Party Photos: The Anti-Spell Check Spelling
Bee
At CB's Gallery, 04.10.03
At mediabistro.com's second Anti–Spell Check Spelling Bee,
the drinks were stiff, the words were tough, the spectators were entranced,
and the competition was fierce. Hallie Leighton and her father, the well-haberdashed
Jan Leighton, authors of the recent Rare
Words, a glossary of 500 uncommon terms, pronounced the words for our
players to spell, and In Touch Weekly copy chief Garry Wasko, mb.com's
Grammar
for Journalists instructor, judged their performance. The winning team went
home with free AvantGuild memberships, gift certificates for mb's Get Smart(er)
Seminars, and copies of Rare Words, and the runners up got free AvantGuild
memberships. And you can't show us better prizes than that.
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(Click for a larger
view of the pictures.)
Hanging out in the calm before the, um, Bee: Literary agent Megan Buckley, architect Karen Hassey, and consultant Tami Forman.
Getting psyched up: YM executive editor Tamara Glenny and freelancers David Marc Fischer and Betsy Sturges.
Warming up: Copywriter Mark Laporta and "random task manager" Karen Gruzynski.
More warm-ups: Astrology writer Judi Vitale, Beatrice.com editor and publisher Ron Hogan, and freelancer Tricia Couture.
The Bee's official word pronouncers: Hallie Leighton and Jan Leighton, authors of Rare Words.
Publicists Maire Griffin and Dana Harris.
mediabistro.com education director Taffy Akner starts things off.
Yael Lewin listens as Hallie Leighton pronounces her word.
YM's Tamara Glenny closes her eyes and spells with all her might.
Judge Garry Wasko, copy chief at In Touch Weekly, and pronouncers Jan Leighton and Hallie Leighton flank the runners up, Yael Lewin, Latrice Davis, and consultant Tami Forman (who didn't even want to play!).
And the winners are: Freelancer David Marc Fischer, YM's Tamara Glenny, and freelancer Betsy Sturges, sandwiched between mb diva Taffy Akner, judge Garry Wasko, and pronouncers Jan and Hallie Leighton.
