LA, Ep. 49

October 6, 2019 — In a Literary Death Match first, LDM teamed with the wondrous Hammer Museum for an afternoon of amazement, as four children's book authors read their own work, and were judge by kids! In the end, Matthew A. Cherry outdueled Isabel Quintero in a down-to-the-last letter Children's Book Author Spelling Bee to win Cherry the LDM LA, Ep. 49 crown, and literary immortality to go with it. 

What is Literary Death Match? Part literary event, part comedy show, part game show, Literary Death Match brings together four of today’s finest writers to compete in an edge-of-your-seat read-off critiqued by three celebrity judges, and concluded by a slapstick showdown to decide the ultimate champion.

Judges: 
Literary Merit & Performance will be judged by kids pulled from the audience

Intangibles: Zach Anner, author of If at Birth You Don't Succeed, comedian and writer for ABC's Speechless

Readers: 
Round 1: 
* Matthew A. Cherry, co-author of New York Times best-seller Hair Love (and writer/co-director of the Hair Love animated short film), and former NFL player and TV/film director
* Kelli McNeil, actor, voiceover artist, producer of the feature film Daruma, winner of the 2017 UCLA extension screenwriting competition, and author of Sleepy Toes

Round 2: 
* Isabel Quintero, author of My Papi Has a Motorcycle, winner of the 2015 William C. Morris Award & the Tomas Rivera Award
* Jon Klassen, American Caldecott and British Kate Greenaway Medal-winning author of This is Not My Hat

Hosted by LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga (author of Collision Theory).  

Where: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles (map)

When: 2 p.m. (doors at 1:30 p.m.)
Cost: Free