Paris, Ep. 3

July 27, 2015 — In an epic return to the City of Lights, Literary Death Match partnered with the Paris American Academy Writing Workshop for a brilliant event in Paris that finished with Adam Biles narrowly toppling co-finalist Linda Hervieux in a sudden-death One Star Wonder finale that won Biles the LDM Paris, Ep. 3 crown. 

But before the finale was even a consideration, the night kicked off with Biles, writer, translator, and author of The Deep and Grey Cats (finalist for the Paris Literary Prize), who read a raucous tale that featured jewels, defecation and everything in between. Next up was Kseniya Melnik, author of the Dylan Thomas Prize and Frank O'Connor Award-nominated Snow in May, who delighted the audience by reading the first pages of her all-new novel The Raven.

The mic was then handed over to the night's trio of all-star judges: Dinah Lenney, editor, teacher, sometime actor, and author of The Object Parade; Adrian Leeds, author of the first online restaurant guide to Paris and HGTV’S House Hunters International’s most popular real estate agent; and Luke Thompson, stand-up comedian and teacher behind the award-winning podcast Luke's English Podcast. The trio flung endless praise at both Biles and Melnik, but decided the bafflement and vileness of Biles story won them over, announcing he would be the night's first finalist. 

Then came Round 2, which led off with the outstanding Kevin Dolgin, travel writer for McSweeney's and author of The Third Tower Up the Road, who read a hilarious piece about great international phrases to use around the world. Finally it was Linda Hervieux, author of the forthcoming Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War, who read a breathtaking excerpt about the horrors of war. 

Then, again, the judges were handed the mic, and after doting on both authors — particularly fascinated by Dolgin's quick pronunciation of complicated phrases — they couldn't deny the power of Hervieux's work and performance, announcing Hervieux as the night's second finalist.  

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga who announced the night's finale: One Star Wonder, in which he read off 1-star Amazon book reviews written about classic books. Team Biles caught fire early on, and after building a nearly-insurmountable lead, Team Hervieux, stormed back to force sudden death overtime. With all to play for it was Team Biles who nailed the final answer, winning him the LDM Paris, Ep. 3 medal and literary immortality to go with it.