Photos: A Write Club Atlanta showdown

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Write Club meets monthly at the Highland Ballroom in Atlanta. Member of the pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Host Nicholas Tecosky (center) has word "combatants" Marine veteran Jerad Alexander (left) and Naval veteran Rob Mosca (right) doing pushups to determine who will present first in a face off between "land and sea" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Host Nicholas Tecosky puts seven minutes on the clock for "combatant" Rob Mosca to present his story to the audience in a word battle of "land vs sea" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Rob Mosca concludes his story presentation to the audience during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

The audience applauds for combatant Rob Mosca as he wins his war of words in "land vs sea" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Jeremy Maxwell wins the small golden trophy after facing off with his fiancee Reay Kaplan on the topic "strange vs familiar" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Combatants preparing to face off in a "war of words" retreat to the alley way and courtyard to gather their wit and courage before taking the stage during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

The Highland Inn is the location of the monthly meeting of the Write Club in the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Dani Herd, Decatur, shows off her copy of the book "Bare- Knuckled LIT", the best of the Write Club, in which she has a full essay published during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Staci Wright (from left), Jessica Dodd, Molly Heacock and Anne Connaughton listen to a story by a "combatant" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Reay Kaplan presents her story to the audience in a battle of words between "strange vs familiar" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Marine veteran Jerad Alexander presents his story to the audience in a battle of words between "land vs sea" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Literary "combatant" Rob Mosca cheers along with the audience at the opening of the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

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Host Nicholas Tecosky (center) has word "combatants" Marine veteran Jerad Alexander (left) and Naval veteran Rob Mosca (right) doing pushups to determine who will present first in a face off between "land and sea" during the monthly meeting of the Write Club at the Highland Ballroom on Monday, Feb 9, 2015, in Atlanta. The pugnacious group of authors choose sides on an abstract topic and go toe to toe to see who writes it better. The audience of tipplers and hecklers decides who wins. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

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