Louisville, Ep. 1

November 14, 2015 — For our Bluegrass State debut, Literary Death Match teamed with the bright minds at Louisville Literary Arts for their Writer's Block Festival to put together a wild and wily night at the Haymarket Whiskey Bar that ended with Hannah Pittard outdueling Gabe Tomlin in a Lone Star Lit finale to win her the LDM Louisville, Ep. 1 crown.

But before the finale was even a thought, the scrumptious night kicked off with Will Lavender, author of Obedience, a New York Times and international bestseller, and Dominance, reading a chilling tale that had the audience gripping their seats. Next up was Tomlin, Generation iSpeak featured poet, who read a pair of poems rife with verbal pyrotechnics that spanned the tragic and the lovely. 

The mic was then handed over the the night's trio of all-star judges: Crystal E. Wilkinson, author of Blackberries, Blackberries and founder of Affrilachian Poets; Erin Keane, poet, critic, journalist and author of Demolition of the Promised Land; and Gill Holland, film producer and co-developer of The Green Building. The three took turns wittily praising the writers before huddling up and making the night's first impossible decision, declaring Tomlin as the night's first finalist. 

Then came Round 2, which featured a gob-smacking quartet of poems by Ryan Ridge, author of American Homes, Hunters & Gamblers and Ox. Finally it was Hannah Pittard, award-winning author of Reunion and The Fates Will Find Their Way, who joyfully whipped through an excerpt from her forthcoming novel, Listen to Me.

The mic was again handed to the judges, who married quips and applause for the work of both authors before deciding it would be Pittard who would advance as the night's second finalist.

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga who announced the night's finale: Lone Star Lit, in which he read off 1-star Amazon book reviews written about classic books. Team Pittard caught fire early on, but then Team Tomlin stormed back, but with everything on the line, it was Team Pittard who nailed the final answer, winning her the LDM Louisville, Ep. 1 medal and literary immortality to go with it.