Word by Word,

About the event

A Way With Words is celebrating its 10th year of independent production!

Join us for a special evening with Martha Barnette and Grant Barret, co-hosts of San Diego’s popular radio show A Way with Words, as well as with local educators and community leaders being honored before an audience of some 330 public radio listeners and civic-minded San Diegans. A Way with Words is celebrating our milestone anniversary by celebrating local leaders across different sectors in San Diego County who are joining in our effort to build better understanding through language. 

Honorees include: 

Business: Dr. Allen Chan, Founder and CEO, Jasmine Seafood Restaurant

Education: Cindy Marten, Superintendent, San Diego Unified School District

Government: Dr. Shirley Weber, Assembly Member, 79th District

Journalism: Jeff Light, Publisher & Editor in Chief, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Law: Mario Conte, J.D., Distinguished Practitioner, California Western School of Law

Libraries: Rob Ray, Special Collections Division, San Diego State University

Medicine: Dr. John Carson, Cardiologist

Nonprofit: Kathlyn Mead, CEO, The San Diego Foundation

A Way with Words is a lively call-in radio show and podcast is about language and how we use it: word origins, slang, regional dialects, linguistic diversity, workplace communications, and the “linguistic heirlooms” that families pass down through the generations. The show is produced by Wayword, Inc., a San Diego 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and distributed to public radio stations, including KPBS, as well as educational institutions across North America. The nonprofit is supported with help from listeners, foundations, and corporate underwriters. All proceeds from this event will help the organization keep producing more episodes and continue serving our listeners.

Held at the beautiful San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, "Word by Word" will be an unforgettable evening of mingling, dinner, and a program that is entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring. We invite you to be a part of it.

Why should you sponsor?

As a sponsor, you’ll partner with the beloved radio show A Way with Words, which has a devoted fan base both here in San Diego County, and in more than 300 other cities across the country. Sponsorship opportunities include on-air underwriting credits airing in all those cities, as well as social media mentions, a VIP reception, and Event Day materials.

A Way with Words has a devoted hometown audience in Southern California. The are an engaged, loyal group that is growing every day. Our listeners are:

●  55% 25-54 years old

●  56% 35-64 years old

●  52% have at least an undergraduate degree

●  72% more likely to have a post-graduate degree

●  41% have a household income of $100,000+

●  68% own a home

●  47% own stocks/bonds/mutual funds

Rosemary Downing-Espinal

A Way with Words is a public radio show about language examined through history, culture, and family. Hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett talk with listeners from around the world about word origins, slang, regional dialects, literature and writing, linguistic diversity, workplace communication, and linguistic traditions handed down through generations.

A Way with Words means different things to different people. It is an oasis of civility and informed conversation both online and on air, an enjoyable way for people of all backgrounds to learn something new, a helpful tool for educators, a place to settle disputes over grammar and usage, and an educational resource for inspiring and satisfying intellectual curiosity.

Over the past decade, the hosts have received tens of thousands of inquiries about language via phone, email, and social media. On the air, they answer a wide variety of them, emphasizing respect for diverse ways of communicating and revealing our common linguistic roots.

The show reaches more than a quarter-million listeners a week, with more than 15 million all-time podcast downloads. The show's educational outreach also extends to talks by the hosts at schools, libraries, and other civic organizations.

The continuous rise in loyal listeners, social media followers, and subscribers confirms a widespread hunger for intelligent, inclusive conversation about language. Listeners tell us they rely on the show not only to help make themselves understood and to understand others, but also to reassure themselves that they are not alone in their joy, frustration, or puzzlement when it comes to the topics explored on the show.

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