SF, Ep. 30

June 11, 2010 — All would agree: It was spectacular, and it was spectacle. The Literary Death Match's finest hour, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, saw a record-breaking audience witness an epic and sensational battle that concluded with Etiqueta Negra reader-rep Daniel Alarcón narrowly out-shining Porchlight's Beth Lisick by a score of 6-5 in a Literary Geography Bee that went down to the final, confusing, tie-breaker question. Alarcón, the event's ultimate champion, was sashed and medaled in front of a thrilled and raucous crowd. 

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Festivals, Ep. 1: Flatlake (Clones, Ireland)

June 5, 2010 — In a wild (and, sure, somewhat violent) game of musical chairs underneath The Flatlake Festival's Butty Barn, Team Kalle Ryan survived Brute! Magazine creator Malcolm Bennett's band of merry sitters, winning Ryan the Literary Death Match crown and literary immortality. 

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London, Ep. 6

June 3, 2010 — Literary Death Match London's return to where it all started — at Old Queens Head — was a levity-fueled evening that saw Big Green Bookshop's Greg Stekelman (A Year in the Life of TheManWhoFellAsleep) out-boot co-finalist Evie Wyld (Fire a Still Small Voice) in a wild World Cup-themed finale by a final, Literary Death Match championship-winning score, of 3-2.

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NYC, Ep. 26

May 20, 2010 — Literary Death Match NYC's Ep. 26 was a wild and fiery affair that saw a brilliant set of talent light up the Bowery Poetry Club stage, as Mike Edison powerfully outdueled Melissa Febos in a fierce match of Literary Pinata to claim the storied Literary Death Match crown. 

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SF, Ep. 29

May 14, 2010 — The tension was palpable and the competition fierce at the Elbo Room in San Francisco. Some say writers are mathematically challenged. Not poet Randall Mann, who narrowly beat Matthew Zapruder in a thrilling Showcase Showdown, á la The Price Is Right.

Co-hosts Elissa Bassist and Tracy Clark-Flory (Salon.com), armed with squirt guns and sass, warned contestants (and any audience member who didn't laugh at their jokes) that they wouldn't leave the stage dry that night. No one was safe . . . except maybe literary merit judge Andrew Leland (the Believer), whose extemporaneous pseudo-erotic flash fiction earned him immunity).

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London, Ep. 5

May 5, 2010 — Literary Death Match London's 5th-ever episode at The Book Club — on 5/5, no less — was a brilliant affair that concluded with Popshot Magazine representative Helen Mort outdueling Stuart Evers (representing Wham! Bam! Story Slam!) in a British election-themed masterpiece/catastrophe to bring home the Literary Death Match crown. 

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Dublin, Ep. 2

May 1, 2010 — The Sugar Club played host to a magically intimate night of literature and levity, as Dublin's second-ever episode was decided by a narrow margin, as Julian Gough (featured in Best European Fiction 2010) outscribbled Glór Sessions' Stephen James Smith in a draw-off that ended 2-1, with Gough being sashed and medaled as Dublin's latest Literary Death Match champion. 

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University, Ep. 3 (Columbia College)

April 27, 2010 — Last night's Literary Death Match at Columbia College's Conaway Center — in partnership with Silver Tongue Reading Series  — was a collegiate delight that saw Meghan Rock's music-minded team outguess co-finalist Vanessa Pegram's team in a wild Stab-Kevin Leahy-with-a-Foam-Sword-Then-Guess-the-Tune finale that Rock won 9-7, winning her literary immortality.

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Austin, Ep. 2

April 22, 2010 — Literary Death Match Austin's return — at Speakeasy, the 11th stop on Opium100's Monster Fundraising Tour — was a Texas-sized success that ended with Tyler Stoddard Smith narrowly besting Spike Gillespie 5-3 in a wild game of Wildly High Five the Co-Host Then Guess the Musical Artist. Smith, basking in new literary immortality, was crowned by Austin, Ep. 1 champ (and emergency judge) Amelia Gray.

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Boston, Ep. 3

April 22, 2010 — An epic night at Cambridge's Enormous Room served up genius judging, genius readings, and a literary Hockey-Baseball Book-Knock-Over Shootout that saw Beacon Press reader-rep Jay Wexler outsnipe Quick Fiction reader-representative Christen Enos 3-2 in overtime, making Wexler Boston's latest Literary Death Match Champion.

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