For 9 years, Pudd’nhead’s founder and host Michael Ian Black’s tremendous leadership on behalf of Mr. Twain has made significant funds and friends for the library. Unfortunately, he is unable to join us this September so there will not be a Pudd’nhead 2023.
Never fear, however; Sam Clemens is still very much alive around here – something tells us PUDD always will be, too. That’s what happens when extraordinary people hatch extraordinary ideas.
The Pudd’nhead Festival was founded in 2014 through collaboration between the library and actor/comedian/best-selling author Michael Ian Black. Drawing inspiration from one of Twain’s classic tales, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, Pudd’nhead celebrates library founder Mark Twain’s incomparable humor while raising much-needed funds for the library’s operations.
The centerpiece of the week-long Festival is the Pudd’nhead Prize for Outstanding Humor, awarded to someone who channels Twain’s legendary wit. The extraordinary roster of illustrious Prize winners is a Who’s Who in award-winning entertainment: New Yorker magazine cartoonist Roz Chast, Ben Stiller, Jim Gaffigan, Seth Meyers, Paul Rudd , Jon Hamm, Laura Linney, Amy Schumer, and Samantha Bee.