This trading card and award were presented to Ernie Cline during the Classic Game Fest Trading Card Awards Ceremonies, July 29, 2017, in Austin, Texas.
Ernest Christy Cline (born March 29, 1972) is an American novelist, spoken-word artist, and screenwriter. He is mostly famous for his novels Ready Player One and Armada; he also co-wrote the screenplay of Ready Player One's upcoming film adaptation by Steven Spielberg. Cline was born in Ashland, Ohio, the son of Faye Imogene (Williams) and Ernest Christy Cline. His younger brother, Eric, is a Major in United States Marine Corps, specializing as an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Technician. In 2016, he married poet/nonfiction writer Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, whom he met at the 1998 National Poetry Slam. Cline’s all-time favorite video game is Black Tiger, which figures prominently into the plot of Cline's novel Ready Player One. From 1997 to 2001, Cline performed his original work at the Austin Poetry Slam venues. He was the Austin Poetry Slam Champ in 1998 and 2001 and competed on the Austin Poetry Slam Teams at the 1998 Austin National Poetry Slam and the 2001 Seattle National Poetry Slam. His most popular spoken-word pieces include "Dance, Monkeys, Dance," "Nerd Porn Auteur," and "When I Was a Kid." Cline subsequently reworked "Dance Monkeys Dance" into a faux educational filmstrip, which became a popular viral video that has now been translated into 29 different languages. In 2001, Cline self-published a chapbook collection of his spoken-word writing, The Importance of Being Ernest, and released an album, The Geek Wants Out, both sold through his website. In fall 2013 Write Bloody Publishing published a new edition of The Importance of Being Ernest with new cover art by Gary Musgrave and new interior illustrations by Len Peralta. The production of this trading card was made possible through a financial grant generously donated by Lonnie McDonald, of Grandview, MO.
