entire life, erroneously finishing that quote with “cry, and you cry alone.” In fact, the opening stanza to her poem “The Way of the World” actually reads: 

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone.

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth

But has trouble enough of its own.

To be fair, not only have I misquoted the nice dead lady for all these years, but I had no idea until today that it was she who wrote the poem, or even that it was a poem. I’m pretty sure my mother said those words to me every time I cried (boys don’t weep) over anything as a child, spilled milk or otherwise. 

By now many of you know that my mother was well known for misquoting others, (she thought comedienne Sophie Tucker said it) so I suppose I come by it rightfully, which of course, doesn’t make it right. And to be fair, Tucker claimed it as her own. 

All this to say that I was somehow inspired to become a humorist (yes, I know that’s debatable, but I’m sticking to it). While I may not always be looking at the bright side of life, I am often self-deprecating, which is a healthy way (IMHO) to make fun of Jonathan before anyone else takes a crack at it.

Little wonder then, that I’m drawn to the funny, be it on television, on the stage, or in the works of other writers, and one of my favorite insanely talented and wildly funny (I hope she quotes me!) writers lives among us in the Upper Delaware River region in the form of humorist Bizzy Coy, whom I will undoubtedly misquote before I get to the bottom of this very page.

“Oh, look, Gidge!” I yelped at the dog from across the room. “Bizzy’s gonna be the ‘featured artist’ at the library’s First Friday open mic thing in Callicoon this weekend—let’s go!”

To be honest, I had no clue that the Western Sullivan Public Library Delaware Free Branch (that’s a mouthful, so let’s just say WSPL) had an open mic event at all, or that they invite folks to “share a story, song or poem” (there’s that word again) for others to enjoy.

Nor was I aware that they presented “featured artists” like Bizzy, who’s been busy publicizing her first book, “Personal Space,” a compilation of “short humor [culled] from The New Yorker, McSweeney’s and beyond.” 

“Join us for a night of revelry, laughs and even tears” the WSPL online invite read. Mind you, it didn’t say “weeping,” and while “tears” was close enough to entice me, it was the promise of Bizzy’s appearance that sealed the deal. 

If you are unfamiliar with her body of work, this clever little book that she has recently published serves as a great primer for the novice. It includes artwork created by Catherine Chesters and illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Lia Strasser, with whom Bizzy has collaborated. 

Additionally, the book informs me that she (Coy, not Strasser) has been honored with a Puffin Foundation Grant, a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in screenwriting, and a Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Individual Artist Grant. I got all this info from the back page of  “Personal Space,” but the list of achievements is practically endless and I’m exhausted from reading it all, so you’ll have to buy the book yourself if you want to learn more. 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned Bizzy Coy once or twice in the past, but have waited until now to refer to her as “the Erma Bombeck of the Catskills,” a description I’ve been dying to use but now I’m afraid that I’ve waited too long, mostly because she (Bizzy, not Erma) read work during her time at the library that demonstrated that she is  more than “just funny,” and I wouldn’t want her (Coy, not Bombeck) to think that I see her as a one-trick pony. 

In fact, Erma Bombeck (1927-1996) was a prolific American humorist, and as the author of 15 books and over four thousand newspaper columns was beloved by millions, including the teenage me. So if the shoe fits—I mean the comparison with the utmost respect and admiration for both Bombeck and Coy. I know, I know—it sounds like a law firm, but I’m exercising control here. Or am I? 

For more about the author and her book (Bizzy’s, not Erma’s), go to www.bizzycoy.com. And for info on the Western Sullivan Public libraries and their programming, check out www.wsplonline.org.

Fun Fact: Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s poem “The Way of the World” was first published in the February 25, 1883 issue of The New York Sun. She sent the poem to the Sun and received $5 for her effort. It was collected in the book “Poems of Passion” shortly afterward in May 1883. The collection was reported to have made $2,000 that year.