November 5-7, 1999
(Obviously out of date, but this gives you the idea of what it's like in general.)
Never Enough Words is the name of Jeffrey McQuain's book and we cheer his title. If years ago it had been decided that we had enough words and needed no more, our "Words" program would not be celebrating its 18th year. We would have ended our 1982 weekend with: "Goodbye. We have nothing more to say."
But oh, my, do we ever have something more to say! Just listen to our speakers: above-mentioned author/columnist Jeff McQuain; a repeat performance by Dan "Keep Them Laughing" Greenburg; Amy Waggoner, president and general manager of three ABC-owned radio stations; and Carnegie Hall Archivist Gino Francesconi, who uses words to gather material from countries all over the world. Then there's Will Shortz, puzzle editor of The New York Times, who won't let us sit still this year. Once again, he has us running amok, solving the World-Famous Will Shortz Puzzle Scavenger Hunt.
At check-in, check out the Packet of Puzzlers and you will find puzzles, pad, and pencil just waiting for your mind. You solve at leisure, but must deposit all entries by midnight, Saturday. Prizes will be awarded Sunday morning.
One special puzzle (created by Will Shortz) features prizes of Unique 3D Jigsaw Puzzles that actually spin when completed: colorful carousels and Dutch windmills (from Cadaco).
Fiday night's team game of Scramble Scrabble is a tradition at "Words," where experienced and neophyte players compete on equal ground (really on equal floor, where the game is played). Prizes will be awarded to every member on the winning team, so get in the game and get in on the fun.
Ah, the word "fun" conjures up Game Night, with prizes generously provided by: Milton Bradley, Mattel, Creative Mind Games, U.S. Games Systems, Pressman, Patch, Wizards of the Coast, Fundex, Proverbial Wisdom LLC, Buffalo Games and more. The winner at each table not only wins the game, but keeps the game.
We can't play without you, so make your reservations early by calling 800-772-6646. Please specify "Words Weekend."
Let the games begin!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5
8:45 p.m.
9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6
10:00 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
2:15 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7
10:00 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
Dan Greenburg's 36 books have been translated into 20 languages in 23 countries. His bestsellers include How to be a Jewish Mother, How to Make Yourself Miserable, Scoring, Love Kills, How to Avoid Love and Marriage, and Exes. A series of Dan's children's books, entitled The Zack Files, is being published by Grosset & Dunlap. Fourteen of these have appeared since August 1996 and six more are in production. Dan's articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Ms., Time, Life, Newswee, New York Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and elsewhere, and have been reprinted in 33 anthologies of humor and satire in the United States and England.
Jeffrey McQuain has served as William Safire's language associate for the weekly "On Language" column in The New York Times for the past 16 years. In addition, he is an author and lecturer on language; his newest book is Never Enough Words: How Americans Invented Expressions as Ingenious, Ornery, and Colorful as Themselves (Random House). Jeffrey has also written Power Language for Houghton Mifflin as well as vocabulary tapes for Dove Audio, and is co-author of Coined by Shakespeare (Merriam-Webster) and The Elements of English (Madison Books). For five years he wrote an internationally syndicated daily column on language and is now "The Word Doctor" columnist on the Internet. He has a Ph.D. in Literary Studies from American University and lives in Maryland.
Amy Waggoner is president and general manager of three ABC-owned radio stations in Minneapolis: KQRS, 93X and Zone 105. She oversees 106 employees, enormous promotional budgets, and successful programming departments. She served on the local board of directors of American Women in Radio and Television for eight years, founded its local AWRT mentor program, and was named local and regional Member of the Year for 1998. Amy's career began in a small advertising agency in New York City and, while placing ad schedules on radio and television, it seemed to her that the people selling airtime were having more fun. So her foray into radio sales began. While "job security in radio" is an oxymoron, Amy is proud to be with the same company for 13 years.
Will Shortz, who has been with our Words program for all 18 years, makes us want to change the program name to "The Wonderful World of Will" because his world is truly wonderful. He is puzzle editor of The New York Times, puzzlemaster of National Public Radio, author of many, many books. This year he co-founded the Word Puzzle Federation, which encourages innovative puzzlemaking, as well as friendships among puzzlers around the globe. This is the governing body for the World Puzzle Championship and, in the year 2000, Will will be hosting that event in New York. He is also this year's captain of the United States team in Budapest, Hungary, yet still manages to be with us each year at "Words."
Gino Francesconi, Carnegie Hall's archivist, arrived from San Francisco in 1974 to study conducting at Julliard, and began working as an usher in Carnegie Hall. He ascended to the position of backstage attendant, ministering to music legends from Horowitz to Sinatra. During Carnegie Hall's 1986 renovation, it was decided that a reference archive should be organized, and Gino was clearly the man for the job. A few years later, he shaped an invaluable resource and mounted scholarly exhibitions devoted to Tchaikovsky, the Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, Mahler, Beethoven, Marian Anderson, Schubert, and George Gershwin. Through the power of words and his aggressive, enthusiastic pursuit, Gino gathered one hundred million dollars worth of material, much of which had never been in this country, nor on display anywhere in the world.
Gloria Rosenthal creator and producer of "The Wonderful World of Words," is a contributing editor at Games magazine where her puzzles, contests and mystery stories are ready for you to play with, enter or solve. She is an award-winning fiction writer, writes articles and humor for a variety of national publications, and has either authored or collaborated on four nonfiction books. Gloria produces "A Backstage Look at Broadway Musicals" every April at Mohonk, and as historian and advisor to Actors' Equity on Broadway's Gypsy Rose, presents lectures and slide shows on the subject. She says one of the highlights of her year, every year, is going to Toy Fair with her husband, for two full days to find games for "Words people" to play.
The following rates are per room per night and include three meals per person. Applicable state and local taxes will be added to your room bill. In lieu of tipping, a 13% service charge is added to your daily room rate. This service charge is distributed among room attendants, bellstaff, valet parkers, and dining room personnel. A 15% service charge is added to beverage checks, room service, massage, and to any transportation charges.
Room Rates: (Single/Double)
Rates for children are available upon request.
Deposit: A deposit equal to one night's room and board charge is due within two weeks of your reservation request. Deposits for reservations that are cancelled, shortened, or rescheduled with less than ninety-six hours advance notice will be subject to forfeiture.
Note: If you telephone for reservations, please specify World of Words.
For Reservations: Call 800-772-6646 for overnight room reservations only. Please direct all other calls to 914-255-1000. Our fax number is 914-256-2161.
Check-in begins at 4 p.m.
For more information contact Gloria Rosenthal at worldofwords@prodigy.net
Related Sites:
Introduction...
Schedule...
Laugh, Chuckle, Chortle, Grin
Dan Greenburg, author of 36 books, talks about words that make us do all of the above. In some cases, his titles alone -- How to Make Yourself Miserable and How to be a Jewish Mother -- create a giggle in your mind.
Scramble Scrabble (after punch and cookies)
Our exclusive game has teams scrambling to make high-scoring words with giant tiles picked by team captains. Don't panic about first draw; exchanging is allowed, as is maneuvering for double/triple scores and challenging others' words. All members of the winning team receive a copy of the world's fastest letter-tile game, Double Quick (tm) (from Winning Moves).
The Elegant Word
Jeffrey McQuain, author and word columnist, explores elegance in language, from Shakespeare's coinages to homegrown Americanisms. Using fast and funny examples of today's inelegant English from politics and the media, he demonstrates the best ways to use (not "utilize") the elegant word.
Station Breaks
Amy Waggoner, president and general manager of three ABC-owned radio stations in Minneapolis, talks about words in commercials, market imaging, the First Amendment and behind the scenes in radio -- "The Theater of the Mind."
The World Famous Will Shortz Puzzle Scavenger Hunt
First sit and solve, then flit and find. That's what you will do during this Special Scavenger Hunt within the Mountain House as you and your teammates vie to be first in with most finds. Winners win praise and prizes.
Tea, cookies, and book-signing in the Lake Lounge
"Pick-A-Number" Game Night
What a game night it will be with some new, some old, some "wordy," some family/party games! Our assortment includes The Whole Brain Game (tm), Imaginiff (tm), Taboo (tm), Scattergories (r), Upwords (r), Therapy (tm), Proverbial Wisdom (tm), Quickword (tm), Alpha Blitz (tm), and Malarky (tm). You pick a number to find your table, play the game; the winner at each table takes home that game.
Multi-Million Dollar Words
Carnegie Hall archivist Gino Francesconi, would not take 'nyet' for an answer when he asked the former Soviet Ministry of Culture for priceless Tchaikovsky manuscripts -- material never let out of the coutry before. Gino says "enthusiasm sells" and he shares with us the words that won them over.
Answers, Awards, Winners
Gloria Rosenthal winds up The Wonderful World with her own Words about the puzzles and solutions, winners and awards. The judges were up all night, sometimes accepting your "just as good" solutions to puzzles, while coming to their final decision in the creative contest (play nice, don't fight). Please remember there are NEVER ENOUGH WORDS, so we'll see you again next year.
Introducing Our Speakers...
(In order of appearance)
Rates & Information...
The Wonderful World of Words is held at the Mohonk Mountain House, a national historic landmark, on Lake Mohonk in New Paltz, New York.
Traditional ($175-335 / $305-435)
Victorian ($265-345 / $365-445)
Suites/Jr. Suites ($340-450 / $440-550)
Tower Rooms ($375-480 / $475-580)
Check-out time is 2 p.m.