Tulsa, Ep. 4

April 23, 2014 — To start the Oklahoma spring off right, LDM once again teamed with Booksmart Tulsa for an epic return to the Sooner State — and more specifically to All Souls Unitarian Church — with a show that saw Matt Cauthron outduel co-finalist Lara Marie Schoenhals in a hotly-contested battle of One Star Wonder, winning Cauthron the LDM Tulsa, Ep. 4 crown in overtime. 

But before the finale was even a thought, the night kicked off with Schoenhals (co-creator/author of White Girl Problems by Babe Walker) reading from her latest Babe Walker book Psychos — a wonderfully funny and shocking excerpt that delved, surprisingly, into anal play. Next up was Holly Wall, award-winning journalist and managing editor for This Land, who wowed with a sobering piece about the only time she left the country, as a Christian missionary going to Mexico. 

The mic was then handed to the trio of all-star judges: Sean Latham, editor of the James Joyce Quarterly, and facult chair of English at the U of Tulsa; Rose McLarney, National Poetry Series award-winning poet of Its Day Being Gone; and Book Smart Tulsa's Jeff Martin. The three ripped off a series of dazzling commentary, praising both writers in all kinds of verbally acrobatic ways before deciding it would be Schoenhals who would advance as the night's first finalist. 

Next was Round 2, which was led off by Bruce Plante, acclaimed political cartoonist for Tulsa World, who told the tale of mascots, reeling off hilarious examples of honest-to-goodness mascot names from universities and high schools (Fighting Webbed Feet; Fighting Artichokes; Banana Slugs) that had the audience tittering. Finally, it was Cauthron, who told the wild tale of his stepfather Hank, a jerk to the fullest degree. 

Again the judges were handed the mic, and again they delivered with praise and wild associations before deciding it would be Cauthron who would advance as the night's second finalist. 

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga to announce the night's finale: One Star Wonders, in which he read off 1-star Amazon book reviews written about classic books. The finalists, teamed with volunteers from the crowd, traded points, and with everything to play for on the final question, it was Team Cauthron who slapped the bell first, nailing the final answer, winning her the LDM Tulsa, Ep. 4 medal and literary immortality to go with it.

Follow us on Twitter: @litdeathmatch

Then up stepped LDM creator Adrian Todd Zuniga to announce the night's finale: One Star Wonders, in which he read off 1-star Amazon book reviews written about classic books. The finalists, teamed with volunteers from the crowd, traded points, and with everything to play for on the final question, it was Team Cauthron who slapped the bell first, nailing the final answer, winning her the LDM Tulsa, Ep. 4 medal and literary immortality to go with it.

Follow us on Twitter: @litdeathmatch