Journal

LA, Ep. 5

2012-01-27T02:53:00Z

January 26, 2012 — On a downright magical night, Literary Death Match declared LA its home before a jam-packed house at Busby's East, followed by a nonstop series of hilarity, tenderness, fabulism, wordplay and beyond, which finished with Matthew Specktor nipping Ben Loory in a literary spelling bee by a razor-close margin, nailing "Ondaatje" to give him a 17-16 lead, and the LDM LA, Ep. 5 crown.

SF, Ep. 42

2012-01-13T18:28:00Z

January 13, 2012 — The first Literary Death Match of 2012 was an instant classic, as our triumphant return to the Elbo Room saw Alia Volz topple Seth Harwood at Literary Author Jumble by a hugely narrow margin of 51.8 seconds.

LDM 2011: Year in Review

2011-12-25T06:26:00Z

A Portland-based journalist asked me to tell her about my experience watching Literary Death Match grow after going from four events in one city (NYC) in 2006, to 68 events over 31 cities in 2011. Here was my answer (that went unpublished — she just used a tiny quote from another question):

"As far as I can tell, the stages of creation go something like this:

London, Ep. 21

2011-12-07T12:41:00Z

December 7, 2011 — A converted brewery tucked behind Spitalfields Market became a Santa’s grotto of literary greatness for the final LDM of the year as Kat Brown defeated Ed Hogan in a tense, sudden-death Bauble-Off! that lasted a nail-gnawing four rounds before Brown triumphed over her adversary to claim the Death Match crown.

Amsterdam, Ep. 2

2011-12-01T17:21:00Z

December 1, 2011 — With winter's onset trinkling down in rainstorm-form, inside SMART Project Space it was a brilliantly cozy, Versal-presented evening, as gobs of onlookiers witnessed Jane Lewty snare victory from the jaws of victory, out-spelling her formidable counterpart Anna Arov in a Literary Spelling Bee finale that saw Lewty win by a closer-than-it-appears 17-8 margin that won her the Literary Death Match crown.

Miami, Ep. 3 (Miami Book Fair)

2011-11-18T05:50:28Z

November 18, 2011 — The conclusion to LDM's epic 20-city tour — at Miami Book Fair no less — couldn't have been grander, with a down-to-the-wire finale that saw comics mastermind Jennifer Hayden outduel Mat Johnson by a single point in a literary spell-off that won Hayden the Literary Death Match Miami crown.

Boston, Ep. 6

2011-11-17T21:10:00Z

November 17, 2011 — On a drizzly Boston night, it was raining talent inside OBERON, as the knock-down, drag-out finale saw Courtney Maum outduel co-finalist William Giraldi by a final score of 17-10, in an audience-wowing literary spelling bee that won Maum the Literary Death Match crown.

Kansas City, Ep. 2

2011-11-16T09:12:08Z

November 16, 2011 — In a literary and comedic romp for the midwestern ages, a packed house at The Brick witnessed a literary spelling bee finish between co-finalists Matthew Eck and Sarah Smarsh that ended with a closer-than-it-appears score of 13-1, winning Eck the LDM crown.

Tulsa, Ep. 1

2011-11-15T05:30:00Z

November 15, 2011 – In one of the Literary Death Match's greatest all-time city debuts (Tulsa became our 39th home), the Muzakal Chairs throwback finale saw Team Cary Aspinwall fall to Team Sloan Davis in a remarkably close, and brilliantly contested finish at Congregation B'Nai Emunah Synagogue that won Davis Tulsa's first ever LDM crown. And all of it thanks to Booksmart Tulsa.

Orlando, Ep. 2

2011-11-13T14:48:00Z

November 13, 2011 — Beneath the prettifying lights of Orlando's fantastic Mad Cow Theatre, the giddy crowd witnessed Team Tod Caviness outduel Team Rachel Leona Kapitan by a score of 8-3 in an epically long Cyrillic-Off! that won Caviness the second-ever LDM Orlando crown, presented by Burrow Press.