Literary Death Match San Francisco 27

Co-host Braden Marks uses one of Julie Greicius' hoops

Last night was Fri Mar 13 2010. This is what happened:

As on all second Fridays, the Literary Death Match filled the upstairs of Elbo Room. The last death match being a high water mark with over 300 people in attendance to see Michelle Tea, Joshua Mohr, Dylan Schaffer and Samantha Schoech all offer powerful performances (the judges really had a tough time that evening), I had my own quiet suspicion that last night was going to be disappointing.

So I was prepared for a drop in quality even though I've been thoroughly enjoying The IHOP Papers, by Lambda Award-winning contestant Ali Liebegott, and even though Chicken John, who I have had the pleasure of seeing here here and here, was another of the readers.

Ali Liebegott stole my heart last night

Second-time host Elissa Bassist was joined by Braden Marks, and despite their collective newness they brought an energy and zest very much in the LDM style, and Elissa's implementation of audience questions during the judges' consultations added a little somethin' somethin' to the show. Also new was the announcement that readers will represent particular reading groups or magazines from now on; this is a very valuable move and I applaud it.

Chicken John is a local hero

Tania Katan, of FRESH YARN—an online collection of literary essays in the process of expanding "into a big-ass site for all things writing," started off with an inventive and uproarious tale about a lesbian who agrees to oblige her lover in attending a Mormon summer getaway. As literary merit judge (and Senior Literary Editor of The Rumpus) Julie Greicius pointed out, the disparity in language between the Mormon letter marketing the camp and the lover's ironic letter of application was truly and hilariously jarring and impressive in its compact juxtaposition.

Tania Katan is used to kicking ass

Tania was followed by the San Francisco Writer's Grotto resident Chris Colin, who read a very strong story about a beguiling phrase that represented an entire stage of life but the meaning (and even origin) of which had been lost. I thought it amazing.

The judges went with Tania. Watch them!

After the break Ali Liebegott, of RADAR Productions, read two passages from The IHOP Papers. Her presence is so humble yet commanding at the same time; she was really impressive. In fact, she broke her own spell by addressing the judges and audience in the middle of her reading—something I gasped at in fear that she would ruin her chances. But she didn't flinch. Awesome. And when the judges were deciding between Ali and the next contestant, Chicken John, Ali kept the show going with a calm humor that was really almost unbelievable to watch. It wasn't performance; it was Ali Liebegott.

Here's another picture of Ali

Chicken John, repping Reason Magazine——first of all, join his mailing list—you will not be disappinted——read for what he told me was the first time ever! Described (and rightfully so) as a showman, Chicken has just written a book called Fail to Win: Essays of Engineered Disperfection from which he read a truly remarkable excerpt. Not only did he sing a ditty on ukelele in the middle of his reading, Chicken made the surreal comparison between the tv show "Cops" and his own travelling circus, a woman in a mental institute plead to join the latter, and, more importantly, he analyzed the nature of performance, need, and desperation. Lastly, join his mailing list.