Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Away with Words
Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions | Joseph Berkowitz
8 posts | 6 read | 7 to read
Fast Company reporter Joe Berkowitz investigates the bizarre and hilarious world of pun competitions from the Punderdome 3000 in Brooklyn to the World competition in Austin. When Joe Berkowitz witnessed his first Punderdome competition, it felt wrong in the best way. Something impossible seemed to be happening. The kinds of jokes we learn to repress through social conditioning were not only being aired out in publicthey were being applauded. As it turned out, this monthly show was part of a subculture thats been around in one form or another since at least the late 70s. Its pinnacle is the O. Henry Pun Off World Championship, an annual tournament in Austin, Texas. As someone who is terminally self-conscious, Joe was both awed and jealous of these people who confidently killed with the most maligned form of humor. In this immersive ride into the subversive world of pun competitions, we meet punsters weird and wonderful and Berkowitz is our tour guide. Puns may show up in life in subtle ways sometimes, but once you start thinking in puns you discover theyre everywhere. Berkowitzs search to discover who makes them the most, and why, leads him to the professional comedian competitors on @Midnight, a TV show with a pun competition built into it, the writing staff of Bobs Burgers, the punniest show on TV, and even a humor research conference. With his new unlikely band of punster brothers, he finally heads to Austin to compete in the World Championship. Of course, in befriending these comic misfits he also ended up learning that when you embrace puns you become a more authentic version of yourself.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
blurb
DrexEdit
post image

I've spent all morning poring over the Wisconsin Book Festival schedule for next weekend. Not only is the book festival happening it's also the Wisconsin Science Festival! Nothing I love more than a good science story! And there's an environmental science film festival! And #listypartyofone!! I'm already wondering how I will be able to fit everything in. 😨

24 likes8 comments
review
PatienceFortitude
post image
Pickpick

A fun romp through the world of, I kid you not, competitive punning! The book delighted me!

blurb
PatienceFortitude
post image

I'm surprised it took until page 92 to get to this pun. #puns #humor

LeahBergen Ha! 7y
12 likes1 comment
blurb
PatienceFortitude
post image

Good morning #Littens! I feel like I should put a clever pun in this blurb, but I haven't had enough coffee yet

blurb
BookBrat
post image

Ahh, vacation reading

review
keithmalek
Bailedbailed

This seemed like it might be fun, but I get no pleasure from reading anything that even HINTS of hipsterdom.

review
Alan
post image
Pickpick

Only loosely conceptualized, irreverently irrelevant, and eager to exploit structural chicanery, this book posesses all of the attributes of its subject matter. Which is to say, if you have a sense or humor (or know someone who does) you need to read this book.

blurb
Betty
post image

At Wild Love Bakery (an article said this is the best in the USA), with a box of goodies to send to Ohio for a flight from there to Jamaica (I'm not going). Also got a special something semi-local for my #cupidgoespostal package. This book is about competitions in puns.

54 likes2 stack adds2 comments