Literary Hall of Fame from Ampolo Team on Vimeo.

Next week diehard baseball fans from around the country will gather in Cooperstown, New York, to watch as Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Some of these fans and those who visit Cooperstown throughout the year will probably stop at other halls of fame on their journeys. There are such shrines around the country honoring everything from basketball to barbed wire from racquetball to rock and roll. Strangely, however, there is no national Literary Hall of Fame. Considering all the heavy hitters in the history of American literature, that’s disappointing…and surprising. You would think some enterprising city would recognize the tourist-drawing potential of such an endeavor. That’s the inspiration for this week’s episode. And our question to you is: if there were such a hall what five American writers—living or dead– would you like to see inducted into its inaugural class?