Background About Joel Pett Joel Pett, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons, has been the editorial cartoonist at the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1984. His cartoons have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines nationwide, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, USA Today, Chicago Sun-Times, George, Business Week, Ms. and Discover. Having observed life in more than 25 countries, from his boyhood home in Nigeria, down the Amazon, to Red Square, Tiananmen Square and beyond, Pett sums up his philosophy simply: "Hello, God? Listen, we could use some help down here."

In addition to winning the Pulitzer, Pett is the 1995 winner of the Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues. He has served as president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Pett's cartoon collections are available in four paperback collections, the latest being "Just Don't Inhale." Joel Pett is proudest of his college intramural golf title and of shutting out a University of Kentucky basketball player in a game of HORSE. His list of embarrassments is endless.