Richard Lederer at 2006 Mensa World Gathering

Richard Lederer (born 1938) is an American author and teacher best known for his books on word play and the English language, and his use of oxymorons. His column, "Looking at Language", is syndicated in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1700x2124, 684 KB) Picture of language-book author Richard Lederer taken at the 2006 Mensa World Gathering at Walt Disney World. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1700x2124, 684 KB) Picture of language-book author Richard Lederer taken at the 2006 Mensa World Gathering at Walt Disney World. ... Mensa International is the largest, oldest, and most well-known high IQ society in the world. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Word play is a literary technique in which the nature of the words used themselves become part of the subject of the work. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

In 1998, he founded a weekly radio show, A Way with Words, broadcast by KPBS, San Diego Public Radio, and heard world-wide via streaming internet and podcast. In an announcement posted on October 19, 2006, Lederer announced his retirement from broadcasting. He will, however, make occasional appearances on the show as the "verbivore emeritus." Co-host Martha Barnette has announced that a new co-host would be joining the show with all-new episodes beginning in January 2007.

Lederer attended Haverford College, entering as a pre-medical student but switching to the English department soon thereafter. He attended graduate school at Harvard Law School and the Masters of Arts and Teaching Program at Harvard University. He taught English and media at St. Paul's School (United States) in Concord, New Hampshire for 27 years, and earned a Ph.D in English and Linguistics from the University of New Hampshire. Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. ... Harvard Law School (HLS) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... St. ... Official website: www. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). ...

His books include Anguished English, Fractured English, Crazy English, A Man of My Words, The Word Circus, The Miracle of Language, and The Play of Words. Known as a "verbivore", Lederer's interests include uncovering word origins, pointing out common grammatical errors and fallacies, and exploring palindromes, anagrams, and other forms of recreational wordplay. He has been elected International Punster of the Year, and was the 2002 recipient of the Golden Gavel of Toastmasters International. He is a member of American Mensa, and is often a featured speaker at its gatherings. A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units (such as a strand of DNA) that has the property of reading the same in either direction (the adjustment of punctuation and spaces between words is generally permitted). ... An anagram (Greek ana- = back or again, and graphein = to write) is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce other words, using all the original letters exactly once. ... Toastmasters International (TI) is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization for the purpose of helping its members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. ... Mensa International is the largest, oldest, and most well-known high IQ society in the world. ...

Lederer is the father of Howard Lederer and Annie Duke, both nationally-ranked poker players, and Katy Lederer, an author and poet. He lives with his wife, Simone van Egeren, in San Diego, California. They met at a Mensa Gathering. Howard The Professor Lederer (born in Concord, New Hampshire), is a professional poker player and brother of poker professional Annie Duke. ... Annie Duke (born September 13, 1965) is a professional poker player and author. ... Katy Lederer is an American author and poet, best known for the memoir Poker Face. ... Nickname: Americas Finest City Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: Country United States State California County San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein Donna Frye Jim Madaffer Ben Hueso Area    - City 963. ...

References

• Richard Lederer, KPBS bio. URL accessed January 5, 2006

January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• A Way with Words, KPBS radio. URL accessed January 5, 2006

• Richard Lederer's Verbivore

• KPBS announcement of retirement from "A Way with Words," October 19, 2006