Public Speaking Northwest enjoys the words of Lemony Snicket, Dr. Seuss, and Groucho Marx

"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." ~ Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid



Everyone brought a book (or several) with them today; the much anticipated Book Auction and Open House had finally arrived. We welcomed four guests to our Open House and by meetings end, two of them had become our newest members. Nice! 

BOOK AUCTION

     "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
~ Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

Members of Public Speaking Northwest and those of other Toastmasters clubs, as well, are always learning and improving, growing as speakers and leaders. Toastmasters are going places!

"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend on reading it." ~ Groucho Marx



Jean

Before we began convulsing with laughter, Jean opened the meeting with Ken, Pat, Juliet, Joanne, Jamie, Deepanjali, Mihaela, Barb, Emery, Kathy, Jan, Lynne, and four guests: Robert, Karen, Bernard, and Tamara in attendance.








Guests: Karen & Tamara



Guests: Bernard & Robert

Mustachioed Ken

Major credit for our laugh riot today goes to our auctioneer, Ken, who kept the festivities moving and never missed an opportunity to wring the laughs out of every moment. On most books, he also goosed up the bidding so we have a nice little nest egg to use on educational materials. Way to go, Ken!




Credit for the entire event goes to Mihaela for planning and coordinating all the details

Party Planner Mihaela

down to the tables appropriately garnished with alphabet letters like the printing from our books. Thanks to her nicely organized sign-up sheet, we all contributed a lovely assortment of treats and beverages to the buffet table - nothing missing and no duplicates! Many thanks, Mihaela, for a splendidly memorable event.







As auctioneer, Ken did not simply stand before us and solicit bids. No, he got into character with a straw hat and an accent that drew inspiration from Jackie Gleason's southern sheriff in the Smokey and the Bandit films. One of Mihaela's aforementioned details was a package of black stick-on mustaches that added panache to Ken's already multi-faceted auctioneer.

Ken w/Deepanjali

Ken the Auctioneer

Assorted party pix from today's Book Auction/Open House . . .



The shared Bounty

The all-important snacks

Potluck sounds so simple but the results almost always out-distance what the word seems to imply. That was certainly the case here today.

Ken & Jean

Ken's hat on Jean

Jean would not relinquish her book until finished extolling all of its fine characteristics, so, Ken, that fine character in his own right, relinquished his hat to Jean.

Joanne, Pat, Juliet

Juliet, Pat, Robert

Right: Juliet appears to be signaling an increase in the bidding.

Left: Enjoying the snacks.

Tamara describes book

Jan w/ her book

This meeting was all Table Topics all the time, as we presented our books with brief extemporaneous descriptions before handing them over to Ken for the bidding process.

Jean, Lynne, Jan, Karen, Tamara

Jamie, Deepanjali, Barb

Listeners considering their bids for the next book.

Barb presents her book

Emery's turn

Jamie offers his

Karen

Robert

Our newest members.

WELCOME, you two!

Kathy

Kathy's expression speaks volumes about our enjoyable Book Auction event.







PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE DAY ~ Deepanjali

Deepanjali w/her book

She was not shy about her first time behind the camera. By far, she shot the most pix at a single meeting.









NEWS YOU CAN USE

Speech-A-Thon coming May 21 ~ A Speech-a-Thon is what it sounds like – a speech marathon. On May 21 we will only be having speeches and evaluations; no table topics.  There will be opportunities for at least 4 speakers, so if you are close to finishing your CC or other manual, consider signing up on the duty roster. We will also need supporting roles – speech evaluators, timer, um/ah counter, grammarian and a Toastmaster. These roles will also qualify in your CL manual so sign up on the duty roster under May 21.

Renewal dues collection continues for the membership period: April 1 - September 30. Please see your Treasurer, Joanne, with either cash or checks payable to Public Speaking Northwest. Many thanks!

Good news! One manual has been returned so far. Thank you (you know who you are). Please help all outstanding loaner CC and CL manuals find their way home. Bring them with you next week, or contact Joanne for alternate arrangements. Much gratitude!


If you'd like to join us for polishing your presentations, developing leadership skills, and making friends, we welcome you.

We meet every Tuesday from noon to 1:00 PM. You'll find us at the Seattle Times Building in Bothell, Washington ~ 19200 120th Avenue NE. Feel free to bring your lunch.

To find out more contact: Jean Tracy, JeanTracy@kidsdiscuss.com, 425.745.0022.



Respectfully submitted,
Joanne Carnevale, Secretary/Treasurer

Joanne