Literary Death Match

A late-night favourite, Literary Death Match marries the high-octane performances of Def Poetry Jam, the rapier-witted quips of reality-TV judging panels, and a game show’s hilarity and ridiculousness. Four brave authors – this year, it’s youth authors who are either professional “couples” (Cale Atkinson and Ashley Spires) or professional and actual couples (Morgan Baden and Barry Lyga) who will perform their most electrifying seven-minute sets in front of an all-star judging panel. Taking the fun up a notch, 2019 judges Alice Kuipers, Anakana Schofield, and Joshua Whitehead are all past champions of Literary Death Match in Calgary.