NYC, Ep. 38
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:28PM June 21, 2011 — In honor of PRIDE week, Literary Death Match brought together a host of LGBT writers and funny folks for an outrageous show of fabulous proportions. A fierce contest ensued, but ultimately Frank Anthony Polito out-read, out-danced and out-guessed his way into LDM herstory, winning the finale 7-3 over the gracious Regan Hofmann.
Frank Anthony Polito makes mayhem at LDM NYC, Ep. 38 (Click for more pictures!)
Host and Executive Producer Ann Heatherington explained the rules over the relentless barrage of banter between hilarious snarksters Jason Schneiderman, Jason Stuart, and Eddie Sarfaty. It was clear the night would be a wild ride!
First Round contenders Polito and David Pratt limbered up and readied themselves for battle. Polito started off the night, reading from his novel Drama Queers!, and finishing with a double-axel-into a-sit spin combination as he re-enacted his narrator’s debut drag performance as Alexis from Ice Castles. Sarfaty testified he had a religious experience in the halo of light cast by the sparkling fleur-de-lis on Polito’s t-shirt. The bar for Intangibles set exceedingly high, Pratt had a tough course ahead. Countering with oodles of dry wit, he read from his debut novel Bob the Book, describing the trials and tribulations of a gay book, collecting dust and pining for a buyer. Stuart was no fan of Pratt’s fashion choices, but by contrast, Schneiderman was bemused by Bob’s shelfmates. After a brief deliberation, the judges tapped Polito for the final round.
The ladies then took the stage, with R. Erica Doyle losing the Metrocard-toss to start off Round Two. She commanded full attention with her story “Tante Merle,” reading in Trinidadian dialect brimming with melody and attitude. Stuart couldn’t understand a word she said, but didn’t much care, because of her spectacular performance. Last up, POZ editor-in-chief Regan Hofmann captivated the crowd with a reading from her memoir I Have Something to Tell You. Schneiderman, declaring he was utterly surprised that he - a happily gay married man - found her book cover impossibly hot. Stuart confessed to hating Hofmann on-sight simply because she’s a pretty, skinny blond. Surfaces aside, the judges were moved by Hofmann's reading and selected her for the finals.
In a finale one-part educational, one-part inspirational and all parts hysterical, Polito and Hoffman racked their respective brains to identify gay authors like Edward Albee and Eileen Myles from their childhood photos. Ultimately Polito took the crown, beating Hofmann 7-3, with not a little help from his smartypants half of the audience. After a Nadal-worthy knee slide, he flashed his medal and a winning smile, and proudly joined the ranks of LDM Champions.
Thanks to POZ and POZ.com and OUTMedia for their support of LDM's PRIDE edition! Proceeds benefitted The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth.
Reader Comments (1)
Looking forward to kicking some literary butt with you all!