LITERARY DEATH MATCH - Dublin!

The madness and fun that is the Literary Death Match returns to Dublin next week. It's a great night out (as a former LDM champ, I may be biased....no, I'm not - it's a really fun night. I laughed until my jaw hurt.)

This is from their site:

"After a too-long two month wait, Literary Death Match returns to The Workman's Club with our odd flurry of literary and comedic shenaniganism, in what will be a must-see night of levity, lit and pretty lighting!


First up on the roll call of literary geniuses is the jaw droppingly funny poetry tycoon Fintan O’Higgins, Hip-Dweebster-Princess turned writer Sabina Sirbu, poetry funatarian Erin Fornoff and film directing, novel writing legend Peter Sheridan.

On the all-star judging panel we have Father Ted star Joe Rooney, journalist and filmmaker Derek O’Connor and literary do-it-all Mia Gallagher!
Hosted by LDM creator Todd Zuniga."

Where: The Workman's Club, 10 Wellington Quay, Dublin  (map)
When: Doors at 8, Show at 9:15 (sharp); afterdrinks after.
Cost: €7 preorder; €10 on the door.

LITERARY DEATH MATCH TRIUMPH!!!

 Marty Mulligan

Dublin's first Literary Death Match was great fun. I've never laughed so much at a literary event in my life. And I like the Sugar Club as a venue - it's cosy and cool.

I think the Death Match's successs is definitely down to its host, Opium Magazine editor Todd Zuniga. Todd is an instantly likeable kind of person - funny, down-to-earth and a tad eccentric. He struck me as a very unAmerican American (if that's not too rude a thing to say...) Anyway, a good host makes the audience believe in and enjoy something that they are not sure they know anything about. And so it was on Friday night.

I read poetry in the end - sticking to my (hopefully) humourous ones, along with a couple of lovey ones. The judges approved anyway as I was put through to the final. My rival Colm Liddy read a funny short story about sibling rivalry. We had to read for 7 minutes apiece and if you go over you are shot. With foam balls. I didn't get shot but Colm did.

Judge Nadine O'Regan said my work was like "Mills & Boon meets Paul Auster". Good Lord, I thought, as I giggled into my beer. I won Philly McMahon over once I mentioned Madonna, and Úna Mulally's mother is from Ballinasloe so she appreciated my imagining of Frida Kahlo coming along to brighten up the town. They said other good things which I cannot remember now due to mind-bending fatigue.

The other two readers who were pitted against each other were Brian O'Connell who read a great extract from his book Wasted, which I am looking forward to reading. And Mullingar's finest Marty Mulligan who recited rather brilliantly from his performance piece 'Direland'. In the event, Brian went through to the final, so we went head-to-head in a throw-the-spud-through-the-writer's-mouth contest.

 

Spud throwing

There were large photos of Flann O'Brien, Flannery O'Connor and Oscar Wilde and we had to toss potatoes of differing sizes through their gobs. It was madness and I am unsporty in the extreme but somehow I managed it and was the winner. I got a lovely medal of which I am VERY proud!

I hope the next time the LDM comes to Dublin that I can make it. (Update - they are coming back on the 30th April!) It was definitely the most fun I've had at a reading ever.

 

  

My medal! 

There's a  report on the night on the Lit Death Match site here.

RED CAR MOTORS ON TO THE UK

My little red car tour for my poetry pamphlet Portrait of the Artist with a Red Car is over at the inimitably wonderful Vanessa Gebbie's blog here today.

Oh, and I won the Literary Death Match last night. Score! It was enormous fun. Big thanks to Todd Zuniga for being a brilliant host. Report anon.

LITERARY DEATH MATCH IN DUBLIN - TOMORROW!

Happy World Book Day!

I'm reading/competing in this tomorrow. I've decided to read poems. Or a story. Or poems. Agghhh - I can't decide. My neck hurts. The Baby is sick listening to me procrastinating. I can't deeeecccciiiidddde.

The spring issue of the Stinging Fly will also be launched at 7.30pm. Death Match at 9.15pm.

The Sugar Club, Leeson Street. Hope to see some of you there.

FROM THE DEATH MATCH SITE:

The Literary Death Match is heading to Dublin — and what a thrilling mix of stars we've got lined up!

The all-star judging panel is set to feature journalist/radio presenter Nadine O'Regan, playwright/producer Philly McMahon, and journalist/TV presenter Una Mullally. All will preside over a fearsome foursome of literary talents, including award-winning fiction writer and poet Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Stinging Fly's hand-picked reader-representative Colm Liddy, scribe Brian O'Connell (author of Wasted: A Sober Journey Through Drunken Ireland) and spoken-word brillianteur Marty Mulligan.

Hosted by Opium's Todd Zuniga. Co-produced by Belinda McKeon.

When: Doors at 7:30, show at 9:15 (sharp), afterparty: 11 p.m. and beyond.

Cost: €6 preorder; €9 at the door; €6 with a valid student ID.
This event is free for Literary Death Match subscribers!