Much Ad'oh About Nothing For 28 seasons, "The Simpsons" has celebrated authors and their work through cameos and callouts. Showrunner AI Jean reflects on the animated classic's literary legacy. BY DON VAUGHAN ew television series have mined our cultural zeit- geist as thoroughly as "The F Simpsons" Throughout 28 seasons, the yellow-hued citizens of Springfield have held a fun house mirror up to almost every aspect of popular culture-with a special fond- ness for literature. Since the show's debut in December 1989, a veritable "who's who" of literary greats have voiced animated versions of themselves, including Stephen King, Amy Tan, Tom Wolfe, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, Tom Clancy, Alan Moore, Harlan Ellison and the reclu- sive Thomas Pynchon. The show has also taken humor- ous pokes at magazines (a grocery store rack features such periodicals Pee's "The Raven:' starring Homer hesitate to bring their love oflitera- as Sponge and Vacuum, Bear Baiter as the poem's troubled narrator ture to work at "The Simpsons" Many Magazine and Danger Liker), book- and Bart as its titular antagonist. A of Ieans colleagues, in fact, have gone stores (Books! Books! And Additional Season 6 installment parodied the on to find publishing success outside Books! sells the works of Iames Ray Bradbury short story "A Sound of the show. John Swartzwelder, who Michener for $1.99 a pound), and of Thunder:' with a malfunctioning wrote many popular episodes, such the publishing industry (Homer puts toaster sending Homer back to the age as "Homer The Great:' has published together a crew that includes Neil of the dinosaurs. Almost every season more than 10 novels, and writer Mike Gaiman to create the next big book has had some sort of literary reference, Reiss has penned several children's series for teens, only to be cheated by and often many. books as well as other works. an unscrupulous publisher). None of this is by chance, observes The show first demonstrated executive producerlshowrunner Al SPECIAL GUESTS its respect for the written word in Jean, who has been with the show on Fans at heart, the writers on "The the Season 1 episode "The Telltale and off since the start. An alum of Simpsons" are always excited to Head:' a parody of Edgar Allan Poes The Harvard Lampoon and National have a notable author as a special "The Tell-Tale Heart:' Season 2 saw Lampoon 'magazine, Jean notes that guest. "The most prominent example the first Treehouse of Horror epi- most of the show's writers were vora- would be Thomas Pynchon, who has sode, which included a recitation of cious readers in their youth and don't appeared on the show twice:' Jean 12 I WRITER'S DIGEST I February 2017 says. "It was no mean feat to have specifically with Tom Wolfe in mind gotten him, and I actually got to meet as a central character, with additional him. He was a wonderful guy, and parts filled by Gore Vidal, Jonathan couldn't have been nicer:' Pynchon Franzen and Michael Chabon. agreed to appear (wearing a bag over Classics, of course, remain up for his head to hide his identity, as shown grabs next to the contemporaries. In a IIWe try to put Easter eggs of knowledge about literature ... in the show all the time. It's a key to anyone who wants to be a writer that that's how we got here." on the opposite page) because he and nod to F.Scott Fitzgerald, a one-hour his son were big fans, Jean notes. episode that airs this January parodies One of Iean's personal favorite the structure of The Great Gatsby. guests was comic book legend Stan Lee, who regaled the writing staff with sto- A LITERARY LEGACY ries of his career over lunch. "Growing Jean is unsure whether appearing on up in a little suburb outside Detroit, "The Simpsons" has ever helped to never in my wildest dreams did I think boost an author's book sales, but the I would ever be having lunch with Stan show's cultural influence becomes Lee;' Jean laughs. "Never did I think I evident when an author who has would meet Thomas Pynchon. I'm still appeared passes away. "When George pinching myself' Plimpton died, in his obituaries the Crafting a show in which guest second credit listed usually was that voices are so important can be tricky. he had been on 'The Simpsons,'" Jean It's not unusual for certain episodes says. "Plimpton certainly had many to be written with specific authors in claims to fame. We were one of them /Writing Contests mind, while others are a little more ... but I would have put us further " With Cash Prizes open. "What we'll often do is try for down the list:' somebody specific and then we'll While "The Simpsons" has pro- / Get Feedback have others that we can put in should vided a lot of laughs for writers in the we get turned down;' Jean explains. know, there are also some encour- " For Your Writing "Also, ['Simpsons' creator] Matt aging messages embedded for those Groening was in the Rock Bottom new to the profession. "When I was / Fun For Writers Remainders, so he is friends with in high school, I read every great Of All Skill Levels writers like Stephen King and Amy book I could get my hands on;' he ¥ Tan, which probably helped to get notes. "The show's message would be Wibwlnp"" them to do the show:' to read everything you can. We try to B..., A good example of the show's put Easter eggs of knowledge about Sba De Year __ . unique writing process is the Season literature, math and science in the 18 episode "Moe'N'a Lisa;' which show all the time. It's a key to anyone Get Started at FanStory.com finds newly published poet Moe who wants to be a writer that that's Szyslak and muse Lisa Simpson how we got here:' attending the fictional Wordloaf Don Vaughan (donaldvaughan.com) is a Conference in Vermont. According freelance writer in Raleigh, N.C., and founder to Jean, that episode was written of Triangle Association of Freelancers. WritersDigest.com I 13.