Three writers finalists for American humor award - the Thurber Prize: Larry Doyle, Patricia Marx, and Simon Rich

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NEW YORK (AP) — A former writer and producer for "The Simpsons," a former writer for "Saturday Night Live" and a former president of the Harvard Lampoon are finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, a $5,000 award.

Larry Doyle, a contributor to The New Yorker and Esquire magazines whose previous credits include "The Simpsons," was nominated for "I Love You, Beth Cooper," his debut novel, inspired by his experiences at Buffalo Grove High School.

Doyle is now in post-production for the movie version of "I Love You, Beth Cooper."

Patricia Marx, an author of humor books and children's books who has written for "Saturday Night Live" and "Rugrats" and is a contributing editor to Time magazine, was cited for the novel "Him Her Him Again The End of Him."

The first woman elected to the Harvard Lampoon, the school's famed humor magazine, her work has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, and The Atlantic Monthly. among other publications.

The third finalist announced Tuesday was Simon Rich for "Ant Farm," an essay collection. Rich, son of New York Times columnist Frank Rich, is a Harvard University graduate who served as president of the Harvard Lampoon.

Harvard Lampoon's previous editorial staff members include William Gaddis, John Updike, Andy Borowitz, B.J. Novak, and many comedic writers and producers who have counted The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and The Office amongst their work.

The Thurber Prize, named for author-illustrator James Thurber, was founded in 1996. The award will be presented in October at New York's famed Algonquin Hotel, once home to Thurber.

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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, crossingborder.nl, Simon & Schuster, and John J. Kim/Sun-Times

Original Source: AP, Crossing Border, Simon & Schuster, and Chicago Sun-Times (with videos)