Literary Death Match: Baltimore

Come on out and brave the Baltimore debut of the epically hilarious Literary Death Match on January 30 at the Windup Space (12 W. North Ave | Baltimore MD 21201 | $10)!

The Literary Death Match, a brainchild of Opium Magazine, combines Def Poetry Jam, American Idol and Double Dare in an effort to excite the world about literature.

A Death Match begins with famous and up-and-coming contenders representing publications, armed with a short quip (no longer than 8 minutes) of their own literary work. They are paired off to read excerpts in front of a live audience and panel of three expert judges, who score them on literary merit, performance and intangibles. After each pairing the judges take turns spouting hilarious, off-the-wall commentary about each story, then selecting their favorite to advance to the finale.

The finale is when the death part of the match comes into play. It’s time for these authors to show off their physical prowess in an author-on-author battle of absurd and comical proportions. Every finale is unique and always a surprise; past matches include laser tag, trash bag races, “Poet or Madman?” and the infinity obstacle course.

Hosted by Opium's founding editor, Todd Zuniga, the event will feature four readers and three judges.

Featuring Rafael Alvarez (author/journalist, The Wire); Michael Kimball (author, Dear Everybody); Jessica Henkin (The Stoop Storytelling co-mastermind); Michael Hughes (representing CityLit); Mike Young (author of upcoming We Are All Good If They Try Hard Enough); Jen Michalski (representing JMWW); Dave Housley (representing Barrelhouse, and author of Ryan Seacrest is Famous)

Read more about it in the CityLit Muse Newsletter.

www.citylitproject.org/index.cfm?page=enewsletter&id=18

Scribbled Plans

January may be coming to a close, but some writers and readers are still working out their goals, resolutions, and plans for 2010. What better time than now to announce my first short fiction publication of the new year?

“Prewitt’s Plans” has been published in Scribble Magazine.

Published three times a year, Scribble features poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction from both established and emerging writers from around the globe.

“Prewitt’s Plans” is an excerpt from Tracks, a novel in stories. As the main character of the story watches the scenery pass by from his train window, he contemplates how life has passed by too quickly, considers retirement, and gets to the heart of whether he is the master of his planner or the other way around.

Although Scribble does not have “cover stories,” Editor Sherry Audette Morrow pointed out that she selected Jeff Rozenweig’s cover photo (of a man walking toward a speeding train) because it was a good representation of “Prewitt’s Plans.”

Check out Scribble online, where you can order your copy of the current issue (Vol. 7, Issue 2).

www.Scribblemagazine.us

Baltimore’s David Franks Remembered

Last Thursday, Baltimore poet, writer and artist David Franks died at the age of 61. He has been described as "a major artist of the late 20th century" in the company of "some of the best conceptual artists."

This Friday, January 22, WYPR's The Signal will dedicate the show to the life and owrk of David Franks. Tune in to the local NPR station, 88.1 FM, at noon or at 7 p.m.

A memorial is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Jan. 31 at the Creative Alliance at the historic Patterson Theater on Eastern Ave. followed by selected readings and a potluck reception.

The “Lit & Art at the Watermark” event originally scheduled for July 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. has been rescheduled in observance of this memorial. The next Lit & Art event will take place at the same time on the last Sunday in February.

Read The Baltimore Sun’s obituary of this Baltimore literary legend at the link below.

www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.franks17jan17,0,1601874.story

Big Event for Little Patuxent

Writers published in the latest issue of Little Patuxent Review will read from their work at the “Form & Structure” release at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 16.

The reading takes place at the Kittamaqundi Community, 5410 Leaftreader Way in Columbia.

Admission to the poetry/fiction reading event is free. The newest issue of Little Patuxent Review will be available for $10.

The publication features an interview with and poems by Donald Hall, the Library of Congress’ fourteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 2006.

Reading their work at the event will be Rafael Alvarez, Nitin Jagdish, David Fry, Katherine Cottle, Barbara Westwood Diehl, Danuta Hinc, Christine Higgins, Danuta E. Kosk-Kosica, Lewis Levenberg, Natalie Lobe, Airin Miller, Lenett Partlow-Myrick, Madeleine Mysko, Ellen Orner and Truth Thomas.

Learn more at www.poetryinbaltimore.com/smf/index.php?topic=23619.0

Ring in 2010 With Some Great New Lit!

The holidays are over, the resolutions made (and in some cases forgotten), and many readers are back in the usual swing of things.

Why not ring in the new year with some fresh fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art? We have just the online journal for you.

Check out the Winter 2010 issue of jmww, a Baltimore-based quarterly journal of fiction, poetry, flash, nonfiction, and art, hot off the digital presses at jmww.150m.com.

The new issue includes interviews with Emily Peterson, Adam Robinson, and Mary Miller; fiction by Clarinda Harriss, Patrick Dacey, and Anne Valente; poetry by Peter Schwartz, Heather Momyer, Linsday Ahl, Nate Pritts, Doug Tanoury, and Emily Peterson; and much more.

http://jmww.150m.com/