Mark Saltveit

{{Short description|American comedian, writer and palindromist}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Mark Saltveit | image = Mark Saltveit.jpg | alt = Mark Saltveit | pseudonym = | birth_date = 1961 | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Stand-up comedian, writer | nationality = American | genre = | notableworks = ''The Palindromist'' }} '''Mark Saltveit''' (born 1961) is a Vermont-based stand-up comedian, palindromist and writer, known for being the first World Palindrome Champion.<ref name="Vermont" /><ref name="matheson2" />

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.<ref name="NPR.org 2015">{{cite web | title=Palindrome Champ Sees The World Backwards And Forwards | website=NPR.org | date=2015-04-29 | url=https://www.npr.org/2015/04/29/403094795/palindrome-champ-sees-the-world-backwards-and-forwards | access-date=2021-10-15}}</ref> 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.<ref name="steinmetz" />

In 1996, Saltveit founded ''The Palindromist'', a magazine devoted to palindromes and closely related forms of wordplay.<ref name="morice" /> He is currently a researcher and lecturer on various forms of wordplay including the tradition of palindromes in Latin and other ancient languages.<ref name="imc">{{cite web | title=Institute for Medieval Studies - Faculty of Arts - University of Leeds | website=imc.leeds.ac.uk | date=2021-07-07 | url=https://imc.leeds.ac.uk/dbsql02/AQueryServlet?*id=30&*formId=30&*context=IMC&conference=2021&sessionId=10688&chosenPaperId=&*servletURI=https://imc.leeds.ac.uk/dbsql02/AQueryServlet | access-date=2021-10-15}}</ref>

On March 16, 2012, Saltveit won the first-ever World Palindrome Championship.<ref name="Walecki 2021">{{cite web | last=Walecki | first=Nancy Kathryn | title=The "King of Palindromes" | website=Harvard Magazine | date=2021-08-06 | url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2021/09/montage-art-of-palindrome | access-date=2021-10-14}}</ref> 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.<ref name="steinmetz" /><ref name="house" /><ref name="morice" /> Will Shortz called Saltveit the “king of palindromes.”<ref name="Walecki 2021" />

Saltveit is the subject of a documentary short, ''A Man, a Plan, a Palindrome'', which premiered at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2015.<ref name="Frost 2017">{{cite web | last=Frost | first=Allison | title=A Man, A Plan, A Palindrome: Oregonian Mark Saltveit | website=opb | date=2017-03-23 | url=https://www.opb.org/radio/programs/think-out-loud/article/oregon-mark-saltveit-palindrome-champion/ | access-date=2021-10-14}}</ref> 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.<ref name="steinmetz2" /><ref name="mentalfloss" /> Saltveit lost that competition to Lori Wike.<ref name="Portland Mercury 2017">{{cite web | title=Palindrome Champ Mark Saltveit Gives Up His Crown (For Now) - Comedy | website=Portland Mercury | date=2017-03-29 | url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/comedy/2017/03/29/18918592/palindrome-champ-mark-saltveit-gives-up-his-crown-for-now | access-date=2021-10-15}}</ref>

== Bibliography == * ''Computer Fun for Everyone: Great Things to Do and Make with Any Computer'' (with Elin Kordahl Saltveit). Jossey-Bass, 1998 {{ISBN|0471244503}}. * ''A Man, A Plan ... 2002; The Year in Palindromes''. Palindromist Press, 2001. {{ISBN|9780971871403}}. * ''The Tao of Chip Kelly: Lessons from America's Most Innovative Coach''. New York: Diversion Books, 2013. {{ISBN|978-1-62681-226-0}}. * ''Controlled Chaos: Chip Kelly's Football Revolution''.New York: Diversion Books, 2015. {{ISBN|1626818231}}.

== References == <references>

<ref name="mentalfloss">{{cite web |title=Video Premiere: 'A Man, a Plan, a Palindrome' |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/62607/video-premiere-man-plan-palindrome |website=Mental Floss |author=Chris Higgins |date=March 30, 2015 |access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref> <ref name="morice">{{cite journal |author-link=Dave Morice|last=Morice |first=David |date=February 2012 |title=Kickshaws |url=http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/wordways/vol45/iss1/9/ |journal=Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=22–50 }}</ref> <ref name="matheson2">{{cite news |last=Matheson |first=Whitney |title=A dispatch from the king of palindromes |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2012/04/a-dispatch-from-the-king-of-palindromes/1 |newspaper=USA Today |date=April 3, 2012 |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> <ref name="house">{{cite news |last=House |first=Kelly |title=Portland palindromist Mark Saltveit wins the world championship |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/03/portland_palindromist_mark_sal.html |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 19, 2012 |access-date=April 25, 2015 }}</ref> <ref name="steinmetz">{{cite magazine |last=Steinmetz |first=Katy |date=March 6, 2013 |title=Madam, I'm Adam: Palindrome Masters Go Head to Head in Championship |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/06/madam-im-adam-palindrome-masters-go-head-to-head-in-championship/ |magazine=TIME }}</ref> <ref name="steinmetz2">{{cite magazine |last=Steinmetz |first=Katy |date=April 4, 2015 |title='Madam, I'm Adam': Meet the Reigning World Palindrome Champion |url=https://time.com/3771063/mark-saltveit-world-palindrome-championship/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref> <ref name="Vermont">{{cite journal |last=Pollak |first=Sally |date=September 23, 2020 |title=Palindrome Pro Mark Saltveit Moves to Vermont |url=https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/palindrome-pro-mark-saltveit-moves-to-vermont/Content?oid=31274137 |journal=Seven Days |access-date=April 7, 2021}}</ref>

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==External links== *[http://palindromist.org/ Palindromist Press]

Category:1962 births Category:Writers from Portland, Oregon Category:Palindromists Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Living people Category:20th-century American comedians Category:21st-century American comedians