Joe Keenan has won the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his novel My Lucky Star (Back Bay Books).
Keenan, who won an Emmy for his work on Frasier and has also served as a writer/producer for Desperate Housewives, will receive a $5,000 prize.
The two other finalists for the prize were Merrill Markoe (Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, Villard) and comedian Bob Newhart (I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!, Hyperion).
Presented by Thurber House, the prize, named after famed American humorist James Thurber, was first awarded in 1997. Previous winners have included Jon Stewart, David Sedaris and Christopher Buckley. Five-time Emmy winner Alan Zweibel won the 2006 prize for his novel, The Other Shulman.
