If you listen to St. Louis Public Radio at 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings or 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings, you definitely know of the guest who joined St. Louis on the Air on Tuesday: Paula Poundstone.
Poundstone will visit St. Louis for a performance at the Sheldon on Saturday evening and joined host Don Marsh to discuss her career, comic relief in stressful times, her upcoming performance and a new book set to be released in May titled “The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.”
“When it gets shipped, they cautioned me about this from the start, the publisher was concerned about the length of the title on the label,” Poundstone said. “It will probably be shipped as ‘The Total Un,’ which I’m fine with.”
She describes the book as “memoir-ish,” with each chapter a different experience that she or other people in her life thought would make her happy. She analyzes the experiences and the “lasting effects” of such experimentation.
“It took me seven years to write the book, so it is about raising children, being a stand-up comic and the daily challenge of being me,” Poundstone said.
Comedy Central listed Poundstone as one of the “Top 100 Comics of All Time.” She draws much of her show’s inspiration from the audience and said her comedy has helped her deal with the vast amount of news and information she’s taken in as of late.
“Laughter, during these fractious times … it is so good to get together and laugh,” Poundstone said. “And that’s different, by the way: anyone who types in ‘lol’ is lying. You don’t ‘lol’ when you’re laughing by yourself, staring at a small screen, you do it with others.”
Related Event
What: Paula Poundstone at the Sheldon Concert Hall
When: Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m.
Where: Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108
More information.
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.