Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes . . .

Well, if you happened to catch "Morning Edition" on KPBS today, you heard my esteemed fellow Verbivore, Richard Lederer, announce that after an illustrious, eight-year run, he's stepping down from his duties as co-host of our show.

More details to come, but for now, let me just say that this is why I've been so scarce lately. We here at "A Way with Words" are working extremely hard to bring you a brand-new incarnation of the show, with some cool new segments and features.

The all-new "A Way with Words" debuts November 18. (In fact, the new show and I will share a birthday. But I digress...)

Richard and I will be talking about this more -- and reading those winning limericks! -- during our two-hour live show this Sunday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m.-noon Pacific Time. You can tune in here.

If you'd like to voice your support for the kind of work we do on "A Way with Words," I invite you to tune in then and call 800-576-5727 with a pledge that will honor Richard's legacy and help ensure the show's future success.

Or you can express your support for the show any time online right here. Make sure to tell them what a big word nerd you are, and how much informed, sparkling, language-loving conversation means to you!

And if you have suggestions for the kinds of things you'd like to hear on the new show, by all means, drop me a line. I'm definitely open to ideas.

Oh, and one more thing....please wish me luck. I'll need it!

And Here I Thought It Was About Portion Size

Love this headline (and it's not even from The Onion):

FRENCH DIET SECRETS REVEALED: SWALLOW CONSONANTS, FEEL FULL ALL DAY.

Now granted, this scientific story is from the same people who brought you Batboy. But still, it made my week. (Okay, so I don't get out much.)

In fact, I got such a kick out of this story, I'm thinking we should have an informal contest to come up with a better header for this blog entry. Come on, y'all! I know you can do better than mine -- have at it!

Thanks for Your Limericks and . . .

Hey, who knew this blog's readership was so darned clever AND literarily inclined? Thanks for all your limericks (and yes, we are paying attention to whether they were submitted before the deadline). I'm not yet privy to the final results, but I'm told the winners will be read on the air during our live pledge show this coming Sunday, which you can pick up streaming live at kpbs.org.