Synopses & Reviews
Bare-Knuckled Lit: The Best of WRITE CLUB is a collection of some of the funniest, most persuasive, and deliciously pugnacious essays from the "live lit" phenomenon, WRITE CLUB. Founded in Chicago in 2010 by the perennially irritable Ian Belknap, WRITE CLUB is a monthly literary smackdown that pits writers against each other to defend opposing ideas: Light vs. Dark, Fate vs. Free Will, Vampires vs. Zombies, etc.. Combatants must not only win over a live audience, but they must defeat an opponent through a clear, compelling case in under seven minutes. Beyond glory, these writers compete for actual money that is donated to a charity of their choosing. As an enterprise, WRITE CLUB, which is run by all volunteers, has donated over $10,000 to non-profits of many kinds.
Bare-Knuckled Lit comprises some thirty essays by a variety of writers from WRITE CLUB shows across the continent, arranged in head to head bouts. The pieces are necessarily short and tackle a variety of topics, from feather- to heavy-weight. Some of the countrys funniest, most thoughtful, and deeply irreverent writers are represented here: Samantha Irby, Daniel Shapiro, Josh Zagoren, Dave Stinton, Nick Tecosky, Myke Johns, Casey Childers, Steven Westdahl, and others.
WRITE CLUB is at the vanguard of the nations burgeoning live lit” scene a growing number of shows in Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, and WRITE CLUBs home city of Chicago feature compelling performers reading their own riveting prose. Live lit demands that writer/performers have the charisma and command to earn your full attention, and the cognitive adroitness and mastery of craft to create stories and essays that live inside your mind days after the performance is over. WRITE CLUB distinguishes itself from the pack with structural elements that heighten the urgency: competition, concision, and actual stakes. For the first time, the essence of WRITE CLUB has been distilled into a single book, and these high-energy, highly entertaining essays will grab your focus and not let go until youre arguing aloud right along with the writers.
Synopsis
Bare-Knuckled Lit is a collection of some of the funniest, most persuasive, and deliciously pugnacious essays from the live lit phenomenon WRITE CLUB. At the vanguard of the nations burgeoning live lit scene, WRITE CLUB features compelling performers reading their own riveting prose in a growing number of shows in cities across the continent. Founded in Chicago in 2010 by the perennially irritable Ian Belknap, WRITE CLUB is monthly literary smackdown that pits writers against each other to defend opposing ideas: Light vs. Dark, Fate vs. Free Will, Vampires vs. Bare-Knuckled Lit comprises some 30 essays by a variety of writers from WRITE CLUB shows across the continent, arranged in head to head bouts. The pieces are necessarily short and tackle a variety of topics, from feather- to heavy-weight. Some of the countrys funniest, most thoughtful, and deeply irreverent writers are represented here: Samantha Irby, Daniel Shapiro, Josh Zagoren, Dave Stinton, Nick Tecosky, Myke Johns, Casey Childers, Steven Westdahl, and others.
About the Author
Ian Belknap is a former actor and comedian. He is author of the solo shows
Wide Open Beaver Shot of My Heart: A Comedy With a Body Count; Terminal Ferocity; Uncle Dad Is Rip-Shit, You Guys; and
Bring Me the Head of James Franco, That I May Prepare a Savory Goulash in the Narrow and Misshapen Pot of His Skull. He is Founder and Overlord of WRITE CLUB, which launched in Chicago in 2010, and has since grown to have chapters in six North American cities with more on the way.
Belknap contributes to the comedy sites irbyandian.com and scenemissingmagazine.com. He teaches writing independently and at StoryStudio Chicago. He has delivered presentations at TEDx Greenville, Chicago Writers Conference, League of Chicago Theatres, Content Jam, and has performed at the Decatur (GA) Book Festival, the Chicago Humanities Festival, the Rhinoceros Theatre Festival, Filet of Solo Festival, and the Poetry Foundation, to name but a few.
Samantha Irby on PowellsBooks.Blog
My new book of essays is called
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. It’s basically a collection of strung-together swear words that turned out pretty funny. It chronicles the last several years of my life, with bits from the past and a little nod to the future...
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