"Mug of Woe" Contributor, Karen Webb

Hopkinton writer, Karen Webb, contributes two hilarious essays in Jenn Dlugos and Kyle Therese Cranston's newly published book, Mug of Woe.

Webb's involvement in the book began with a call from Jenn Dlugos for embarrassing stories.

 "I was flush with material," Webb said," as Murphy's Law seems to be a major influence in my life. I'm typically not an essay writer but a screenwriter; however, when the mood hits me, I've been known to write a mean essay."

Jenn and Kyle Cranston, the editors of Mug of Woe chose two of Webb's favorite essays.

Her first essay, A Paramour of the Outdoors I Am Not, retells the story of an unfortunate incident involving some very expensive bird seed, and a rather stupid squirrel who got its paw stuck in the bird feeder.

"I watched the squirrel struggle for awhile until I realized it didn't know enough to let the seeds go and then pull its paw out," Webb said.

She decided to intervene.

"What happened next can only be described as more horrific than a teen horror movie that put me off nature for a very long time," she said. 

 Her second essay, The Next Phase of Potty Training focuses on that challenging and delusional time in a mom's life when she thinks she has her child past the diapers and onto the big boy pants, only to find out that there's more training needed.

"This story is one that's best not mentioned in mixed company and certainly not on a full stomach," Webb said.

Webb's essays have been published in newspapers, magazines, and online communities such as Will Farrell's Funny or Die and Mom's Who Need Wine.

Webbs' screenplays have earned her accolades across the globe at prestigious film festivals including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Slamdance, and The Manhatten Short Film Festival. A handful of her screenplays have been produced into independent short films, and a few have appeared in film festivals across the U.S.

Webb is currently teaching screenwriting and filmmaking for