Mark Saltveit
Mark Saltveit
Born1961
OccupationStand-up comedian, writer
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksThe Palindromist

Mark Saltveit (born 1961) is a Vermont-based stand-up comedian, palindromist and writer, known for being the first World Palindrome Champion.[1][2]

Saltveit's interest in wordplay goes back to his childhood, when he and his young brothers would discuss palindromes to stave off boredom during long family road trips.[3] In his 20s, he began composing lengthy palindromes of his own. His first ("Resoled in Saratoga, riveting in a wide wale suit, I use law, Ed. I, wan, ignite virago, tar a snide loser.") is remarkable for its length, but took only a matter of hours to compose.[4]

In 1996, Saltveit founded The Palindromist, a biennial magazine devoted to palindromes and closely related forms of wordplay.[5] He is currently a researcher and lecturer on various forms of wordplay including the tradition of palindromes in Latin and other ancient languages.[6]

On March 16, 2012, Saltveit won the first-ever World Palindrome Championship.[7] The contest, held in Brooklyn before a live audience of 700, was organized by enigmatologist Will Shortz. Saltveit's winning entries beat out those of the six other contestants, including cartoonist Jon Agee and biostatistics professor John Connett.[4][8][5] Will Shortz called Saltveit the “king of palindromes.”[7]

Saltveit is the subject of a documentary short, A Man, a Plan, a Palindrome, which premiered at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2015.[9] The filmmaker, Vince Clemente, planned to produce a feature-length version covering Saltveit's and his fellow contestants' preparations for the World Palindrome Championship in 2017.[10][11] Saltveit lost that competition to Lori Wike.[12]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Pollak, Sally (September 23, 2020). "Palindrome Pro Mark Saltveit Moves to Vermont". Seven Days. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Matheson, Whitney (April 3, 2012). "A dispatch from the king of palindromes". USA Today. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  3. ^ "Palindrome Champ Sees The World Backwards And Forwards". NPR.org. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  4. ^ a b Steinmetz, Katy (March 6, 2013). "Madam, I'm Adam: Palindrome Masters Go Head to Head in Championship". TIME.
  5. ^ a b Morice, David (February 2012). "Kickshaws". Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. 45 (1): 22–50.
  6. ^ "Institute for Medieval Studies - Faculty of Arts - University of Leeds". imc.leeds.ac.uk. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  7. ^ a b Walecki, Nancy Kathryn (2021-08-06). "The "King of Palindromes"". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  8. ^ House, Kelly (March 19, 2012). "Portland palindromist Mark Saltveit wins the world championship". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  9. ^ Frost, Allison (2017-03-23). "A Man, A Plan, A Palindrome: Oregonian Mark Saltveit". opb. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  10. ^ Steinmetz, Katy (April 4, 2015). "'Madam, I'm Adam': Meet the Reigning World Palindrome Champion". TIME. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  11. ^ Chris Higgins (March 30, 2015). "Video Premiere: 'A Man, a Plan, a Palindrome'". Mental Floss. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  12. ^ "Palindrome Champ Mark Saltveit Gives Up His Crown (For Now) - Comedy". Portland Mercury. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2021-10-15.

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