First Person Arts Blog

For you fans of now-classic reality television moments, this story from the 2008 Grand Slam by Ingrid Wiese fills in some of the details behind the production of “Joe Schmo.”  Ingrid really was the reality-show contestant you imagined yourself to be.  The one who sees all the angles and spots the scam:

A group of 2008 Grand Slam storytellers backstage in the green room at the Painted Bride during the 2008 First Person Festival:

From left to right: Katonya, Sandy, Kendra, Juliet, and Kevin

The 2009 StorySlam season will open just a hair early with a special slam just before the Ira Glass show on Saturday January 24th at the Kimmel Center for FREE.  The theme is “Broke.”  The regularly scheduled slams resume on the following Tuesday the 27th back at L’Etage (that theme will be “Bad Idea”).

Even though a part of me wanted to stay home in front of the fire on the evening of November 15, I had already bought tickets for the Grand Slam, so my friend and I braved the rain and traffic to attend. It was late for us moms, but we were game!

We didn’t know the stories are rated, immediately, by “volunteer” judges. That must be why they call it a slam! Thankfully, we were not among the chosen. What a crowd. Diverse, enthusiastic and ready for whatever the contestants would throw their way. And yes, we were amazed at what was thrown our way. It takes a lot to tell your mistakes and foibles and naivete to a 350 people, yet it happened and no one seems the worse for it. You can see the stories on video here on the blog, but the full experience is the best. A story slam creates its own kind of intense give and take between the tellers and the audience. No offense, YouTube, but you had to be there. And you’ll be at the next one, right?

The following day was Sunday, and I took a different friend, one who has lived in the neighborhood of Painted Bride for years. “I can’t believe it was my suburban friend who got me out to this,” she marveled as we walked a couple blocks to the Bride. This time, we were on our way to Relative History, Daniel Mendelsohn and Lise Funderburg’s joint reading and discussion.

Their work is so different, his about family members who perished in the Holocaust, and hers about her father’s life in the Jim Crow South, and yet together the readings created a deep resonance. The audience, again, was totally engaged, and asked questions that showed they had not only been listening, but were actively taking the subject farther. How do memory and history intersect in memoir? What should be remain unsaid, and what is fair game, in writing about family?

As my friend and I ate our dinner in a small Vietnamese restaurant on Market St., we agreed, we must do this again.

Gentleman, scholar, storyteller, Kevin Lee is a favorite among many of the participants in the StorySlams.  Here’s his Grand Slam performance: 

Ryan came in late in the year to win the September “Belonging” StorySlam (you can see his monthly winning slam story here).  It was the first StorySlam he’d ever attended, let alone participated in!  Here he delivers the winning story at the 2008 Grand Slam:

Stay tuned for all of the stories from the 2008 Grand Slam, and get ready for the 2009 season fast approaching with a very special FREE season-opener at the Kimmel Center right before Ira Glass on Saturday, January 24th.  Details here (scroll down to the bottom).  Starts at 6:30pm!   The theme will be “Broke.”

The regularly scheduled monthly Slam returns to L’Etage on the following Tuesday, January 27th at 7:30pm.

2007 Grand Slam winner Juliet Wayne opened up the 2008 Grand Slam as a guest storyteller, ostensibly to break the ice for the storytellers who followed. But I think you’ll agree that she set the bar pretty high right out of the gate! And read below for the unbelievable coda:

As it turns out, by totally random coincidence, the family Juliet babysat for happened to be in the audience for the GrandSlam. They hadn’t seen each other since the moment that serves as the climax to Juliet’s story! They came up on stage looking for Juliet after the event, and not with retribution on their minds. Hugs all around, and an even better conclusion to an already excellent story. Thanks Juliet!

8:58

Huge crowd here tonight.  It’s the elite of the Competitive eating world.  Bill Simmons “El Wingador” is here. Humble Bob Shoudt.  A bunch of IFOCE eaters.  Check out the IFOCE website

I think I saw Coondog O’Karma in the house too.

9:12 

This is a real insider crowd.  They’re getting jokes nobody else would get.  They know everybody in this film.  Wingettes included.  Bill Simmons is the Rocky of Wingbowl.

10:12

This film is pretty unbelievable and should be seen by all Philadelphians and lovers of competitive eating enthusiasts.  The conclusion is absolutely stunning. Man Man is on the soundtrack.

10:16

I swear I hear sniffles in the crowd.

The First Person Festival continues today at the Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St.  Tickets for tonight’s events are no longer available on-line but can be purchased in person at the Festival site!  

Start your friday off right with the First Person Arts Members’ Happy Hour at 5pm.  Come join us, become a member and share a Philly Brewing Company beer with other lovers of memoir and documentary art.  At 6pm, we’ll have a FREE reading by Lori Tharps from her book Kinky Gazpacho.  You can read more about Lori at her blog, My American Melting Pot.  Then at 7pm, stick around for Davy Rothbart of Found Magazine who will share the hilarious and revealing stories behind the discarded notes, letters and photographs his readers send in droves.  Get a daily dose of Found at his website!  And finally, at 8:30pm, El Wingador will be in the house with his Wingettes for the Philadelphia Premiere of Swallow Your Pride, Josh Camerote’s documentary about Philadelphia’s storied eating competition, WingBowl.

Take a look at today’s Inquirer for a coverage of the weekend’s events!