The Denver Bee

Why we should use the Oxford Comma

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:19:43 -0600

peterwknox:

rachelfershleiser:

bowtiesinthedungeon:

A direct quote from The Times newspaper, talking about a Peter Ustinov documentary and saying that:

“highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector”.

Checkmate, serial-deniers.

Yup.

Agreed. Nevertheless, doesn’t part of you wish that Nelson Mandela was an 800-year old demigod and collector of dildoes? I mean, that would be a huge scoop!

Thank You

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:42:00 -0600

The organizers of The Denver Bee would like to thank you for making our first event an overwhelming success. We had a wonderful time and are thrilled to hear that everyone else did.

We planned the Bee with three primary goals in mind. Knowing that our first event was bound to hit a few snags, it was important to ensure that we remained focused on these things:

Raise money to support Burning Through Pages (donate!)
Create a supportive, encouraging environment for contestants
Make it FUN for the audience

Goal 1 was a piece of cake, thanks to the our sponsors’ tremendous support and your tremendous generosity.

Goal 2 was also achieved, with one contestant going so far as to say “Tonight ranks up there as one of the best nights of my life! Thanks @thedenverbee for the fun!”

Goal 3 was possibly the most baffling (who has ever had a good time WATCHING a spelling bee?) The response has been awesome, though. People really had a good time!

So we set up three targets, and we hit the bullseye on each. We couldn’t be happier! Planning has already begun for the next event, so stay tuned for updates.

Sincerely,

Terry Cabeen
Kia Ruiz
LeVar Battle

We heard you like silliness, so we put some down on video. We...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:18:00 -0600

We heard you like silliness, so we put some down on video.

We also revealed some secrets! #Entice

For the Honor (Contestant Submissions Are OPEN!)

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:59:00 -0600

The Denver Bee is going to be a HECK of a lot of fun, whether you’re in the audience or on the stage. If you have something to prove, however (be it to yourself or to someone else), you’re going to want a spot on stage. If that’s the case, I hope you can spell. I also hope you can follow directions. They aren’t short, so pay attention and follow them closely:

(Seriously, follow them closely. Read through them once before starting. We speak highly of your reading comprehension and ability to follow direction. Please don’t prove us wrong.)

SPELLING TEST

Go to the SpellingCity Tests page
Choose “SAT Vocabulary” from the list of tests
(This has been successfully tested in Firefox, IE, and iOS Safari)
Complete the test
(A high score will not improve your chances of selection. We’re trying to gauge how tough to make this, so BE HONEST!)
Enter your name (blue box on the right) and click Print Report
Save the result as “<your name> test results.pdf”
If you’re on a phone or tablet, take a screen shot of it.

Create an email
TO: Contestant@TheDenverBee.com
SUBJECT: Contestant submission <spelling test score>
(e.g. Contestant submission 80%)
Attach the results of your spelling test (pdf or screenshot)
Type a paragraph explaining why you NEED this. Tell us about your prior spelling bee experience (or lack thereof) and why it still torments your soul. Tell us how competing in this bee will finally bring closure to the pains of your childhood and allow you to achieve greater successes in adulthood.
Add a paragraph with 2 or 3 sentences about your love of books and reading in general. Think of it as a testimonial for the joys of reading.
OPTIONAL: Tell me (Terry) how you like the submission process. *grin*
Hit SEND

That’s it! I know it’s long, but look, this isn’t a twitter contest where all you need to do is RT to enter to win. We’re talking sometimes decades-long grudges, redemption, and vengeance. Also, there aren’t a lot of slots open, so asking you to do a LITTLE work for the submission makes our lives easier. ;)

Get Your Tickets Now!

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:54:00 -0600

Get Your Tickets Now!:

^For a good time, Click There^

That’s right, ladies and gents, ticketing is open and advance admission is three bucks off.

More good news coming soon: Promo video, food and entertainment lineup, and contestant submissions! Are you interested in being on stage? It’s going to be a blast from any seat in the house!

"Float like a butterfly, spell like a bee."

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:21:53 -0700

“Float like a butterfly, spell like a bee.”

This could be you!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:27:21 -0700

This could be you!

The Denver Bee: An adult spelling bee.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:29:00 -0700

Do you remember way back when we’d get on stage and there was total silence except for the announcer?

Announcer: Hemorrhoid.

You: Hemorrhoid. May I please have the definition?

Announcer: Hemorrhoid — A swollen vein or group of veins in the region of the anus.

You: Hemorrhoid. [Awkward pause holding back a snicker, yet deep in contemplation.] Hemorrhoid. H. E. M…O. R…R…H. O. I. D. Hemorrhoid.

Then, of course, clapping would follow and sometimes a few encouraging cheers. You knew you had it right. No doubt. (Before going any further, I’d like to interject and say the word probably wasn’t hemorrhoid. And, OMG, can you imagine asking the announcer to put that in a sentence? *shudders*)

Anyhozzle, get ready to bring that back to the stage “Adult Style” with an audience of your peers cheering, clapping, drinking, and sometimes jeering as you sweat it out to be the first Denver Bee champion. You want it. You can feel it. You can just hear the Rocky theme song playing as youuu…probably drink a beer and watch tv in preparation. Right!

I’ll tell you what, after reading “Spelling: No longer a lost art” a few days ago, all I could think was you’re damn right it’s not. Denver and the surrounding burbs are about to light this on fire. Joking aside, how cool is it that that spelling textbooks are making a comeback?

Why a spelling bee, you ask? Let me tell you. A group of us decided to get together and make this a fun social event for all of our friends and their friends and hopefully their friends’ friends to kick back, relax, and get to know each other better. But it is also more than that—we’ve decided to pair up with a local literacy organization and donate all of the proceeds raised to that non-profit. More on that in a different post. Hold your horses. It’s coming. (That’s what she said.)

Well, we’re excited to have this happen and hope that you’re excited to participate. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be posting all that is The Denver Bee right here, on Twitter, and over on the Facebook. Keep your calendars open for February 25, 2012 from 7-9pm. We are gonna take over the L2 Arts and Culture Center and spell up a storm that night. I know, I’m bubbling with jubilance. Holler!