Brooklyn, Ep. 5

June 22, 2015 — To celebrate the summer solstice, Literary Death Match returned to The Bell House in Brooklyn for our lone NY-based show of the summer, in a showcase of sparkling, high-energy dazzlement that ended with Naomi Jackson outdueling co-finalist Dorothea Lasky in a semi-wild game of Literary Musical Chairs, winning Jackson the LDM Brooklyn, Ep. 5 crown. 

But before the finale was even a thought, the brilliant night kicked off with Lasky, author of four books of poetry, including ROME, who reeled off a brilliant set of poems that took on topics of boobs, the horrors of porn and hippies. Next up was Marie-Helene Bertino (author of 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas) who read a beautiful, pitch-perfect excerpt from her novel Safe As Houses. 

Then the mic was handed over to the trio of all-star judges: Tim Federle, award-winning author of Better Nate than Never and Tequila Mockingbird; Bernhoft, Grammy-nominated solo artist (Best R&B Album) of Islander; and Jena Friedman, stand-up comedian, The Daily Show field producer. The three heaped praise aplenty on both authors before making the night's first impossible decision, finally declaring Lasky as the night's first finalist. 

After a brief, boozy intermission, the night rocketed into Round 2, starting off with Lance Rubin, author of YA novel Denton Little's Deathdate and co-host of The Lance and Ray Show Podcast, who had the audience in throes with his narrator's famous last words in a botched speech. Finally it was Naomi Jackson, winner of Maytag Fellowship for Excellence in Fiction and author of The Star Side of Bird Hill, who had 

Again the judges were center stage, with the three applauding (and gently jeering) the two readers, before huddling up and making the night's second impossible decision, finally selecting Jackson as the night's second finalist. 

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga, who announced the night's finale: Literary Musical Chairs, in which volunteers from the crowd were paired with finalists, then circled the chairs while listening to songs inspired by great works of literature. After Team Jackson took a 3-1 lead, the audience cheered on Team Lasky's final representative, but it was not to be, as all of Team Jackson sat first, winning Jackson the LDM Brooklyn, Ep. 5 medal, and literary immortality to go with it.