Puns In The Press

Posted on May 27, 2013 by | Comments Off

San Antonio writer Gary S. Whitford says he can’t make a pun, but he writes an excellent Sunday column for The Rivard Report called Every Word Counts about writing well with words. He just submitted a profile of first-time Pun-Off contestant and San Antonio resident Mark Eells and his experiences on stage this year.

It’s a fine read with a bit of Pun-Off lore thrown in about O. Henry and his writing legacy, which includes several months living in San Antonio. We invite more San Antonio wordsmiths to join us at next year’s 37th Annual Pun-Off World Championships.

Mark Eells from San Antonio

Mark Eells at the O. Henry Pun-Off in Austin. Photo by Gary Whitford

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Official Results – Pun-Off 2013

Posted on May 24, 2013 by | 2 Comments

The 36th Annual O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships is now history in a big way!

Punniest of Show Results

Returning for his 5th year of competition, multi-year winner Benjamin Ziek of Glendale, California bounced back from an off-year to claim a very rare “two-fer” as he snagged first place honors in both Punslingers and Punniest of Show competitions. Contestant “double threats” are not unusual in the Pun-Off, but for one contestant to win both top prizes in the same year is almost unknown. Continue reading →

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Tag your photos and video #punoff2013

Posted on May 16, 2013 by | Comments Off

Over the past 36 jears, the Pun-Off World Championships contestant wordplay has been preserved in numerous video recordings. George McClughan started the tradition in the late 80′s using Austin Community Access Television (ACTV) equipment, recording on 3/4 inch U-matic reels. Before he tragically passed away, he assembled a 10-year retrospective tape (1989-1999) from his collection. (Come to the Friday, PUNY dinner when we plan to watch some of it together.) Continue reading →

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No Pun-Offense Taken

Posted on May 9, 2013 by | Comments Off

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Pun-Off Producer & Leerless Feeder, Gary Hallock, triumphantly celebrates his latest grand erection in the front yard of the O.Henry Museum. While this sort of “off fence” might inspire picketing by some of the downtown neighbors, Gary promises to stand by all of his posts at least until May 18, because he has so much at stake in the punning field. Please come out and play wit him on the new P.U.N.Y. Facebook page. <http://facebook.com/punypage>

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Traditional Topics for Punslingers

Posted on May 8, 2013 by | Comments Off

FAQ: What topics are flung at contestants in Punslingers? Answer: Not all topics below are used every year and new ones may be added at the event, but these topics are traditional ones. Email P .U.N.Y . with your suggestions for new pun topics to gary [at] hallock.net. Continue reading →

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Sign up for May 17th P.U.N.Y. Dinner Today!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by | Comments Off

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The writing is now on the wall. If you’ve been wondering about the cost and reservation details for the legendary PUNY/POTY dinner on Friday, May 17, at 6:30 PM, this should be ex-siding news. Planks so much for your patience.

You may attend the PUNY dinner event without charge! But if you expect to eat, you must make your reservations by May 15 at midnight. [NOW CLOSED] The P.U.N.Y. DINNER 2013 reservation page has all the details.

Even if you have already checked the “dinner” option while completing the contestant form, you still need to go now and reserve/pay with PayPal for your dinner tickets on the reservation page.

Wall be waiting for you there.

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The Reel Deal

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Comments Off

Over 36 jears of punning, film makers have tried to capture the Pun-Off World Championships heart-stopping stories, most notably, the celebrated Pun-Smoke: Search for the Worst.  Therefore, we are pleased to announce this latest tall tales effort by Wildwood Docs.

“ART OF THE PUN: A DOCUMENTARY” is a character-driven feature documentary in pre-production now about puns, punsters, and the art of punning as set in Austin, Texas and the 36th Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships. We want to get to know YOU and highlight your role in the world/community of punning you love so much. Continue reading →

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Friday April 26 Punster Warm-up

Posted on April 24, 2013 by | Comments Off

The first of our series of Friday Punster Warm-up gatherings will take place this week at  Joe’s Place @1814 E. MLK in central Austin.
If you’ve never attended one of these informal gatherings, you are really in for a treat.

Pun-Off organizers and contestants have a chance to mingle and spar (pun) with a cooperative and educational mindset designed to get your creative juices flowing. These are very loose and free-flowing gatherings and we do hope that you’ll be able to drop in and let us entertain and/or intimidate you with our sparkling wit and welcoming attitude.

Target timeframe is 6:30 – 9-ish. Look for the table full of Punslingers. We’re not hard to find but we’re tough to ignore.Shameless plugs

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P.U.N.Y. “Likes” FaceBook

Posted on April 15, 2013 by | Comments Off

Are you getting ready for the 2013 Pun-Off May 18? Need contestant tips, a carpool or a host to show you around Austin? Longing for a forum where you can hone your razor sharp wit and test your mettle?

Punsters United Nearly Yearly (P.U.N.Y.) has launched its own Facebook page.  Although neither of them could be considered moderate, David Gugenheim and Gary Hallock co-moderate the group with a very free-willing style and a welcoming attitude.

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Continue reading →

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The Ides of April are a Pun You!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by | Comments Off

Big Puns comedian marquee

The much-anticipated and wildly-sought-after O.fficial O.Punning of the 2013 O.Henry Pun-Off Registration page went live at noon on Monday, April 15.  Within the first 12 hours we were perilously close to filling most available contestant positions.  Of course we are continuing to register players in both Punniest of Show and PunSlingers but you must be prepared to linger a while on the stand-by list as we shake down our roster of wretched word wranglers.

These precious positions are going even quicker than we had expected this year and we do hope everyone had adequate warning.  The best way to stay “in the loop” is to go ahead and register now so you’ll get further email announcements and notices of openings as they inevitably occur.

Continue reading →

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