Paula Poundstone performing at Discovery Theatre June 24

ANCHORAGE — Iconic comedian Paula Poundstone is set to perform at the Discovery Theatre in downtown Anchorage Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Poundstone is a multi-talented Massachusetts raised stand-up comedian, author, actor, and commentator, and podcast host.

She is known for providing backstage commentary during the 1992 presidential election on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," frequently appearing as a panelist on NPR's weekly news quiz show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me," and being involved in other notable projects throughout her career in comedy.

Her current podcast "Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone" streams weekly on multiple platforms.

Poundstone has visited Alaska numerous times. She participated in a question and answer interview to discuss her impending return to the Last Frontier and her thoughts about being involved with comedy for over four decades.

How do you feel about coming back to Alaska?

"I love it up there… If it wasn't so hard to get someplace else from there, I think I would live there."

"What's been some of your favorite aspects of doing comedy over the years?

I love the response and laughter- always have… I love thinking of things that are funny and saying them. How unbelievable I get to do that for a living. The truth is, I also like to sleep but I don't see any way that's going to be A: as gratifying and B: where I can make a living on that."

What's it been like being a part of 'Wait, Wait… Don't Tell Me' over the years?

"It's great fun, really fun. One of the joys of doing 'Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me' is that for the panelists, it is unscripted… The un-customization of it was custom made for me. We know the questions are going to be about the weeks' news. That's all we know. I don't have jokes. I just sort of go in and assume that at some point, I'll think of something. And, so far so good… We genuinely have a good time."

What's been some of your favorite things about being involved with 'Wait, Wait…. Don't Tell Me'?

"Well, I always come away with little bits of totally unnecessary information. I was always able to entertain my kids when I got home with some ridiculous fact, the news of the weird kind of stuff."

How would you compare that to your stand-up comedy?

"My standup is also unscripted. Because I've been doing this job for 44 years, I have somewhere in my head, 44 years of material… When I go do a show, I have that to fall back on. But the truth is, I don't have a set list. I don't know what I'm going to say when. My act is largely autobiographical. I talk about what I've been watching, what I've been listening to, what I've been thinking about, what I've been doing… No two shows are the same."

For more information, visit alaskapac.org/theatres/discovery-theatre