Mark Saltveit

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

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

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
  • 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
  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. Steinmetz, Katy (March 6, 2013). "Madam, I'm Adam: Palindrome Masters Go Head to Head in Championship". TIME.
  5. 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. 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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