Edinburgh, Ep. 13

August 26, 2015 — For the fourth of eight consecutive LDM's in eight days at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Literary Death Match showcased boatloads of literary and comedic muscle in a show that ended with Harry Baker outdueling Chloe Combi in a crazy-wild Lone Star Lit finale to win the LDM Edinburgh, Ep. 13 crown. 

But before the finale was even a thought, the show opened with Amelia Kallman, author of Diary of a Shanghai Showgirl, decked out in full regalia as she read an excerpt from her debut book. Next up was Harry Baker, the poet behind EdFringe's The Sunshine Kid, who whipped off a gem of a poem about pop-up paper people.  

The mic was then handed to the trio of all-star judges: Helen Lederer, comedian, actress (Absolutely Fabulous), author of Losing It; Tats Nkonzo (The African with Wifi), comedian, guitarist, host of South Africa's Got Talent; and Joe Lycett (That's the Way A-Ha, A-Ha Joe Lycett), comedian, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee. The outrageously smart/fun/wild-minded trio heaped loads of praise and witticisms on both readers before huddling up and making the late-afternoon's first impossible decision, declaring Baker as the first finalist. 

Then came Round 2, kicked off by Chloe Combi, author of Generation Z, who read an excerpt of two girls discussing feminism. Finally it was Emma Hooper, who dazzled with her excerpt (that featured singing!) from Etta and Otto and Russell and James, about a heartaching drowning. 

The microphone was again passed to the judges, who were completely mind-blown by the captivating authors, delivering a blinding set of commentary about both writers, before making the night's second impossible choice, deciding to send Combi on to the finals. 

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga, who announced the night's finale: One Star Wonders — a game in which Zuniga read off 1-star Amazon book reviews written about classic books. The two finalists (Combi and Baker) were teamed with volunteers and they traded points, but with everything to play for, it was Team Baker who was triumphant, winning him the LDM Edinburgh, Ep. 13 crown, and literary immortality to go with it. 

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