Andrew Tarvin Brings 'United States of Laughter' to San Diego

New York-based comedian and motivational speaker Andrew Tarvin will discuss and sign copies of his memoir, "The United States of Laughter," at Upstart Crow Coffeehouse & Bookstore in San Diego on Friday, April 13. He will also appear on "Good Morning San Diego" on KUSI-TV on Thursday, April 12, streaming live at www.kusi.com.

"I'm looking forward to getting out of the cold Northeast and enjoying San Diego's gorgeous weather," Tarvin said.

In addition to his book signing, Tarvin is scheduled to speak at the annual conference of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, which is taking place in San Diego April 12-15. The comedian, 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 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 his car.

"The lease was up on my New York apartment," he explained. "I was planning a six-week comedy tour, anyway, and didn't want to pay for another apartment while I was gone, so I decided to keep going. I had always wanted to visit all 50 states."

Along the way, Tarvin encountered a wide array of colorful characters, often under unusual circumstances:

• In Alaska, he sang a made-up song to a bear, to scare it away.
• In California, he helped push a Ferrari and its grateful owner out of the sand, along a remote desert road under the blazing sun.
• In North Dakota, he performed an original poem at an open-mic night at a biker bar, to the delight of the rough-and-tumble crowd.
• In Arizona, a visit to the Grand Canyon caused him to reflect on his late father's influence on his life.

"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."

Andrew Tarvin will appear on "Good Morning San Diego" on KUSI-TV on Thursday, April 12, at 9:40 a.m. PST. He will discuss "The United States of Laughter" at Upstart Crow Coffeehouse & Bookstore, 835 W Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101 (Seaport Village) on Friday, April 13, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages. For information, call (619) 232-4855.

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