This Friends Like Us, Host Marina Franklin and Vanessa Fraction talk with Damon Young, Author of his new book: That's How They Get You" . It sparks a thoughtful conversation on teeth, black comedy, and the power of humor.

Pittsburgh writer DAMON YOUNG's debut memoir, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays (Ecco), won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. A founder of the culture blog Very Smart Brothas and creator and host of the Crooked Media podcast Stuck with Damon Young, Damon has been a contributing columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and a columnist for GQ and was the inaugural writer-in-residence at the University of Pittsburgh's David C. Frederick Honors College. Check out his new book THAT'S HOW THEY GET YOU: An Unruly Anthology of Black American Humor -is a collection of essays and short stories on Black humor from some of the most acclaimed Black writers and performers working today- Roy Wood Jr., Wyatt Cenac, and Angela Nissel. on sale as of June 3rd - In the introduction, Damon writes, "existing while Black in America provides enough good material" and given the absurdity of life as a Black person in America we simply must laugh.

Vanessa Fraction is a talented and hilarious comedian, actress, and writer who has made her mark in various forms of entertainment. She can currently be heard as a co-host on the Nappy Boy Radio Podcast hosted by Tpain and seen in the movie Praise This on Peacock. Vanessa can also be seen guest hosting on the entertainment news show Dish Nation. As a stand-up comedian, Vanessa has performed on Def Comedy Jam , Laff Mobs Laff Tracks , and more. Her writing credits include Raven's Home , 106 & Park , and The Mo'Nique Show. Additionally, she has appeared in the film Barbershop 2 and television shows Last Call, Mann & Wife (BounceTV), Comedy KnockOuts (TruTV) and Tales (BET) Not only is Vanessa "Action" Fraction a talented entertainer, but she is also a certified self-defense instructor. She teaches her unique class called Kicks & Comedy, combining her love for humor with her passion for empowering others through self-defense.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf. Writer for HBO's 'Divorce' and the new Tracy Morgan show on Paramount Plus: 'Crutch'.