Joanne Sherman's Off the Cuff

A former Associate Editor of the Shelter Island Reporter, she’s won multiple awards for her humor columns. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Southern Living, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle and other publications. She wrote a column, “Can We Talk”, in Toastmaster, a magazine for Toastmasters International, and was an award-winning humorist/commentator for WPBX radio in Southampton. She and her husband, Hoot Sherman, live on Shelter Island.

Off the Cuff: When The Universe says ‘No way!’

What happens when The Universe says 'No way' and kicks you out of its cosmic embrace? Our Joanne Sherman finds out the hard way. But will she ever get back in?

September 8, 2025

Joanne Sherman's Off the Cuff

Off the Cuff: (Not) Kissing in the time of Corona

If you are, like me, a kisser, your first inclination in any social setting with people you’ve met at least twice, is to lunge for the smooch, or touch cheeks, or pretend to. But under the new rules, we can’t do that anymore!

August 25, 2025

Joanne Sherman's Off the Cuff

Off the Cuff: Missin’ that chicken

Here it comes, the third Saturday in August. When firefighters and auxiliary devote every night the entire week before to set up fences, festively striped tents, barrel cookers, long rows of tables, chairs to seat thousands, and all the other labor that goes into transforming an empty field into our Island’s most popular tradition, the Fire Department’s Annual Chicken Barbecue.

August 11, 2025

Joanne Sherman's Off the Cuff

Off the Cuff: Down the internet rabbit hole

Joanne Sherman loves the internet, especially when a comment stream devolves into WWIII, or death by mayonnaise. Yum! Pass the popcorn ...

July 28, 2025

Joanne Sherman's Off the Cuff

Off the Cuff: And Then Came Jack

Joanne Sherman recalls a city-mouse/country-mouse friendship that began here on the Island when her son shot a BB gun at a neighbor's house and left his Grandma looking like the guilty party. Lizzie Borden and a couple of Oshkosh-bound flyboys make an appearance, too.

July 14, 2025

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