Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 1:26AM 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 Here was my answer (that went unpublished — she just used a tiny quote from another question):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:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 7:41AM 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.
Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 12:21PM 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.
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 12:50AM 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.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 4:10PM 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.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 4:12AM 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.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 12:30AM 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.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 9:48AM 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.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 1:05AM November 10, 2011 — Before a lively crowd at Alphabet City's Drom (only feet from where Literary Death Match was conceived 68 months before), Literary Death Match NYC turned 40 episodes old, and finished with a breakneck ending in which Team Teddy Wayne out-Cyrillic'd Team Angela Lovell by a final score of 8-4, winning Wayne the coveted LDM crown.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 3:44AM November 9, 2011 — Before a jovial crowd at Brillobox, the Literary Death Match made Pittsburgh it's 38th city worldwide with a wild night of literary and comedic heroics — presented by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre — that saw Team Lori Jakiela outduel Team Jimmy Cvetic in a Pulitzer-themed Cyrllic Off, with a down-to-the-wire 9-7 victory, winning Jakiela the LDM crown.