Hope Mihalap is a nationally-acclaimed humorist who was born in Virginia and grew up in a Greek-American family. She is a graduate of Vassar College, where she was president of the student body, and worked as private secretary to the temperamental Sir Rudolf Bing, head of the Metropolitan Opera.

She has been a newspaper columnist, a television show guest, and an announcer on public radio. An accent specialist, she is also the character voice behind dozens of radio commercials.

In 1991 she received the prestigious Mark Twain Award for Humor from the International Platform Association. Previous winners include Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Phyllis Diller and Erma Bombeck. As a humorist, Hope finds material in her personal background and creates impressions of such varying types as a dour Russian professor, a Greek astronaut's wife, and a New York girdle saleswoman. Her gift for characterization has been compared to that of Lili Tomlin. Hope also holds the Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE) from the National Speakers Association, considered the "Oscar" of the speaking profession.

Hope is married to a professor of Russian. They have three children, one a teacher, another an artists and the third an actor and comedian. She and her husband live in Norfolk, Virginia. Cooking (to avoid housecleaning) and reading mysteries are her favorite forms of relaxation.

TOPICS of HOPE include: WHERE THERE'S HOPE THERE'S LAUGHTER: a potpourri of original, humorous stories for sheer entertainment.

SWIMMING THROUGH THE MELTING POT: a witty, common-sense look at global diversity.

PLAY IT BY EAR: how to communicate better by using your basic senses.

FROM OPERA TO UPROAR: a hilarious look at arts administration: the cradle of crisis management.

CONFESSIONS OF THE WORLD'S WORST SECRETARY: how common sense and humor help you do your job.

He best selling book Where There's Hope, There's Life and Laughter is a humorous autobiography, published by Trudy Knox, Granville, OH.      

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