The Pretty Great Spelling Bee: A Battle of Words and Wits

Join us for the glorious return of SPACE’s preposterous and quite genuine tournament of byzantine words and wits, where pioneering persons-of-letters lock horns in spelling competition! Only one swaggering combatant will emerge propitious, and will hence be appointed the sobriquet of 2024 Spelling Bee Champion!

Quiescent since 2015, the Pretty Great Spelling Bee is our homegrown community bee! The cicerones who will orchestrate the contest will be none other than Anne Buckwalter and Pilar Nadal, the co-hostesses of NPILAR radio, a local counterfeit radio program. Anne and Pilar founded and hosted the 2015 Spelling Bee — and stupendously!

We will also have three efficacious and judicious celebrity judges — Oronde Cruger, Jessica Tomlinson, and Desi Van Til — presiding over the joust!

NOW: WE NEED A BAND OF STOUTHEARTED SOULS TO BE OUR SPELLERS.

Interested in tossing your proverbial hat into the spelling ring? Well, aren’t you temerarious. Spellers are asked to abide the following instructions punctiliously:

1) Send us a piece of electronic mail (at nick@space538.org) so we can put your name on the list of spellers. Please indicate your full real name, the pseudonym you will compete under (should you choose one), your pronouns, and your telephone number. (Spellers can only register in advance, not day of!)

2) Engage in fastidious and frequent practice to prepare yourself.

3) Select an elegant article of clothing to wear to the event. Breathable cotton is advised to accommodate the arduous circumstances of competition. Costumes are encouraged! However, IF YOU ARE DISCOVERED WEARING A BUMBLEBEE COSTUME YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED TOUT DE SUITE.

4) Treat yourself to a nice snack that is high in protein.

*Please note: buying a ticket does NOT mean you are signing up to be a participating speller. All interested spellers should email us to get on the spelling list. And ASAP, competition space is limited! We will post a cetacean below this line when we have reached capacity for spellers.

**Please note again: some adult words may be spelled (or misspelled). Speller and audience discretion is advised.

***One last time, note: The winner will receive a custom trophy! And shall ne’er be forgotten.