Winner
Josie Leavitt and Rusty DeWees

Runner-Up:
Jason Lorber

Whether helping to develop young comedians or slaying audiences of her own, the matriarch of Vermont’s burgeoning stand-up comedy scene is among the area’s most accomplished comics. She also owns one of Chittenden County’s coolest bookstores, the Flying Pig in Shelburne.

SEVEN DAYS: Let’s say NBC just picked up your pilot for a show called “Oh, That Joanie!” It’s about the zany misadventures of a woman who runs a bookstore by day and does standup by night. Sadly, the suits at NBC won’t let you play the lead role, but they will let you cast it, provided it’s a reasonably well-known actress. Who do you choose, and why?

JOSIE LEAVITT: Janeane Garofalo. She’s really smart and seems like an actress who reads a lot. Plus, she’s got enough attitude that she could handle the eight hours a day of customer service while still having a lot of laughs. She also has the right amount of flakiness to forget important things sometimes, like paying the rent.

— Dan Bolles