Poundstone lends humor, support to Westport fight against homelessness

When stand-up comedienne Paula Poundstone hits the stage of Westport's Levitt Pavilion next week, she will offer a dose of dry wit, political observations, family-based humor and audience interaction.

Poundstone will be the main attraction Sept. 10 for the third annual Stand Up for Homes with Hope fundraiser. Proceeds from the evening will support Homes with Hope, the Westport-based social services agency that helps the homeless and those at-risk of homelessness.

Poundstone says she lends her talents only to fundraisers that support her own beliefs. "Helping the homeless is a worthy cause," she said. "I don't think I will have to cross any picket lines on my way to the stage."

Her performance in Westport will showcase the evolution of a career that began in 1979. "I take some dry ingredients and fold them into a wet mix that evolves annually and daily,' she told the Westport News. "The things I talk about change. They ebb and flow. When I was 19 I talked about taking the subway and busing tables. Now, I talk about my kids, parenting, animals and my take on what's going on in the world."

She laughs as she recalls her early performances. "I used to have a routine where I said that there should be no-babies sections, just like they had no-smoking sections," she recalls. "I said that if airplanes had no-babies sections, I would book that flight." A mother of three -- ages 19, 16 and 12 -- Poundstone adds, "Now I'm in the trenches. I got over that!"

Her family and her interest in politics influence her on-stage performances. "I try to keep a steady diet of what's happening," she says. "All this helps to make me a better voter."

Asked what headlines are current fodder for her humor, Poundstone replied that it's the media itself that she is scrutinizing. "I'm up to here with CNN and Rick Sanchez," she said. "It's awful. You have a station that provides 24 hours of news each day, but they don't have 24 hours worth of news. Instead, you get a lot of speculation and reported experts speaking about what might have happened. Speculation is not the news. Speculation is what patrons at a bar do while they are watching the news."

Poundstone airs her views regularly on the NPR program, "Wait. Wait ... Don't Tell Me," a weekly hour-long quiz radio program. Each week, listeners can test their knowledge about news and entertainment figures while picking out what's real news and what's made up. The show is taped in Chicago before a live audience. "I love doing this show," Poundstone said. "I get to make jokes and I get paid for that. We have so much fun. I lucked into this job. They called me and invited me to come on board."

Following her performance, Poundstone says she intends to make herself available for audience members. `I'm around to pose for pictures, sign things," she said. "But then I have to go back home and yell at my kids. No one yells at them quite like I do." For more information about Paul Poundstone, go to www.paulapoundstone.com.

Those interested in seeing Poundstone's show and supporting Homes with Hope have two ticket options: a pre-show program (open to all sponsors and $100-ticket holders) will begin at 7 p.m. and include cocktails and h'ors d'oeuvres. General admission seating is available at $45 per ticket. Poundstone's performance begins at 9 p.m.

To purchase tickets, call Kirsten Allen at 203-226-3426, ext. 10; visit http://www.hwhct.org/events, or e-mail kallen@homeswithhopect.org An online silent auction will supplement proceeds from the fundraiser. Items on the block include a week in Kiawah, S.C.; box seats at a New York Yankees game, a six-month membership to the YMCA, a sunset dinner cruise on a working lobster boat, spa packages, theater tickets and more. Visit www.HWHCT.org/auction for more details.

The Interfaith Housing Association and Homes with Hope, a not-for-profit agency (hwhct.org) offering a safe place for 60 people to sleep each night, as well as 30,000 meals a year. "`We also supply about 2,000 bags of groceries per year to families who are in need," said Homes with Hope President Jeffrey Wieser. "We operate programs in nine buildings that assist people ranging in age from infancy to their 70s."

With a staff and help from more than 400 volunteers, Homes with Hope provides facilities and supportive services in a structured environment to help homeless people gain an independent and self-sufficient life.