Miami, Ep. 6

November 21, 2014 — In our yearly gallop to the glowing-skies of southern Florida, we once again teamed up with Miami Book Fair International for a Florida-themed event that brought South Beach to its knees (or at least Wynwood) as Jennine Capó Crucet outdueled co-finalist Liz Tracy in a down-to-the-wire Literary Charades finale to win Capó Crucet the LDM Miami, Ep. 6 crown. 

But before the finale was even a thought, Neil de la Flor led off with stellar passages from his Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize-winning Almost Dorothy which had the audience on the edge of their seats. Then it was Liz Tracy, music editor at New Times Broward Palm Beach, who delighted with a story of young love. 

The mic was then handed to the trio of all-star judges: Ariel Schrag, Eisner Award-nominated author of Potential, Awkward, Definition and Adam; Billy Corben, director of Cocaine Cowboys, ESPN 30 for 30's The U, Broke and The U Part 2; and Ben Katchor, MacArthur genius grant-winning cartoonist, and creator of Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer. The three flitted between smarts, insider Miami and off-the-wall observation before huddling up and decided it would be Tracy who would advance as the night's first finalist. 

Then came Round 2, led off by J.J. Colagrande, professor, journalist, and author of novels Decò and Headz, who told the fascinating tale of being expelled from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Then it was Capó Crucet (author of award-winning How to Leave Hialeah & Make Your Home Among Strangers) who blazed through her beautiful story with the energy of a runaway train. 

Again, the judges were center stage, offering up a litany of whimsical and brainy and local thoughts before they announced Capó Crucet as the night's second finalist. 

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga, who announced the night's finale: Literary Charades. With a trio of "actors" on the stage, Zuniga delivered titles of famous books that had been adapted for TV or film, while Capó Crucet and Tracy guessed the titles. After Capó Crucet rocketed to an early lead, Tracy stormed back. Then, with everything to play for it was Capó Crucet who shouted out the final answer, winning her the Literary Death Match Miami, Ep. 6 crown and literary immortality to go with it. 

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