The film industry is facing an unexpectedly slow recovery from the pandemic, with box office revenues still significantly below pre-pandemic levels. The country has lost thousands of theatre screens, including in Denver, where the historic Esquire and Chez Artiste shuttered in 2024.

Meanwhile, independent cinema is bucking the trend. Denver’s only independent movie theatre, the SIE Film Center, has not just survived but surpassed its strong 2019 performance.

Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith says the independent cinema organization’s success lies in a strong emphasis on community engagement, curated programming, and partnerships with local organizations, because people are hungry for connection and in-person experiences. 

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NICKY REDL: The past five years haven’t been kind to the film industry. Moviegoers are slowly returning, but last year, annual box office revenue was still down by nearly a quarter compared to 2019. 

In Denver alone, two iconic Landmark movie theatres have closed just months apart: the Esquire and Chez Artiste. 

But independent cinema appears to be bucking the trend. 

The SIE Film Center on Colfax Avenue is owned by nonprofit Denver Film, and the city’s only independent movie theatre. 

Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith says their box office sales haven’t just recovered, they are doing better than before the lockdowns. 

KEVIN SMITH: I think it’s different for different types of theatres. Our theater last year, in 2025, had the best year we’ve ever had. We’ve bounced back. We’re above our pre-pandemic numbers of 2019, which was an incredible year. I think that what we’re seeing is that multiplexes are having a harder time because of the types of films, blockbuster films that are being released, and the marketing behind them, and how they’re creating those. 

But in terms of independent cinema, while it’s great to have access to so many different films at your fingertips at home, it’s also nice to have our amazing programming team pick some of the best films that maybe you don’t know exist and be able to share those screenings with someone in the theatre that maybe you don’t know. 

NICKY REDL: Kevin Smith believes a focus on community building sets Denver Film apart. Their membership program offers perks but, more importantly, a space to connect with others. 

Kevin Smith: In terms of benefits, obviously, they have early access to films. We do a lot of promo screenings. So they’re seeing movies before they’re even released, with the Denver Film Festival, they’re getting to the front of the line in almost every single way to be able to see the best films of the year. But I think one of the unique things is that the staff that is here at the Film Center, they know a majority of the members. And so when you’re a member, it’s like you get to come in here and say hi to your friends. Um, and I think that in a communal space makes a very big difference.

NICKY REDL: Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith. Josh Eliot is one of the staff members working at the Sie Film Center box office. 

JOSH ELIOT: I actually ran a little competition with a bunch of other staff members to see who could name the most members. The box officers are the people who have to know the members by name so that we can type their membership in to give them their discounts. And so through that, I end up getting to know a lot of the members by name and by personality as well. There’s absolutely a strong sense of connection. We have very loyal, devoted members, and are very supportive and excited about all of the new things that we’re doing at the theater, all the little changes we do month to month, all of our festivals. This is very community-based, very social-based, very event-based, very festival-based. 

NICKY REDL: Josh Eliot. Denver Film also collaborates with about 150 community partners every year and screens movies at locations like Red Rocks and the Botanic Gardens. One of those partners is Colorado Dragon Boat, a celebration of Asian American heritage and culture. Together, they organize the Dragon Boat film festival each year in March. Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith says the collaboration has been a great success for both organizations.      

KEVIN SMITH: Colorado Dragon Boat is the largest dragon boat festival in the country. I believe it’s been 6 or 7 years now that we’ve partnered. The last year that they produced the festival without us, they had about 300 tickets sold. Now we have over 2000 people who come every year. So it’s grown exponentially. And for us to be able to have like the community saying, these are the types of films, these are the types of experiences, and us just be able to help facilitate making those things happen is a perfect partnership in my mind, and really the big core piece of our mission. 

NICKY REDL: Kevin Smith, CEO of Denver Film. Another community-focused event at the SIE independent cinema is the CinemaQ film festival, held from the 29^th to the 31^st of this year. The founder is SIE Film Center artistic director Keith Garcia. 

KEITH GARCIA: Cinema Q is our queer film festival, which is the only queer film festival in Colorado, and this year will be our 18th year of operating. CinemaQ started with an effort to play at least one queer film a month at the film center. And this started building an audience of its own, which at the time was very hungry for queer film. Essentially, it’s just kind of snowballed since we hit the community immediately, we got the community used to the idea that year we’d have the best selection of new queer film for that year. And, um, it’s become sort of the big, the big party that it is now.

NICKY REDL: SIE artistic director Keith Garcia. Local meetups have also noticed a growing desire for shared experiences. The Denver Cinema club started over 20 years ago as a meetup for people to watch movies together and afterwards meet for discussion over drinks. In the past year or two, the club has seen a strong influx of people of all ages. Aurora Hunt is one of the organizers of the Denver Cinema Club and also a member of the Sie FilmCenter.

AURORA HUNT: Some movies that are just meant to be communally experienced, you know, just that energy in the room and everyone experiencing the same thing. And I had the occasion to sit next to a movie the other day with my friend Dina, and she was just gasping. And it was so, it was such a different movie for having her next to me and kind of experiencing her experience along with my experience. So, in these very fractured times, these very electronic times, being in a room with people is really important, both to watch the movie and, I would say, even more importantly, to be together afterwards.

This radio story about the Denver independent cinema scene aired on KGNU’s Morning Magazine on March 27, 2026. KGNU is an independent, noncommercial community radio station serving Boulder and Denver, Colorado.

An extended audio reel highlighting Nicky Redl’s work as a reporter and host for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation across rural Australia and in international coverage from Mongolia, Timor-Leste, and the United States.

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A selection of full programs of The Rural Report, the daily regional current affairs show I produced and hosted for ABC Rural in Broken Hill, in the Australian Outback.

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In Broken Hill, the format was integrated into the daily Morning Program, while in Mackay, Queensland, it ran as a separate daily slot. Additional Mackay Rural Report programs will be posted as they become available.

Independent movie “Rosemead,” directed by Eric Lin and starring Lucy Liu, will open in theaters on December 5, but Denverites already sneaked a peek during the 48th Denver Film Festival on Saturday.

After being awarded the 2025 John Cassavetes Award in Denver on Saturday, Lucy Liu, who is also the movie’s producer, shared how “Rosemead” intends to break away from the industry’s tendency to typecast Asian actors.

“I think that when I came into the business of Hollywood, there was an exoticism that was required, or I guess it was something that people wanted,” Liu told the Denver Film Festival audience during a Q&A before the movie. “And I’ve never really thought of myself as exotic before. If anything, I thought, what? You know, if I looked like everyone else, you know, that was American, it would have been so much easier.”

Liu said that initially, she had an audition only once every few months, as roles were scarce. The narratives Hollywood considered suitable for Asian actors were extremely limited, focusing primarily on action and martial arts. And while those movies are entertaining, Liu said, they don’t allow for a broader range of stories.

“Our own personal stories are hidden and not brought to the surface because we don’t think there’s going to be an audience for it. But they should let us choose,” she said. “Whether you want to see it or you don’t want to see it, it’s your choice. But the fact that it’s not even there is not acceptable.”

In Eric Lin’s “Rosemead,” Liu plays the role of a Chinese immigrant mother who discovers that her schizophrenic teenage son, played by Lawrence Shou, has a fascination with mass shootings. The film received awards at the Bentonville, Locarno, Belfast, and Philadelphia film festivals, and resonated with international audiences in the United States and Europe.

“It shines a light on a lot of topics that a lot of people don’t even talk about with their friends, let alone at home.” Liu said she hoped “Rosemead” would spark honest conversations about issues that are often avoided due to a sense of shame.

When the film opens in December, it is set to prompt discussion about difficult topics and contribute to a more authentic and complex representation of Asian communities on screen. If the turnout at the Denver Film Festival is any indication, the audience for these stories is already there.

Gun violence and cartel kidnappings are not typical material for lyrical fiction. But for Jennifer Clement, they are the starting point.

Ms. Clement, president of PEN International and author of several critically acclaimed novels, is a key speaker at this year’s San Miguel Writers’ Conference in Mexico.

Her books explore urgent and controversial issues through lyrical storytelling, depicting harsh realities through the eyes of young, psychologically complex characters. Writing about current affairs in a fictional form does not require less research. If anything, it requires more.

“What the reader reads is a very small amount compared to what went into writing the book,” Jennifer Clement says.

Her latest book, “Gun Love,” took her seven years to research and write. For two years, Ms. Clement even received the daily local newspaper from a town in Florida to get a feel for the setting of her story. She describes the final work as the tip of the iceberg.

“I’ve been to the NRA twice, I’ve interviewed survivors of massacres, like, for example, some of the kids that were in the Batman movie [the 2012 Aurora shooting], and just all kinds of research and interviews. None of that ended up in ‘Gun Love,’ but I think the book sits on it. It sits on that research.”

While there is no shortage of tragedy, “Gun Love” seeks to avoid judgment, focusing instead on moments of light in even the most grotesque situations, Ms. Clement says.

“I go to these themes through the door of poetry. That means that in the greatest darkness, to try and find light, in where there is profanity to try and find the divine, so that where there is ugliness, I place beauty. That is my poetical intention.”

That approach is not always easy. American gun culture, she says, bewilders her.

“It’s hard to understand, and I find it also completely immoral, because it’s such a huge business.”

Arms trafficking represents a significant revenue stream for some gun dealers in the United States. A 2013 study by the University of San Diego found that 47% of U.S. gun dealers would go out of business if firearms were no longer trafficked from the United States to Mexico.

But strong emotions about these realities, she says, can drive a story. She wrote both “Gun Love” and “Prayers for the Stolen,” a novel about cartel violence and the abduction of girls from rural Guerrero, out of deep distress.

“In my case, I would say that at least these last two books of mine were written from a lot of pain, something that really hurts me on some level. I mean, to have little girls stolen in Guerrero, and then all this gun violence and the way it’s affecting Mexico. I’m horrified about what’s going on here now. And the guns play a big part.”

During the writing process, however, Ms. Clement says she focuses on her characters’ voices and their perceptions, rather than her emotions.

“In ‘Gun Love,’ it’s Pearl’s story, and it’s Pearl who’s speaking. It isn’t Jennifer Clement who’s speaking,” she says, referring to the book’s main character. 

“She takes over in this mysterious way that happens when you write. Many, many writers talk about this happening to them, and I can say that it happens to me. I sort of hear her, and I kind of let her speak.”

To avoid telling readers what to think, she gave the draft to a fellow writer who is an avid hunter and gun enthusiast. 

“I said, can you just read this book and make sure it’s okay if you’re a hunter reading it. And he said: yes, it was okay.” 

The book’s settings also evolved as the writing progressed. 

“A lot of people think that maybe I chose Florida because it has this reputation of being very exotic and full of strange people. But actually, that’s not the reason. I chose Florida because I wanted very much, and I didn’t know this until into the writing, very much the spirits of the native people to be in my book.”

The fate of Native American nations during European settlement plays a subtle but important role in “Gun Love,” accompanying the main characters through songs, references, and prophetic encounters.

“One thing that’s very clear is that no Indigenous population has ever been able to win against guns,” she said, noting that firearms were central to the violent displacement and destruction of Native American nations, many of whom lived in what is now Florida.

“They walked the Trail of Tears to try and get away. And so, in ‘Gun Love,’ the Trail of Tears is discussed and appears.”

The Trail of Tears refers to forced relocations of the Native American nations from the southeast of the United States to the area west of the Mississippi River under the Indian Removal Act in 1830. 

The law was passed to enable the forced seizure of Indigenous lands for white settlement and cotton cultivation. At gunpoint, thousands of Native Americans were marched westward, and many died from disease, starvation, and exhaustion along the journey, or were killed resisting the theft of their ancestral territories.

Produced for the website of the international San Miguel de Allede’s Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

Thinking of getting a literary agent? That can be easier said than done, with agents sifting through hundreds or even thousands of proposals a month.

For many writers wondering how to get a literary agent, the answer goes beyond just finishing a manuscript.

Anna Knutson Geller is a literary agent who splits her time between New York and San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

Specializing in spirituality, practical non-fiction, and inspirational memoirs with her agency Write View, Ms. Geller says that aside from a gripping sense of storytelling and a real authority over the subject matter, an author’s existing platform plays a big role. 

“I’m looking at whether they blog, whether they send a newsletter, what their social media presence is like,” says Ms. Geller. 

“I’m looking for someone who is not only able to write, but able to amplify that message out to a wider readership.”

You may have thought that once you’ve done all the hard work of writing your book, the marketing side would all be up to the publisher, but that is no longer the case. 

These days, new authors are expected to have already built an audience for their work. 

“It’s important because there are so many books published each year that unless your idea is so novel and compelling that it really will speak for itself and draw an audience to it, more and more publishers are really looking for an author who has laid that groundwork of getting a built-in readership, even before that book comes into the world,” says Ms Geller. 

Aside from beefing up your social media presence and personal blog, there are several other steps you can take to make it easier to find an agent. 

This includes doing your homework, knowing the name of the person you are addressing, what the agency specializes in, and why your work would be a good fit for them.  

“If somebody is submitting a fantasy novel, you can see on my website that I really focus on non-fiction,” says Ms. Geller.

“I like to see that a prospective author has done their homework in terms of why they are submitting to me and not just doing a blanket submission to fifty-something agents.”

Having a firm handle on what your book is about is also crucial – and surprisingly rare.

“What I don’t see enough is authors who really know how to encapsulate the main idea of their book in a one- to two-sentence hook,” Ms. Geller explains.  

“If you, as an author, can’t really grab someone’s attention by describing your book in a quick and pithy way, no one else is going to be able to do that for you.”

When approaching her, this short pitch should be right at the top of your email, because agents are busy and don’t want to read a whole page just to understand what you are inquiring about. 

According to Ms. Geller, most also don’t want to open attachments from unknown contacts, to avoid viruses, so don’t attach your proposal in your first email. Rather, just send a short inquiry with that concise, enticing pitch, and hold the full proposal until you receive a response. 

And for those who are ready to get their book out there and want to ensure their proposal does it justice, Anna Geller will be teaching a three-hour intensive workshop on proposal writing at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference on February 16, 2019. 

Produced for the website of the international San Miguel de Allede’s Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

For a remote 100-mile race with a 48-hour cut-off that could expose you to extreme weather conditions, you want the right gear. The Hardrock 100 takes runners above 14,000 feet, and the weather in the Rocky Mountains is unpredictable.

Don’t see affiliate links? That’s because I’m not getting paid for recommendations. These items worked for me during the race, but keep in mind that everyone has personal gear preferences. 

1. The Least Sexy Hat for Maximum Sun Protection

There are some great-looking running caps out there, but I went with something distinctly unsexy.

It was sold to me as the ideal fishing hat. The Glacier Glove hat is khaki, with long flaps covering the back of the neck and sides of the face, plus an extra-long bill. I am not into fishing, but it works just as well as a running hat. It protects well against UV rays at altitude, and because of the chin strap, it does not fly off in a gust.

2. A Jacket for Lightweight Rain Protection

Super light but very effective, I found the waterproof Alpine Houdini Jacket the best rain jacket I have ever tried. It folds into one of its own pockets, making it no bigger than my hand.

This jacket kept me completely dry for hours of rain without overheating. I carried it for the entire race. It was far more effective and much lighter than the thicker Gore-Tex jacket I used to run with, which always started to leak after a few hours. 

3. The Lightest Windbreaker 

Patagonia also makes a super-light windbreaker, the Houdini jacket, which is not waterproof but keeps you warm at early-morning race starts or on a mountain top or pass when it is windy. It folds up tiny. 

Together with the rain jacket, it provides a surprising amount of warmth for very little weight. I have used them in both Leadville and Hardrock and love them. Pricey, yes, but I have had both jackets for several years, use them frequently, and they have held up well. For me, they have been a worthwhile investment.

4. The Top Question: Merino over Technical Shirts

I do not like technical running shirts for ultras. They start to smell quickly, and I chafe more easily in them.

Instead, I run in super-thin merino wool shirts, always long-sleeve and snug-fitting. They are usually sold as base layers. I have been running in them for over ten years. I keep the sleeves down when starting on a cold morning and push them up when it gets warmer.

Merino does not stink, even after 48 hours on the trail, and I do not chafe in it either. I also carry a second, slightly looser but still thin merino shirt for layering if it gets cold. They are light and fold up very small.

5. Midweight Merino Hoodie for Temperature Drops

I also carried a midweight merino hoodie. I have been wearing the same midweight Icebreaker merino hoodie for nine years on hikes, races, and training runs when cold is expected. It is a bit frayed at the sleeves now, but it still works perfectly. The hood helps preserve warmth at night.

If I am exhausted and moving through a very cold night, layering a merino base layer and a looser merino shirt with a midweight merino hoodie, then the windbreaker and/or rain jacket keeps me warm no matter the weather or temperature. They all fit over each other, too.

If good weather is expected during the day, I keep it in a drop bag for the night section. But mountain weather can change quickly, so I often keep the midweight jacket tied around my hips.

6. Protect Against Blisters with Toe Socks

I left fresh pairs of socks at various aid stations. I always run in toe socks, as they help prevent blisters for me. My favorites are the Injinji Trail Midweight Mini Crew because they are thicker than standard running socks and last much longer. I have not had a single hole in them, even after years of use.

At Hardrock, I also left a thick pair of long ski socks at aid stations for overnight sections. I pulled them on over my toe socks at night, and they worked beautifully. When I was cold, I pulled them up over my calves. Even though my feet were often wet from river crossings, they were never cold.

7. Trail Running Shoes With Grip

Shoes are completely personal, but you need ones with serious traction for snow, slippery mud, and loose scree.

For me, Salomon fits best, and I ran the entire 100 miles in the same pair of Salomon Fellraisers. I buy my shoes slightly larger to accommodate swollen feet, and went with men’s size 11. I had other shoes in drop bags, but found the Fellraisers worked the whole way.

Waterproof shoes are not useful in this race. With so many river crossings, water will get in anyway. Waterproof materials only prevent evaporation, keeping your feet wet for longer.

8. Do You Need Microspikes for the Hardrock 100? 

Some say you need them on Virginius Pass. Some say you do not.

I was very grateful to have Kahtoola microspikes in my Ouray drop bag and use them for Virginius. After more than 24 hours of climbing and descending, my legs were wobbly, and I did not want to risk having to climb that pass twice in case I slipped. 

Most runners do it without spikes, but the stability they gave me removed all concern. I had gone up Virginius during course marking and found it difficult to get traction on the snow wall, so I was happy to carry them from Ouray to Telluride.

9. Gaiters to Keep the Gravel Out

Small rocks and sticks can get into your shoes and cause blisters. Stopping to remove them costs time and breaks rhythm. Gaiters eliminate the hassle. I find the colorful Dirty Girl gaiters both fun and effective.

10. The Right Pants to Warm Below the Waist

I still ran the Hardrock 100 in long compression tights. Combined with knee-high ski socks, I needed nothing else to stay warm at night, even when my legs were constantly wet from river crossings. They were never cold.

I run in 2XU tights. Compression helps reduce pain for me. If you tend to overheat, you may prefer shorts with long pants as backup.

I also carried super-light rain pants in case of extreme weather, but I never had to use them. They gave me peace of mind, though, and because they weigh almost nothing, I did not mind carrying them.

After meeting Pam Reed on Virginius Pass during course marking and bonding over how easily we get cold, she recommended the Outdoor Research Helium pants. She has used them for Hardrock because they are ultra-light and easy to put on and take off. 

11. Do Not Skip the Anti-Chafing Stuff

Do not start the Hardrock 100 without plenty of anti-chafing lube all over you. Roll in it if you must. I am a big fan of Bodyglide. I keep extra in my drop bags just in case. In addition to the usual areas, I apply it to my feet. Not just once, but morning and evening for two days before a big race.

I believe this is why I completed the Bear 100, Leadville 100, and Australia’s C2K 150 Mile without a single blister. I did blister at Hardrock, but I did not feel them during the race and only noticed them in the shower afterward. I had multiple layers of burst blisters on my feet, with two toes looking like they had fused together. I guess it could have been worse? I’ll spare you further details, but swear it worked for all my other ultras. 

12. A Running Vest to Carry Just Enough 

I ran Hardrock in the Ultimate Direction AK 2.0 Race Vest, which is no longer available.

It is small with limited pockets, but it was enough. I use the front holders for gear rather than water. I do not like the Ultimate Direction bladders because they tend to leak. A leaking bladder is not what you need at Hardrock.

I used a two-liter Platypus bladder. It is divided into two chambers, which distribute weight more evenly and reduce sloshing. It is also sturdier in my experience. I carried a handheld bottle for Coke or ginger beer from aid stations.

I kept a larger, pre-packed vest at Ouray in case I wanted more space for spikes. Having ready-packed vests at aid stations saves time if you do not have a crew, which I didn’t. You can switch and keep moving.

In the end, though, I preferred the comfort of the AK 2.0 race vest and used it the whole way.

13. Hiking Poles: Take Two

If you use poles at Hardrock, take two.

I used one at Leadville and liked having one hand free. But Hardrock is a different beast. Using only one pole threw off my gait. When I often forgot to switch which hand I used the pole with, it led to an overuse injury in one leg. I could not run or walk pain-free for nearly three months afterward. The final 20 miles were agony and required painkillers to get through.

If you bring poles, bring two and make sure they are light. I use Black Diamond aluminum poles. Carbon is lighter but more expensive, and I do not use poles often enough to justify the cost.

14. Ziploc Bags to Eat on the Move

I love Ziploc bags for eating on the go. Instead of lingering at aid stations, I fill a bag with food while a volunteer refills my water, and then head out again. Many of my stops were only two or three minutes.

The food may get mixed together, but when you are 50 miles into Hardrock, peach pie mixed with pretzels tastes fantastic.

15. Do Not Forget Gloves

It gets cold. Very cold. At night or during the day.

I keep a super light pair with me at all times and thicker ones in drop bags for nighttime.

16. A Bright Running Skirt

I love the Rypwear running skirts. I wear them at every race, not only because the colors cheer me up but because the shorts underneath have two pockets that are perfect for snacks. One pocket also fits a smartphone, though for safety, I carry my phone in a zippered belt pouch.

Lastly, the race organizers will provide a list of required emergency gear. Take it seriously, even if it adds weight. No personal best is worth risking your safety.

Dozens of local and international volunteers transformed a plaza in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende into a festive world of skulls and color, with mojiganga painting, 3D pen crafts, a virtual reality stall, juggling, games, and storytelling.

Many festival goers’ costumes looked delightfully spooky in celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

While the town hosts numerous Day of the Dead events each year, most are geared toward adults. A group of Mexican and international friends wanted to create something just for children: a free festival called “Vivos y Muertos” that allowed young people to celebrate this important cultural tradition in their own way.

One of the organizers, Tina Bueche from the United States, had lived in San Miguel de Allende for nine years.

“Dia de los Muertos is a day to remember your history, a day to honor your ancestors,” she said. “It is a way to build bridges from the past to the present, so you can move forward without sacrificing the important values of this beautiful culture.”

Ms. Bueche paid for much of the equipment, toys, and craft supplies, and said the festival was her way of giving back to the local community she loved.

“It beats shopping for stuff I don’t need,” she said.

Playgrounds and kid-focused activities are limited in the area, and the festival drew many families, with children excited to play, craft, and have their faces painted by volunteers.

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The Dia de los Muertos festival was held on October 28, 2018. The camera used was a Panasonic G85 with 12-60mm kit lens.

Have you ever been to a literary reading and, despite your best intentions, found yourself in need of a strong coffee just to make it through?

You are not alone.

Reading a book is a private experience. You can stop when you like or stay up late getting lost in another world. It is entirely up to you.

Public readings, on the other hand, can be hit-or-miss. If you are unlucky, the only person getting lost in another world is the author, while everyone else is discreetly glancing at their watches.

Later, you check your email and scroll through Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube for more entertaining and less time-consuming ways to access stories.

With so much competition for our attention, do books and literary readings stand a chance in the long run?

In 2006, that concern prompted Adrian Todd Zuniga, Elizabeth Koch, and Dennis DiClaudio to look for a new way to showcase writers’ work.

They wanted to get audiences excited about literature afgain. But how?

The answer debuted at The Back Room, a speakeasy in New York City.

This was not an exercise in coddling authors or letting them read for as long as they liked. It was a battle of brevity, where only the most succinct and compelling would survive, with just minutes to capture the audience’s attention.

The Literary Death Match was born.

Despite the dramatic name, the event is high energy and playful, says co-organiser and author Adrian Todd Zuniga.

At each Literary Death Match, four handpicked writers read their work for up to seven minutes. Three judges then assess the performances from different angles: literary merit, stage presence, and the somewhat mysterious category of “intangibles.”

The two finalists face off in a light-hearted game to determine the winner.

From the beginning, the idea of turning literary readings into performance gained traction. For the very first event, the team secured musician Moby as a judge. Many other high-profile names followed.

Judges are not limited to authors. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, including acting, comedy, dance, and music.

With a strict seven-minute limit per reader, the total reading time stays under 30 minutes.

Zuniga says the time cap was inspired by watching attention spans fade at conventional readings.

“Within the literary community, there is this idea that we never cut anybody off,” he says.

“We would go to readings and somebody would read for five minutes and be excellent, and then you would see someone read for 25 minutes and everybody wanted to gouge their eyes out.”

Keeping literary readings short sets clear expectations and allows the organisers to build entertainment around the work.

There is also a stand-up element, with Zuniga delivering an opening monologue and judges offering spontaneous commentary. He says this format works even alongside serious or heartbreaking material.

The goal is to introduce audiences to new authors and provoke thought, without taking itself too seriously.

After more than a dozen years and over 480 matches in 37 cities worldwide, Literary Death Match has helped to revive literature readings.

Zuniga recalls some extraordinary audience responses, including 800-seat venues so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

One of his favourite moments took place at the San Antonio Book Festival, when author Antonio Sacre delivered a piece on stripping in relation to writing.

Sacre spoke about stripping away everything until only the essential remained. He turned the metaphor into a physical performance, and the audience erupted.

“People didn’t just give him a standing ovation. They jumped up. Women came and threw dollar bills on the stage,” Zuniga recalls.

“It was amazing to watch that response. People really lost it. I loved that moment.”

Zuniga’s ambitions extend beyond the live stage. He believes that in today’s political climate, when truth and reliable information matter deeply, literature is experiencing a revival and should reach broader platforms.

He is currently working on a documentary and hopes to bring Literary Death Match to the screen. A meeting with Netflix, he says, could be the next step.

Get a taste of how a Literary Death Match works (video courtesy of LDM):

You can experience your own death match at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival in February 2019. 

Produced for the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival, held annually in Mexico.

Pictures from several days of course marking the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado.

The photos show sections of Green Mountain/Buffalo Boy Ridge, Handies Peak, Oh! Point to Ouray, the climb to Virginius Pass, Grant-Swamp Pass and Island Lake.

Hardrock is held every year in July, starting from the town of Silverton. The average elevation of the course is 11,000 feet, and runners ascent and descent some 66,000 feet in total. The maximum time allowed to complete the race is 48 hours.

The race is only officially done when a finisher kisses the Hardrock, a rock with the picture of a mountain ram.

Braving raging rivers, thunder storms and giant snow lopes, Robert Manning is thru hiking his way home from the Mexican border to Canada on the Continental Divide Trail – a journey of 3,100 miles (nearly 5,000 km) through the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

Some mornings are so cold that he wakes up to frozen socks and has to warm them up with a brisk hike.

“You’re sitting on a rock on a ridge top and looking back over this huge vista and realising you just walked across the whole thing, how grandiose it is. But the main memory stickers are the terrifying moments that you just somehow managed to get through,” says the adventurer.

The general mantra for thru hiking the CDT is to embrace the brutality.

“I’m starting to understand what they mean.”

Robert says that for about eight hours a day he feels nice and warm in his tent, another eight hours a day he is somewhere fun, and the remaining eight hours are spent stuck in a situation he’s trying to get out of.

“Hip deep in a snow bank, or thunderstorms chasing you around, but it all passes and it’s a fun story to tell.”

Being so far away from the daily bustle and focused solely on the weather, trail safety, the next river crossing  or ascent brings things down to the essentials for him.

“It’s kind of like an analogy to packing. First you pack all this stuff and a month in you realise 90 per cent of it you don’t need […], so the mind set it similar and you realise what matters and doesn’t really matter.”

“Also your mind just wanders and you think all these crazy thoughts as you’re tracking through the bush and you get the universe all figured out, and the next day you forget what you thought,” he laughs.

Having been a forest fire fighter for 17 years and holding a commercial pilot license, Robert has solid outdoors and map reading skills and knows how to deal with dicey situations.

However, he doesn’t carry an emergency beacon and his family only knows he’s made it through the next stretch when he gets to a town and can update his facebook page with pictures and stories of the days past.

Despite the remoteness of the trail, though, hikers do meet each other frequently as there’s only a limited time corridor this trail can be done in.

“There’s only been a few days where I’ve been hiking entirely on my own.”

As he comes through Leadville, CO, he has completed about 1,300 miles of his epic adventure and is down to one set of clothes with various layers.

“I just wear the same thing everyday, which is great freedom. I don’t have to choose anything.”

The one set includes his cycling shorts that co-function as underwear.

Robert reckons river crossings double up as underwear washing days when thru hiking.

I think he made that part up because I don’t remember a wall of funk greeting me when we met, but then again, he had probably already showered and washed his clothes by then – wearing only his rain coat so that everything else could go in the washer.

Having only one set of clothes helps keep the weight down. Starting out with a big pack and gear for all sorts of eventualities, Robert says he soon sent parcels to his sister, realising he had completely overpacked.

“I had a knee brace in there, which, if I needed a knee brace, I wouldn’t be able to be on the trail.”

Gaining experience as he went, he improved his planning skills to the degree that he can now largely avoid emergencies.

“Instead of packing for emergencies, you just preplan and avoid emergencies, which is probably one of the best things to keep the weight down.”

His pack is now down to 20 pounds, excluding food and water.

And despite all the challenges, Robert is keen to extend his time on the trail. Having bought an orchard in Canada, he has time to hike while the trees grow and is moving faster than planned, giving him extra room to play.

The CDT runs to the Glacier National Park on the US border with Canada, but his true goal is a Canadian mountain his parents used to take him to as a kid.

“They are both teachers, so they had the summers off and they’d stick us all in a van […] and bring us out to the mountains for a month.”

Mt. Assiniboine is another few hundred miles of thru hiking along the Canadian Great Divide Trail, and trekking out to that mountain means more to Robert than just ending his journey at the Canadian border.

“I can’t wait to get there and see it again. Even in the crappy times, that’s what I think about is getting back there.”

“There is a neat little waterfall that comes off one of the adjacent mountains into a pool and there are always these little trout in the pool and I can always catch them. So that’s where I’m going, to catch those little trout.”