Photos from the Williamsburg Spelling Bee Finals
December 17, 2009
Congratulations to Wilson Southerland and all our finalists, and thanks to Eric Walton for the photography.
All (well, most) of the Finalists!
The top three!
The bee starts up again on February 1, 2010 — save the date!
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A Sandwich Called the “Kanye Interrupt”
December 10, 2009
After the spelling bee, I often go to the deli that is on Metropolitan right near the Lorimer L stop, where I pick up some groceries, am sometimes flirted with by the staff (once, in 2005, I said I wasn’t feeling well, and the guy who makes the sandwiches offered to leave work and drive me home to East Harlem), and often buy my favorite sandwich, cryptically entitled “Marry Me Omar” (it contains chicken, bacon, apples, avocado, and horseradish).
Here are some of the other sandwiches currently on offer:
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Congratulations to Williamsburg Spelling Bee Winner Wilson Southerland
December 9, 2009
In Williamsburg Speling Bee news … congratulations to Season Ten Winner Wilson Southerland, who spelled twelve words correctly at Monday’s Season 10 Finals! Ben O’Donnell took second place and Lilli Heard took third in a very difficult bee! Professional-quality photographs were taken and will be posted soon.
Congratulations as well to all our Finalists (each of whom placed in the top three during a regular-season bee):
Trent Williams
Jenny Brown
Jonathan Lill
Lilli Heard
Wilson Southerland
Carolyn D’Aquila
David Zheng
Octavia Silva
Ben O’Donnell
A few words spelled by our competitors include imprimis, overslaugh, gramineous, avenaceous, moue, materfamilias, coetaneous, dermatoglyphics, quodlibet, moirologist, and schwerpunkt.
Join us at Pete’s Candy Store on February 1st to start up Season 11 of the Williamsburg Spelling Bee.
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Williamsburg Spelling Bee Theme Song
December 3, 2009
My spelling bee co-host bobbyblue (an internationally renowned dance music star) dragged me into the studio to record our original Williamsburg Spelling Bee theme song. My voice had to be auto-tuned to a substantial degree. Enjoy!
On a related note, the Spelling Bee Finals will take place this Monday, December 7th, at Pete’s Candy Store.
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Why Spelling Is Important (MTA Edition)
September 23, 2009
I took this photo at the 96th St 1/2/3 stop.
“Concreate” was, of course, intended as “concrete,” but it looks rather like a new, intentionally coined word. Specifically, the prefixes “co” and “con” (and “com”) are really the same prefix, meaning “together” — as in, conjugate, congenial, coworker, colleague, consummate, commingle, community, etc. “Concreate” (pronounced as con-create) could be a perfectly suitable synonym for “co-create.”
Of course, that makes the “No concreate untill pipe install” sound a bit dirty (if it didn’t already).
Posted by jen | Categories: spelling | 1 Comment | | Email This Post
Retro Spelling Book
September 8, 2009
My friend J. Keith van Straaten kindly mailed me this vintage spelling book:
I especially enjoyed the introduction; poor spelling is like dingy linen!
After you learn to spell “menu,” move on to “oleomargarine”!
We have used “piccalilli” in the spelling bee before — spellers, take note!
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Williamsburg Spelling Bee on NPR
August 19, 2009
Adults Put the ‘Bee’ in Orthography (streaming audio, 3:57) – from today’s Morning Edition on NPR.
Spelling bees are not just for kids, as more and more spelling bees for adults sprout up across the country. A bar in Brooklyn, New York, has been hosting one for about five years. That bee attracts people just looking for fun and those who really know their stuff.
Thanks to reporter Ben Calhoun! Shout-out to Carolyn D’Aquila, winner of the bee attended by Mr. Calhoun.
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New York City Spelling Bee Photo
July 21, 2009
Thanks to photographer Rob Goldberg! Click here for the set, featuring winner Dominique Vance and 30+ other sesquipedalian spellers.
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Williamsburg Spelling Bee on the Recession Activities Blog
May 18, 2009
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NYC Spelling Bee in Paper Magazine
February 6, 2009
On Paper’s blog:
SCENES FROM THE NEW YORK CITY SPELLING BEE AT HOUSING WORKS, BY REBECCA PRUSINOWSKI
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Video from Pete’s Candy Store, May 19th
May 30, 2008
Featuring Jen Dziura coming out against leggings, Becky Yamamoto appearing as the character “Fuktard,” and sets from Alex Grubard, Mark Normand, and Giulia Rozzi.
Posted by jen | Categories: spelling, video | Leave a Comment | | Email This Post
what professional spelling bee hosts wear to work
May 27, 2008
Yes, those are bee-striped legwarmers. Worn with a velvet cocktail dress and Steve Madden peep-toe pumps.
Here is the provenance of the bee-striped legwarmers.
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New Manhattan Spelling Bee in The Villager
May 16, 2008
Look, we’re in The Villager!
Co-hosts bobbyblue and Jennifer Dziura have now brought the logophilia to the great isle of Manhattan, where the Bee occurs the third Saturday of each month.
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Williamsburg Spelling Bee Theme Song
January 25, 2008
This is my first-ever internet singing video:
I make no claims to being a singer; I wrote the lyrics to the song, my co-host bobbyblue composed the music, and for the first several seasons he sang it alone, until finally he demanded that I join him. I am also shaking egg-shakers.
Posted by jen | Categories: Pete's Candy Store, spelling, video | Leave a Comment | | Email This Post
that is my tiny head in this magazine
March 29, 2007
The spelling bee is in the April 2007 issue of Budget Travel magazine, which is much sexier than it sounds.
Update: Come to the Williamsburg Spelling Bee on April 2, 16th, or 30th. Signup at 7, bee at 7:30. Free and open to all.
Posted by jen | Categories: spelling | Leave a Comment | | Email This Post
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