Melbourne, Ep. 2

9 April, 2024 — In what can only be described as an instant classic, Literary Death Match returned to Melbourne (and more specifically fortyfivedownstairs) with an eye-popping lineup and the generous support of the City of Melbourne Arts Grants, for a night that saw Thabani Tshuma narrowly outduel co-finalist Candy Bowers in a down-to-the-wire Literary Spelling Bee winning Tshuma the LDM Melbourne, Ep. 2 crown, and literary immortality to go with it.

Here's the full lineup from the night: 

JUDGES: 
Literary Merit: Toni Jordan, award-winning, international best-selling author of Prettier if She Smiled More, Addition (the subject of a major 2024 feature film), Nine Days (winner of Best Fiction at the 2012 Indie Awards) and Our Tiny, Useless Hearts (longlisted for the International Dublin and Voss Literary Awards)

Performance: Nina Oyama, actor (Deadloch; Utopia), comedian (Taskmaster Australia; her 2024 MICF show Nina Oyama is Coming), screenwriter and AWGIE Award-winner for Koala Man

Intangibles: Michelle Brasier, multiple award-winning actor, singer, comedian and author of the forthcoming memoir, My Brother's Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag. She's earned standing ovations in Aus, UK and USA, and has been seen on Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe, Stories From Oz, Thank God You’re Here, Koala Man and more!

READERS: 
Round 1: 
* Thabani Tshuma, multi-award-winning Zimbabwean writer and performance poet, co-curator of Thin Red Lines and and author of the debut collection, The Gospel of Unmade Creation

* Sez, comedian, musician, writer, producer and content creator who regularly goes viral (300+ million views and counting), she was named as one of Herald Sun's "Who to Watch in 2024" 

Round 2: 
* Charlie Lewin, award-winning comedian, theatre-maker and podcaster who writes and directs for TV and stage. He won Best Newcomer at the 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and his podcast POPGAYS won the silver award for Best Entertainment Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards 2022

* Candy Bowers, mischief-maker, writer, creator, musician and the co-creator of global phenomenon Hot Brown Honey. She’s worked as a contributor, actor and sketch writer for the Comedy Channel and the ABC (including Tonightly with Tom Ballard and Get Krack!n)

Hosted by LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga (author of the award-nominated novel Collision Theory)

Produced by Riley Nottingham, producer, actor and the mind behind Riley Nottingham Needs Your Help

Where: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Ln, Melbourne, 3000 (map)

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants