Warm the cockles of my heart!

December 15, 2007 5:17 AM

Every Monday, I look forward to the Metropolitan Diary column in the New York Times. Can anyone recommend similar columns, podcasts, etc. for me to try?

I'm looking for human-interest, put-a-smile-on-your face type of things. But I am not into books like Chicken Soup for the Soul - that's just getting to cheesy. In fact, I think a whole book of this type of stuff will be too much. I just like a little lift every once in a while. Any suggestions?

posted by Shebear to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Don't know the column you cite, but a quick google and I think you might like Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald. A little more snark, but generally the same sort of stories, just terser.
posted by bystander at 5:57 AM on December 15, 2007

This American Life
posted by blue_beetle at 7:00 AM on December 15, 2007

Reader's Digest has little stories like the Metropolitan Diary column. OverheardInNewYork.com has them, too, although they veer a little more toward the funny, raunchy side of life.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:49 AM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I have always liked Spokane's The Slice.
posted by cda at 8:15 AM on December 15, 2007

These are one-offs, but you may get a kick out of them, being familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the column. I remember fondly the McSweeney's "Vignettes That Won't Make It Into ... 'Metropolitan Diary'". While searching for it, I also found another somewhat amusing satire of the same.
posted by cacophony at 9:39 AM on December 15, 2007

Link to Metropolitan Diary.
posted by cda at 10:23 AM on December 15, 2007

Sorry for OT, but is there an RSS for the Metro Diary?
posted by gradient at 11:45 AM on December 15, 2007

Whe read them? You can write your own, mad-libs style:

While [gerund] in a crowded [noun], a [noun] of a certain age tried to [verb] the [noun], with little success, when a [noun] proceeded to [verb], and the whole [noun] cheered.
posted by hexatron at 11:55 AM on December 15, 2007

Do you know about Overheard in New York? It's similar, but raunchier at times.
posted by billtron at 1:05 PM on December 15, 2007

This may or may not offend you, but recently on their radio show on WFMU, Ken Freedman and Andy Breckman (creator, writer and executive producer of the TV show Monk), with their listeners, pranked the NYT by concocting a bogus, stereotypically written letter to the Metropolitan Diary. The letter was actually accepted and published, much to the delight of Ken, Andy and the listeners of WFMU. However, what started as a harmless little inside joke on a relatively unknown comedy radio program quickly exploded into a semi-scandal, wherein people's Fulbright scholarships were being threatened and whatnot.

NPR picked up on the story, which makes for rather humorous listening.
posted by melorama at 3:58 PM on December 15, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, great ideas.
ThePinkSuperhero, I totally forgot about Reader's Digest. I used to read those when I was little!

Melorama, that is a great story about the spoof. I realize the column is hokey, but that's kind of why I like it.

I'll be checking out everyone's suggestions!
posted by Shebear at 4:40 PM on December 15, 2007