Features, Slammers, and more TBA.

We’re moving to an every-other month programming structure, in an effort to bring you the tightest shows and greatest features we can find. That said, we’ll see you in October!

For some, though, even more participation is the order of the day. Storyteller Mary J Lockwood, who is about to take her show, Mary’s Extraordinary Story Club, to Edinburgh, began the Story Slam in her home town of Lancaster a year ago, subsequently running a regular event in London. One of her first moves was to make contact with Bill Hillmann, who started Chicago’s Windy City Story Slam at the beginning of 2008 and has now seen attendances grow from an initial crowd of seven to 900. Recently, Lockwood invited Hillmann to bring a team over for an International Story Slam, in which two teams of five storytellers, one American and one British, would do battle; amusingly enough, they were playing by British rules, which demand that randomly selected members of the public rate each performer by holding up a scorecard, rather than, as in Chicago, simply going by the decibel level. In other words, the vibe is more Strictly Come Dancing than Spartacus: Blood and Sand. For those inspired by what they saw, there was the promise of an open-mic slot to finish.

Read the rest of the article here.

We’re also excited to announce the participation of the Chicago Urban Arts Society.

That’s right: storytelling, music, AND art, all for only $5! See you there!

Check it out!

We’re also proud to welcome back the Warrior Writers Project, a wonderful group whose mission is “to create a culture that articulates veterans’ experiences. We aim to provide the opportunity for a creative community for artistic expression among veterans. We provide witness to the lived experiences of warriors.”

Slammers and musical guest (provided through our partnership with Old Town School of Folk Music) TBA.

Find us at our new home, Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western Ave.) at 7:30 pm SHARP. 21+, $5 at door.

* John Schultz is the author of two books on the subject, No One Was Killed and The Chicago Conspiracy Trial.

If you didn’t hear it live, or aired, 848 is hosting it at their website with TWO web exclusives: Regie Cabico’s story “My HOprah” and Michelle Buscher’s “Farm Lessons 101.”

Audience Choice National Story Slam Champion: Chicago’s Alex Bonner
Audience Choice First Runner Up: Washington, D.C.’s Regie Cabico
Audience Choice Second Runner up: Anderson, SC’s Michelle Buscher

All photos copyright Tim Schreier and Windy City Story Slam NFP.

It was neck-and-neck…that is, until Ms. Donoval stepped on stage.

Nancy Donoval, rep for the now defunct In The Loop and the forthcoming Twin Cities Story Slam snagged the title, the belt, and huge bragging rights with an excerpt from her one-woman show. Congrats again, Nancy! Well done!

Hometown boy and Windy City Story Slam rep Alex Bonner was one of a few of the afternoon’s high scorers to be bested by Donoval, but all was not lost: After many intense (nay, nearly deafening) rounds of applause, Bonner was awarded the National Story Slam Champion: Audience Choice title and belt.

Audience choice first runner-up was the wildly talented and oh-so-sweet Regie Cabico from SpeakeasyDC, and second runner-up was Michelle Buscher, one of the toughest, sassiest competitors WCSS has ever had the pleasure of hosting.

Please, send some love in the direction of these fine folks, as well as competitors Phil Kasitz (a Story Slam almost-virgin during his turn at the mic, but a worthy competitor), Mike McCarry (who DID NOT PLAN HIS STORY and STILL kicked MAJOR ASS), Lynne Duddy (whose precise prose and delivery was spot on), Anthony Bedard (who has some very nice parody/singing skills), Ab Logan (who had perhaps the sweetest story to ever grace a WCSS-hosted stage), and Jim Stahl (who mixes comedy and tragedy like a master).

Pictures and audio to come soon!

Phil Kasitz, a long haired, great looking (debatable) wanna be hippie, comes from a long line of Kasitz men.  When he is not at school trying to become a man-nurse (and benignly nodding as people say the same joke that his long hair makes him look like a girl and therefore a perfect candidate to be a nurse), you may find him dropping dimes on the basketball court, crawling under the bushes to put the finishing touches on his mulch job, or chasing little kids and wondering why he decided to give babysitting a try.  A friend of Jesus, he loves spending time in town with his homeless friends and hearing the stories of their lives.  He strives to love his family as they deserve, make sure his friends who are in relationships don’t start becoming boring married couple types, and woo his Queen so that she knows that he is the one who should have the honor of walking through life by her side.  His life goals are to be married, be a good father for his kiddies, and dedicate his life to loving all of God’s people.

More after the bump.

Q & A with Phil

How long have you been involved in your local Slam?
I have been participating in the Slam for about a month.  I never heard about it before in my life, but one fateful Tuesday night, I was out to dinner with my mother, and we happened to be sitting smack dab in the middle of the WC Story Slam.

What was your Nationals-qualifying story about?
I told a story of a good friend of mine, Jared, who was riding a bike with his friend.  He was riding faster than the said friend, so he decided to make fun of his friend.  As he turned around to taunt his friend for his poor bike riding abilities, Jared slammed into the back of a parked car.  After a concussion and 10 stitches in his right ear, Jared now knows a little about Karma.  (The topic for the slam that night.)

What’s your storytelling background?
I have been telling stories semi-professionally my whole life.  I tell them to anyone who will listen.  That list includes senior citizens on park benches, my nieces and nephews who can’t escape my stories when I babysit them, friends who find themselves locked into a long car ride with me to the beach, and sometimes, when no one else is around, small rodents who wander along as I sit under a tree.

Complete this sentence: “My favorite part about being a storyteller is…”
…having the opportunity to share who I am with the audience.

What about Nationals are you most looking forward to?
After thinking a couple minutes about Nationals, I realized that Story Slams represent something that has been going on since the beginning of humanity.  From the beginning, people have told stories.  Stories are the way that history is passed, relationships are formed, and legacy is passed down.  When one speaks to an audience, their story, and therefore a part of who they are, is planted into the heart and mind of those who listen.  At Nationals, I could be sharing my story with people who come from across the whole country.  When they leave and go home from the event, my story will go with them, and maybe be spread for generations to come.  That’s special!

Can we have a sneak-peek of the story you’re bringing to the show-down? A little teaser?
I’ve heard tell that Michelangelo was asked before he started the Sistene Chapel, ” Hey Mikey, what you gonna put up there.”  He replied, ” Wait and see buddy, I’m feeling a masterpiece coming!”

About West Chester Story Slam

The West Chester Story Slam was founded in November, 2009 to promote the art of storytelling in Chester County, PA. Our small town, located 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, is known for two diametrically opposed pop culture phenomenons  - TV Shopping giant QVC and Professional Skateboarder Bam Margera! Our slams are held monthly at Ryan’s Pub in downtown West Chester. Each month, three stories are chosen for inclusion on the West Chester Story Slam Podcast (available in iTunes) and most stories are available for viewing on wcstoryslam.com. The West Chester Story Slam was founded by writer/producer Jim Breslin and is made possible with support from the Brandywine Valley Writers Group, Think Journal and the West Chester Scoop.

Storyteller, monologist, narrative artist…whatever you want to call it, Lynne Duddy tells stories. She’s a self-described cross between Laurie Anderson and Linda Barry. Lynne co-founded PST in 2004 to give adults a chance to have a sense of connection through stories. The Oregonian loved her one-woman show, “Dark Matter,” and called her “raw, revealing and vulnerable.” She is also an ordained minister of the Church of Sexual Healing. In her spare time she is a full-time student at PSU and is learning to speak Spanish. She says “Gracias por venir a nuestro show!”

About Portland Story Theater

Portland Story Theater was launched in 2004 to bring the urban community together for a unique performance experience, telling tales that stimulate the mind and rouse the heart. We are a grass-roots operation, building awareness and appreciation for narrative. In late 2009, we established ourselves as a not-for-profit business. PST uses a unique collaborative approach to produce shows of people performing stories drawn from real-life experiences. We also offer workshops and one-on-one coaching for people who want to learn how to tell stories. Portland Story Theater has been recognized by The Oregonian for our groundbreaking work that “keeps audiences entranced from start to finish.”