The Importance of Having a Supremely Silly Hobby

On being voted Most Valuable Punner at the world’s biggest pun competition.

“Puns are the droppings of soaring wits.” - Victor Hugo. 

I’m flying high today, honestly feeling just PLANE great, which AISLE admit is unusual for a Monday (cue the Garfield jokes, ODIE-L with it). The reason: last weekend I was voted Most Valuable Punner at the O. Henry Pun-Off in Austin, TX, the world’s biggest pun competition. 

Photo Credit: Whoever was kind enough to take my picture in this moment of pure, unadulterated joy and shock and gratitude. I think it was Julia Balinksy.

Wait, what? 

As some of you might know, when I’m not doing revisions, trying to get my book published, running my PR business, performing improv, maintaining my relationships, and managing adult life things™, I’m a competitive punner. Pun contests are a thing nationwide. There’s even a whole book about them. When we lived in Washington, D.C., I competed in the pun contest there, Beltway Pundits at DC Improv. When we moved out west, I started San Diego’s version: San Diego Pundemonium, which I still host. 

Then, in 2022, I competed for the first time in The O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships in Austin, TX. It’s the “granddaddy” of all pun contests, the biggest in the world, which has been going for 47 years straight. The level of wit and word nerdiness displayed by the contestants is almost unnerving at first, and it’s honestly a little intimidating for newcomers. But once I settled in, I felt like I’d found my people–I even felt comfortable enough giving an interview to a film crew who was doing a documentary on the Pun-Off, which is still in production. I liked the experience enough to go back next time I had the chance, which was this year. 

There are two pun events in O. Henry: “Punniest of Show,” in which contestants give prepared, 90-second-to-two-minute speeches full of puns on a single topic; and “Punslingers,” in which contestants face off two at a time, tournament-style, making up puns on the spot on a random topic chosen by the host until one person is eliminated. I describe it to people as the nerdiest rap battle you’ve ever seen. 

I learned from my previous trip to Austin that it’s not just the quantity of puns you get into your Punniest of Show entry, it’s the quality, delivery, and gimmicks you use. I spent an inordinate amount of my spare time in the weeks leading up to O. Henry preparing a rewritten version of the Hamlet “to be or not to be” soliloquy full of cartoon character puns. Video below.

When it came to “Punslingers,” my goal was to make it out of the first round. That seemed achievable until I realized I was going against the guy who had won multiple categories in the Pun-Off multiple years in a row. But at least I took him for the full ten minute time limit of the round, and the judges ultimately had to call it in his favor, because there were two strikes against me. Our category was “non-alcoholic beverages,” and we made everything from Fanta puns to plays on types of coffee drinks. It was great. 

I didn't win either of the competition categories outright, but at the end of the day, my fellow pun competitors voted me as the Most Valuable (or Viable) Punner. Yes, the wonderful same people who did fully choreographed pun songs and punny taekwondo routines, who have been featured in the book about competitive punning, and who made me almost lose my voice with laughter at their puns. I'm honored and FLUTTERED and my soul could butterFLY. Every single talented, clever one of them will always have a place onstage at San Diego Pundemonium.  

OK, so where’s the big lesson/takeaway/moral of the story about this? 

Well, I learned nothing about B2B enterprise sales. 

But the whole thing did remind me of the importance of having a really silly hobby with a good community of people around it. Competitive punning lets me exercise my “lateral thinking” brain, AKA coming up with unusual associations and connections on the spot, which I might over-think otherwise if I had more time. I like to think it makes me a better, funnier writer. 

Plus, the people who pun competitively are wonderful, smart, nerdy, and so, so supportive and positive as a whole. We come from around the country to sweat and sling puns outside in the Texas heat in Brush Square Park, sharing phone chargers, beach blankets, and sneaky Lone Star beers in metal water bottles. Having a creative community that will support you while you’re creating, even if the thing you’re creating is ridiculous, is good for your mental health. I feel like I’ve also found that with a lot of writers, particularly in the last year and a half, and that has helped me immensely. 

Having a really silly hobby like competitive punning isn’t just good for making my conversation partners go “...wait, what?” when I tell them about myself. It forces me to take myself less seriously. It also helps me focus on the fact that even if my writing, like my pun speech last weekend, doesn’t get past the traditional gatekeepers at first (agents, publishers, pun contest judges who have been doing this for 47 years), what matters is that I keep trying, and that it makes people laugh or at least feel things. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the amazing husband I have who supports all of my creative endeavors. He frequently competes in San Diego Pundemonium, and stayed home with the dog and held the fort this year so I could go to Austin. For the book, he reads my manuscript drafts and workshops ideas with me for plot points and character development.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Go make some puns. It’s good for you and the WRITE thing to do.