Once a year the small staff here at The Sound of Young America compiles the best comedy we've heard from the past year.

Our selections may not be poignant, they may not contribute to a broader understanding of our world, but hey, at least they're funny.

Hear from Patton Oswalt, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia and many many others this week on the Sound of Young America's 2011 comedy special from PRI.

Why not do a food episode? A conversation with the LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold, who is the authority not just on Los Angeles food, but on Los Angeles in general. Plus Ed Levine talks about how Serious Eats is for people who want to find the best foie gras AND the best local tacos. And humorist Rob Baedeker shares the contents of his CSA box.

Every year, dozens of public radio specials flood the marketplace. Only one has the slightly skewed, slightly sweet vision of The Sound of Young America. Interviews with Christmas legend Ronnie Spector (the sweet) and B-52s frontman Fred Schneider (the skewed). It's the only holiday special where you can hear Schneider's signature bellow delivering a heartening mid-winter message: "GIVE... ME... MORE... PRESENTS!"

Tabloid tales! Carrie Fisher talks about growing up behind the shadow of her celebrity parents, and electroshock treatments in her new book Shockoholic. Plus, Errol Morris obsesses over the power of narrative in tabloid stories -- specifically one involving sex kidnappings, dog cloning, and much much more.