John Pollack
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John Pollack (born c. 1965) is an American originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who served as a Special Assistant to the President and Presidential Speechwriter for Bill Clinton, as a foreign correspondent, and as an advisor to prominent leaders and philanthropists. Now a consultant, Pollack is a noted authority on analogy, wordplay, creativity, and innovation.
John Pollack (born c. 1965) is an American originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who served as a Special Assistant to the President and Presidential Speechwriter for Bill Clinton, as a foreign correspondent, and as an advisor to prominent leaders and philanthropists. Now a consultant, Pollack is a noted authority on analogy, wordplay, creativity, and innovation.
Early life
Born in Ann Arbor, Pollack attended public schools and graduated from Ann Arbor Huron High School, where he lettered in cross country, track and wrestling. Earlier, while living in England, he attended Durham Johnston Comprehensive School in Durham. In 1988 he graduated with distinction from Stanford University with an AB in American Studies, and served as a writer and editor for The Stanford Daily. In 1995, Pollack competed in the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships and won. He later wrote a book about puns and the history of wordplay, referencing his experience competing in the pun competition.
The Cork Boat
One of Pollack's notable projects was his 30-year quest to build what became The Cork Boat, a 22-foot Viking ship made almost entirely of wine corks, which he and his boatbuilding partner Garth Goldstein, along with a small crew, eventually sailed and rowed down the Douro River in Portugal. The boat and the journey, made possible through the help of hundreds of volunteers, received significant media attention in Portugal and was the subject of his 2004 book Cork Boat. In 2004, Pollack wrote a memoir of the experience entitled Cork Boat.
References
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377502242 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.