The ''Pennsylvania Punch Bowl'', also known colloquially as the ''Punch Bowl'', is a humor magazine published by students at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. The magazine was founded in 1899.

History

The ''Punch Bowl'' was founded in 1899 by members of

Mask and Wig The Mask and Wig Club, a private club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1889, is a historic collegiate musical comedy troupe. Created as an alternative to the existing theatrical and dramatic outlets at the University of Pennsylvania, Mas ...

and the

Philomathean Society The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the United States.This cl ...

, making it one of the oldest college humor magazines in the United States. The founders were Daniel Martin Karcher and Edward Burwell Rich. The magazine was intermittently published during the twentieth century, appearing in only 70 of the 100 years from 1899 to 1999. The magazine is currently printed three to four times a year, coming out each semester and when the new students arrive in the fall. In its earliest days, the ''Punch Bowl'' rivaled the ''Daily Pennsylvanian'', an all-around daily student newspaper, and ''Red and Blue'', which contained a mix of news and literary essays. During this time, the ''Punch Bowl'' was distributed in local high schools and leading hotels in Philadelphia and in about a dozen other cities on the East Coast. Since its establishment, the ''Pennsylvania Punch Bowl'' has termed its members "spoons." In 1930, members were split into "art spoons," "business spoons," and "editorial spoons"; now members are either "little" or "big" spoons depending on their seniority. In fall 2006, the ''Punch Bowl'' created a new website, which adds new humor pieces every day. In addition to its regular set of student columnists, the ''Punch Bowl'' features new contributors each Wednesday. Recurring pieces in the magazine and website include "Letter from

Amy Gutmann Amy Gutmann (born November 19, 1949) is an American academic and diplomat who is the United States Ambassador to Germany. She was the eighth president of the University of Pennsylvania. In November 2016, the school announced that her contract ...

" and "March Madness Voting." In answer to a question about his advice for the young,

alumnus Ezra Pound refers to the ''Punch Bowl'' in a 1962 issue of ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Phil ...

'': "In fact the University of Pennsylvania student ''Punch Bowl'' used to have as its motto, 'Any damn fool can be spontaneous.'"

Issues

Controversy

As a satire magazine pushing the envelope of what is deemed fit for publishing, the ''Punch Bowl'' has found itself at the center of some controversies. As Charles A. Wright, a member of the editorial staff in the early 1920s, noted: “Part of our planning for an issue was to pick a title that, combined with the cover drawing, would create a ‘racy’ effect. ... Our jokes dealt mostly with campus subjects, such as freshmen, football, absent-minded professors, and coeds; and current events, including the beginning of Prohibition, the wearing of knickers, and the popularity of a dance called ‘The Toddle.’” In 1939, ten ''Punch Bowl'' editors were suspended for the printing of ribald humor, causing small riots near 37th and Spruce Streets. Some suspect the ''Penn vs. Cornell'' football game may also have magnified the mass student disturbances. The Winter 2008 Issue - "The ~~Racism~~ Diversity Issue" - attracted attention and created a minor debate on campus because of pieces inside that certain student groups saw as unfairly targeting or aiming a disproportionate number of jokes at certain groups., The University's campus newspaper later criticized these student groups for their overreaction to the issue. To assuage the offended parties and poke fun at the ordeal, the ''Punch Bowl'' called their Spring 2008 issue "43% less racist."

Alumni

* Ezra Pound, American poet who was a major figure in the

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

movement *John Valentine Lovitt, an accomplished lawyer who served in the Navy during World War I and as Expert on International Security Affairs during World War II; served as Editor-in-Chief * Morton Livingston Schamberg, an American Modernist painter and photographer; served as frequent contributor of illustrations for the magazine *Leo Yanoff, judge of the Essex County Superior Court; served on the editorial board

References

{{Penn Satirical magazines published in the United States Student magazines published in the United States College humor magazines Magazines established in 1889 Magazines published in Philadelphia Triannual magazines published in the United States University of Pennsylvania