Grand Slam
Because it’s the time for counting things down and looking back over the year, let’s re-enjoy some of 2010’s most watched stories from our YouTube channel.
#5 Meg’s short and sweet “Epic Fail.” (Watch her Best Presentation-winning Grand Slam story here.)
#4 Liz Spikol “spills her guts” at our May Salon, Spilling Your Guts
#3 The story that took current “Best Storyteller in Philly” Amanda to the Fall Grand Slam. (Watch her Grand Slam story here.)
#2 Cecily can make a funeral hilarious.
#1 Not a big surprise here… Olga tells us about her not-so-little friend, Carlitos at the Summer Grand Slam.
Here’s another Fall Grand Slam and Soiree contestant who will be brawling on November 10!
When Erica moved from the west coast to Philadelphia, there was only one thing missing…good weed. So she went where most people go to find special friends. Craigslist! Hear the rest of her saucy story below!
Don’t forget to check out our previously featured contestants here.
Name: Erica Slate
Age: 32
Location: Germantown
Slam won: Friends with Benefits
What was the last thing you won (StorySlam not included)?
An award for “Best Style” at a staff bowling outing in NYC. I count my approach out like dance steps and do a little hop between beats 3 and 4. I really can’t bowl without the hop. I believe the prize was two tickets to the movies.
In honor of FPA’s 10 year anniversary in 2011, tell us a story in 10 words.
These scars are bites from a 750 pound pig, Hilda.
What would your dream theme be for a Storyslam?
Scars.
What story would you tell?
A story about one of the surgical scars on my body.
Who do you know that tells the worst (or best) stories?
My Bedouin father in the Peace Corps, Dakhilallah Gublan Al-Fikur, told the best stories around the dinner fire pit.
Why are you a good storyteller? (aka why should your competitors be scared?)
I’m an adventurous person.
Bill might not have won his original slam; however, he did walk away with the audience’s heart when he and his friends drove from Florida to North Carolina to go skiing. They are poor college students and cannot afford a hotel room. So, what does Bill promise to do? Seduce snow bunnies so that they can have a place to sleep. Watch Bill fake his way through his stories below!
Bill will be competing in our Fall Grand Slam on November 10. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
You can read about some of the storytellers Bill will be competing against here.
Name: Bill Tortorelli
Age: 36
Location: South Philly
Slam won: Faking It (audience favorite)
What was the last thing you won (StorySlam not included)?
I wont the three-legged race in 5th grade on field day.
In honor of FPA’s 10 year anniversary in 2011 – Tell us a story in 10 words.
My cat lost a tooth. Mortality is for real, kids.
What would your dream theme be for a Storyslam? What story would you tell?
School days. My story would be about seeing the classroom from the
other side, and how I now realize how unimpressive I must have looked
back then.
Who do you know that tells the worst (or best) stories?
My father tells terrible stories about how tough retirement will be if
one doesn’t properly allocate funds to one’s IRA portfolio.
Why are you a good storyteller? (aka why should your competitors be scared?)
Storytelling is about style, yeah, but experiences are important too.
I have done more dumb things than anyone else I know.
Amanda won our “It’s In the Mail” StorySlam when she told the story about her attempt to seduce her dream man, her boss. Watch her tell the full story below! Amanda will be competing alongside our other talented storytellers on November 10 at the Fall Grand Slam and Soiree.
You can also read up on our previously featured winners here.
Name: Amanda Feifer O’Brien
Age: 31
Location: South Philly/Italian Market
Slam won: It’s In the Mail
What was the last thing you won (StorySlam not included)? South Philly Food Co-op Raffle (Gift Certificate to SPTR. Woo Hoo!)
In honor of FPA’s 10 year anniversary in 2011 – Tell us a story in 10 words. Birthday brunch last Sunday. Made homemade pop-tarts. Gained foodie cred.
What would your dream theme be for a StorySlam? What story would you tell? I wish I had been in town for Epic Fail. I think I would have told the story of my senior year of high school, aka the year that all of my high school-y dreams were destroyed and I got really fat and depressed. It was awesome.
Who do you know that tells the worst (or best) stories? Ummm…easily Katonya Mosley is the best storyteller on the planet. Storytelling needs to be a job that pays a lot of money so that she can do it for a living and bring joy to the world. Everything she says has layers. She is crazy subtle, but always makes her point. She can win over and inspire any audience. Did I mention that that the whole reason I entered the StorySlam was (indirectly) because I (friendly) stalk Katonya? I took the class she was teaching because I’ve seen her host many slams and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take lessons from the master. I entered the StorySlam I won as a result of the class. We’ve been going to slams for years, but I never entered one as a storyteller before taking the class.
Why are you a good storyteller? (aka why should your competitors be scared?) Yikes, gnarly question. I’m a better storyteller because I took the FPA Tell It! course, and, uh…I enunciate? 
. My competitors should not be afraid of me, because I am friendly and I only like to compete with people I really dislike. Also, if previous Grand Slams are any indication. I should be very afraid of at least most of them….and I am! As long as I don’t completely bomb, though, I’ll be super happy to have participated in this iconic Philly event.
I know November 10 is marked in your calendars because it’s the date of our Fall Grand Slam and Soiree!
To get you all caught up, for the next two weeks we are going to feature all of the former champs who will be competing!
Remember when Meghan ate a paper plate because she thought it was a Pita? Well, come out on November 10 and hear her battle it out for the Grand Slam title. (Watch her original story below.)
Name: Meghan Walsh
Age: 27
Location: Bella Vista. Make a left at the blinking police camera.
Slam won: Epic Fail (I accidentally tried to eat a paper plate thinking it was a pita triangle.)
What was the last thing you won (story slam not included)?
A ping pong game around 2:30 AM in my basement. At least I think I won…
In honor of FPA’s 10 year anniversary in 2011 – Tell us a story in 10 words.
When I was young I chased my imaginary friend “The Future”.
What would your dream theme be for a Storyslam? What story would you tell?
Epic Fail, and I would tell my pita/paper plate story. But that already happened, so I guess the theme could be “Change of Plans” and I would tell this story about the time my friend and I were driving to South Dakota for a Native American reservation spirit quest, but the car broke down at Chicago and we had a weeklong Chicago bender instead.
Who do you know that tells the worst (or best) stories?
My friend Adam Woods tells the best stories. Not only does he have a charming Tennessee accent, he has an incredible ability to take his time setting up a good story and hit you with a climactic ending. Being from Tennessee he also has a great cast of characters- like Popcorn Sutton, the moonshine maker.
Why are you a good storyteller? (aka why should your competitors be scared?)
I’m short and to the point, with a healthy amount of self-deprecation. Seriously though, I’m going to lose.
They are an eclectic bunch this group… lawyers, actors, bloggers. They come from as far away as South Africa and as close as Delco. And they are bringing their best storytelling to Saturday’s Summer Grand Slam. Will you be there to cheer them on?
Wayne Brinkley
Naomi Brownstein
Natala Covert
Ben Drinen
Brenda G
Tremaine Johnson
Alex Kacala
Michael McCarry
Olga Schmutz
R. Eric Thomas
Leah Walton
I have to say, I was expecting a few more submissions to our “Tell a Story About the Storyteller” contest. I mean, come on, I know that anyone in the audience at our last StorySlam walked away with at least one story about host and Grand Slam contender Alex Kacala! The blue paper onesie, anyone? Don’t tell me that story didn’t affect you in some way!
That said, congratulations to Bill Tortorelli, Nake Haken and the mysterious, one name only Alexandra (Is she a rock star perhaps? In the mold of a Madonna or a Cher?). Each of them will get one free ticket to Saturday’s Summer Grand Slam and BBQ. Check out their tales below and you can still read the great Q & A answers from all of Saturday’s storytellers.
Nate on Ben
“Yeah, I know Ben. I didn’t know him when he got suspended from school for eating a mouse. I knew him later, after he got told by a football coach that he would never amount to beans. He and I hoofed it across the country, down into Mexico. We saw a goat down there.”
Bill on Alex
“I have noticed that Alex misattributed his childhood shames in his story at the January StorySlam. He claimed that his mother’s Armenian cookery led to his bad breath, flatulence, and excessive sweat; but I daresay that he continues to exhibit these traits to this very day, without daily doses of his mother’s delicious-sounding dishes.”
Alexandra on Olga
“If you need to learn about life, Olga IS the best person to tell you about it. Regardless of what’s going on, she will have a story similar to yours that will not only make you grateful for whatever is happening to you, it will make you laugh like nothing else and I guarantee, you will even feel good about the situation. Her way of expressing herself is simply unique, it’s impossible to forget any of her stories!”
We want to hear from anyone and everyone that knows our contestants. Are you a Co-Worker? Best Friend? Second Cousin? Ex-lover? Or did you have a transcendent experience watching them tell a story at a Slam? Whoever you are we want your most joyful/hilarious/insane/petrifying story! Post it in the comments section for your chance to win one free ticket to our Summer Grand Slam Competition, July 24th at the Painted Bride. Winners will be chosen on July 19th.This contest is now closed but keep reading about our storytellers! See who won here.
Tre’s Life Story:
I was raised in Trenton, NJ after my original home, Krypton, was blown up. After attending private school from K-6, I enrolled in Ewing Public Schools from 7-12. I graduated, attended University of Maryland where I earned a degree in English and a hatred for Duke. After college I taught for 3 years, and have since remained in education working various positions in schools and community organizations. I’m recently married and live with my wife and two cats in Center City.
Tre’s Winning Story: Whoppers (April at L’Etage) (This was a three-way tie that Tre won after the audience tie-breaking choice theme of “Smells”)
Ever notice how old people have a funny smell? Tre certainly has- in fact he has had a lifelong battle with his uncontrollable impulse to hold his breath whenever he encounters it! This struggle came to a head when he, as a resume building senior in high school, volunteered at an assisted living community. We are all grateful that he survived the ordeal!
Storyteller Q and A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
I won 2 crappy video games at a Cherry Hill Mall video game contest back in like, 1992.
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
I went to a Lutheran private school from K-6 that didn’t have show-and-tell. If anything, we were all asked to bring in our sins.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
I think the most unique thing about my storytelling style is probably my sense of humor, which is pretty stream-of-consciousness-like.
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
Because, as you can imagine based on my picture, I have Batman on my side.
5) Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
I live in Center City and I’m 32 years old.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
By now of course you know that First Person Arts’ Summer Grand Slam is coming up on Saturday, July 24th at the Painted Bride Art Center, and that the pre-Slam BBQ is going to feature barbecue from Sweet Lucy’s, Herr’s potato chips, Narraganset beer and tastings of ROOT liqueur. You can buy your tickets here.
Or do you want to try and get FREE TICKETS? Win our “Tell a Story About the Storyteller” competition and you’ll receive a free ticket to the Grand Slam and BBQ. Here’s how it works:
We want to hear from anyone and everyone that knows our contestants. Are you a Co-Worker? Best Friend? Second Cousin? Ex-lover? Or did you have a transcendent experience watching them tell a story at a Slam? We want your most joyful/hilarious/insane/petrifying story about our storyteller!
This contest is now closed. See who won here.
Click on any Storyteller below and post a remarkable (but true) story about him or her in the comments section of their page! It can be any ‘theme’ you want, it just needs to knock our socks off! On July 19th we’ll pick the best submissions and the winners each get one free ticket to the Summer Grand Slam and BBQ on July 24th.*
Here are the Storytellers competing this year. Lets see what you got!!
Wayne Brinkley
Naomi Brownstein
Natala Covert
Ben Drinen
Brenda G
Tremaine Johnson
Alex Kacala
Michael McCarry
Olga Schmutz
R. Eric Thomas
Leah Walton
* One winner per storyteller. Please submit only one story per storyteller.
We want to hear from anyone and everyone that knows our contestants. Are you a Co-Worker? Best Friend? Second Cousin? Ex-lover? Or did you have a transcendent experience watching them tell a story at a Slam? Whoever you are we want your most joyful/hilarious/insane/petrifying story! Post it in the comments section for your chance to win one free ticket to our Summer Grand Slam Competition, July 24th at the Painted Bride. Winners will be chosen on July 19th.This contest is now closed but keep reading about our storytellers! See who won here.
Wayne’s Winning StorySlam: No Way Out (May at World Cafe Live)
You have no business riding shotgun with Wayne unless you know what your doing. After driving his friends to and from a basketball game one night, they lose their toll ticket for the turnpike. Needless to say, Wayne’s co-pilot learned his lesson (walking home!) and will never make a mistake like that again.
