Comedian Andrew Tarvin to Appear at MORE THAN WORDS, Boston

Comedian and motivational speaker Andrew Tarvin takes readers on a cross-country journey filled with quirky people and oddball experiences in his new memoir, "The United States of Laughter."

The former computer engineer and self-described nerd, who traded a corporate job for the comedy spotlight, will discuss and sign copies of his book at the More Than Words Bookstore in Boston on Wednesday, November 29. He is also scheduled to appear on "NECN This Morning" on NECN, New England's regional cable news channel at 9:45 a.m.

"I am honored to be invited to appear at More Than Words," Tarvin said. "The corporate world is more competitive than ever. More Than Words does great work helping to prepare young people for the job market."

More Than Words is a Boston-based, nonprofit organization that teaches at-risk youth job skills, by managing used bookstores at locations in Boston and Waltham.

"We hire young adults between the ages of 16 and 24, who are court-involved, in foster care, homeless or out of school," explained Evan Scarlett, business training manager. "They run the business and get paid to focus on developing personal goals and advancing their educational path."

Tarvin, who once worked for Procter & Gamble, now owns a corporate-humor consulting business called Humor That Works, which teaches companies and their employees how to use humor to create less stressful, more productive work environments. He has consulted for such clients as PepsiCo, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, ESPN and many more.

In 2015, Tarvin packed a few essentials and moved out of his New York apartment, embarking on an 18-month nomadic existence. During that time, he lived out of two carry-on bags while traveling to all 50 states, logging 92,358 miles, sometimes sleeping on strangers' couches or in Walmart parking lots.

"My goal was to do something different in each state," Tarvin said. "As an engineer, I have always been obsessed with efficiency, but this journey taught me the joy of slowing down and savoring the moment. You can have some really cool experiences, if you are just open to them."

Tarvin describes his book as a cross between Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants." Bob Mankoff, Cartoon & Humor Editor at Esquire said, "In this amazing, amusing book, Andrew Tarvin goes looking for laughs in all the right places, specifically every one of these now not so United States."

"Through my journeys, I found there is still one thing that unites us, and that's laughter," Tarvin said. "We are more alike than different, no matter what state we call home. There is still a lot of kindness and courtesy in America."

Drew Tarvin will discuss and sign copies of "The United States of Laughter" at More Than Words Bookstore, 242 East Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, November 29, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages. More information is available at www.MTWYouth.org.

Information about Drew Tarvin is available at www.DrewTarvin.com and www.HumorThatWorks.com.

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