The Flying Monkey Performance Center in Plymouth is proud to present comedian Paula Poundstone in concert Friday, April 26. It’s impossible to attend a Paula Poundstone performance without marveling at her ability to interact spontaneously with audience members in conversations bound to garner riotous laughter.

Armed with nothing but a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, Paula’s ability to create humor on the spot has become the stuff of legend. Little wonder people leave Paula’s shows debating whether the random people she talked to were “plants” – which, of course they never are, and complaining that their cheeks hurt from laughter.

Paula continues to be the National Spokesperson for the Association of Library Trustees Advocates Friends & Foundations (ALTAFF), a national network of enthusiastic library supporters who believe in the importance of libraries as the social and intellectual centers of communities and campuses. Paula is supporting libraries on a local level by partnering with promoters and the local Friends organization in cities where she performs. The local Friends group receives tickets for use in fundraising or promotions, and Paula makes herself available for book signings of her book after the show.

Says Poundstone: “It’s funny that we think of libraries as quiet demure places where we are shushed by dusty, bun-balancing, bespectacled women. The truth is libraries are raucous clubhouses for free speech, controversy, and community. Librarians have stood up to the Patriot Act, sat down with noisy toddlers, and reached out to illiterate adults. Libraries can never be shushed. If you haven’t been to your library lately, you’re over-due.”

Poundstone’s razor-sharp wit makes her a perfect fit as a regular panelist on National Public Radio’s (NPR) popular weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me (2008 winner of the prestigious Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence). Her first book, There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say, with foreword by Mary Tyler Moore, is out in paperback and also now available on audio (Highbridge). Paula is hard at work on her second tome for the same imprint (Harmony Books, a division of Random House). Paula’s commentaries have been heard on NPR’s Morning Edition, and her blogs appear in the Huffington Post and 23/6, as well as the NPR Opinion Page.

Paula was recently inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame. Chief Archivist of the Hall said she was unanimously chosen because “her wit, insights, intellect, and fantastic capacity to improvise helped to set the bar for all artists in stand-up in the modern era. Simply put, no literate history of comedy could be told without Paula’s voice.” She also was just named to a list of top Unconventional People to Follow on Twitter.

Awards and distinctions: First woman to perform at the White House correspondent’s dinner; first woman to win a cable ACE for Best Standup Comedy Performance. Paula is also an Emmy and Ace Award winner for Best Program Interviewer. TV appearances include several standup comedy specials (HBO and Bravo), her own show on HBO and ABC, and all the major talk shows.

In 2010, Paula was invited to serve as judge in the humor category of this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Awards are the largest, longest running recognition and scholarship program for teenage artists and writers. Paula has been recognized as one of Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand ups of all time. Poundstone also released her first comedy CD, I Heart Jokes: Paula Tells Them In Maine, 60 minutes of hilarious comedy recorded live at the sensational Stone Mountain Arts Center – because as Paula says, “It’s very hard to do it any other way.”

Get a laugh with Paula’s comedy CD I Heart Jokes at paulapoundstone.com/NewCD. Watch Paula on Craig Ferguson at youtube.com/watch?v=_w3NwND6wZc&fb_source=message.

Visit Paula at paulapoundstone.com, facebook.com/paulapoundstone, myspace.com/paulapoundstone, and twitter.com/PaulaPoundstone.

Showtime: 7:30 PM / Tickets: $27.50-$37.50 / Call: 536-2551 / Visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com

The Flying Monkey Performance Center is located at 39 S. Main St. Plymouth, NH 03264