Grand Slam
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.
Leah’s Life Story:
Leah moved to Philadelphia on a whim in 2004, and is very happy she stayed. She works as an actor, acting teacher and office assistant in various local theaters. Her hobbies are cross stitching and playing mahjong with her friends on Sunday nights. Telling stories is one of her most favorite things to do, and she wishes it was her job. (Thank you to Abby for bringing Leah to her first Slam in February!)
Leah’s Winning StorySlam: Emergency! (February at L’Etage)
Leah is studying acting in Russia and its the end of the semester. She and her comrades are out for a night of revelry, when she decides to march herself home and sober up for “Firing Squad Day”- her final class critique. After a few wrong turns, she finds herself accidentally locked inside a bank’s glass antechamber, sirens blazing and pre-recorded instructions blasting unintelligible Russian overhead. If she can survive this ordeal, perhaps she can survive “Firing Squad Day.”
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Brenda’s Life Story:
Grew up in Africa, now live in Philly with my partner and son. Moved here 10 years ago. (You’d never know it. I sound just like my South Philly neighbors.) I enjoy painful things like running 30 miles and cycling 175 miles. I am a nurse….was never the class clown. Human pathophysiology turns me on. Public speaking terrifies me.
Brenda’s Winning StorySlam: Faulty Logic (May at L’Etage)
Intergenerational friendships can be as rewarding as they can be tricky. With so many decades between them, neighborly Brenda finds herself caught in a very delicate predicament with her elderly Scrabble partner whose lusty labido has failed to age!
Storyteller Q and A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
A scholarship. I am a nerd.
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
Um, there was no show and tell where I grew up.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
I don’t have a storytelling style, but my partner says I have a sophisticated sense of humor. I suppose that’s what you’d say if you were very kind, and wanted to say that I laugh at my own joke when nobody else is. Ah well…
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
They shouldn’t have any fear at all. I only know one good story…and oh dear…I’ve used it.
5) Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
Bellavista. Early 30s.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Olga’s Winning StorySlam: Home for the Holidays (January at World Cafe Live)
There’s nothing like the love between a mother and a daughter. Especially when they have a hard time expressing it to each other. In her story, Olga phones her mother after downing a bottle of wine, and the ensuing conversation is as hilarious as it is painful.
Storyteller Q and A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
I was 13 years old. I won a live radio commercial announcement promoting a name brand beverage/juice.
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
I can’t remember ever doing a show and tell, it was not customary in Spanish elementary schools.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
When I tell a story I bring each character to life. I vividly acted out the characters in my stories. I become the character.
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
I’m completely uninhibited in expressing passionately every detail. The audience will “feel” my story!
5) Boring question: where do you live (neighborhood or town)?
Rittenhouse, Philadelphia.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
R. Eric’s Life Story:
R. Eric Thomas is a playwright, storyteller and lethargic blogger. Previously produced plays include Welcome to the Neighborhood, Linda Davis and The Spectator. He is delighted to be competing in his second Grand Slam. He was seen earlier this week at the First Person Arts/Queer Memoir Salon reading from his essay, “Run Girl, Run”. He is currently working on a collection of non-fiction entitled “Enormously Awkward: (Mostly) True Stories + Things That Are Better Left Unsaid” and workshopping a new play. You can find more essays, videos and unflattering photos at www.enormouslyawkward.blogspot.com
R. Eric’s Winning StorySlam: First Impressions (February at World Cafe Live)
Eric prided himself on being the attractive, well-dressed gay black man of the office. Until one day He arrives. At first Eric indulges an elaborate romantic fantasy, until he discovers that the object of his affection is basically Eric 2.0, a doppelganger with the face of John Legend and the ass of a Greek god. Eric’s hilarious tale chronicles how his arduous passion was instantly transformed into self-loathing and animosity towards his better self.
Storyteller Q&A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
I’ll tell you what I didn’t win–my office’s baked goods contest, which is total BS. I made 48 cupcakes in 90 degree heat lost to a damn banana pudding. A damn banana pudding! Bananas. Pudding. Ridiculous. So, the last thing I won was the Student Council election at Columbia back in the 20th century. I was also nominated for an Oscar last year. But like my Aunt Hildy always says, “If you don’t win, you’re a loser. And you’ll never amount to much.”
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
I was a very private child and went to elementary school with a bunch of busybodies and gossips so I never brought anything for show and tell except my righteous indignation. Rude little 7-year-olds.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
It skirts that razor’s edge between total catastrophe and quasi-artistic. It’s completely dependent on my own chaotic misunderstanding of life. It involves a lot of squawking.
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
Because I have an Old West sense of justice.
5) Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
I live in the wind. I am as old as the trees. (I live in South Philly. I’m 29.)
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Mike’s Life Story:
Mike McCarry is a 3rd generation resident of Media PA who currently works in the luxury car business on the main line. A student of English literature in College, Mike has bounced around many different fields of employment since his departure with an incomplete degree. On most summer days, you can find him coaching a semi-professional baseball team in Delaware County and performing hip-hop shows throughout the tri-state area. He’s been story slamming for 2 years now and thinks its the most effective destination for a 2nd date with a girl, maybe that’s why he is perpetually single.
Mike’s Winning StorySlam: All About My Mother (April at the Free Library)
Mike makes a strong case for his mother being the best mom in the world. But no matter how much he admires her, its hard to grow up in the shadow of Super Mom. One hot summer day Mike takes a stand to prove himself by challenging his Olympic swimmer mother in the Biggest Splash Competition. The outcome will no doubt shape his relationship with the opposite sex for the rest of his life….
Storyteller Q&A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
A forth of July day egg toss. I’m graceful and controlled with the toss and carefully considerate with the catch. Makes me a Champion.
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
I took my cat into school in my backpack. Needless to say it wasn’t the best of ideas.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
I really only have about 2-3 minutes of a story laid out in my head, I really count on being able to add things from the audience reception. I want it to feel like I’m telling a story to a group of friends at a party, not like a presentation or memoir reading.
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
Because I’m the Matthew McConaughey of Story Slams, I might not have the most talent, but I’ll make up for it with a gratuitous shirt removal mid story. Pecs and Abs are way better than Plot and Characters.
5) Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
Born and Raised in the heart of Delco, Media PA to be exact. And I’m 26 going on 14.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Naomi’s Winning StorySlam: Gifts (March at L’Etage)
After a few too many cocktails, naive Naomi was hoping to bide her holding cell time of 18-24 hours with magazines and some coffee. After a very bumpy night with her guards in Philadelphia’s prison system, she gets herself some justice thanks to her trustworthy cellmate!
Storyteller Q and A
1. What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
I did win a Halloween Costume contest last year. I was Marilyn Monroe.
2. The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
My “cool” aunt from California sent me a little Cowgirl Outfit, so I wore it to school as my “Show & Tell”. I think it was a Dale Evans Outfit. (And if you know who that is, you might be able to answer the last question too.) This was a LONG time ago, so you know I must have loved that outfit to still remember it.
3. What is unique about your storytelling style?
Oh, I don’t know…. so far I’ve managed to avoid peeing and vomiting in my stories.
4. Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
Because I have a lot more years of “Showing and Telling” to draw on….
5. Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
I live in Germantown. And, lastly…I’d like to refrain from answering that one.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Natala’s Life Story:
Natala Covert is a recent graduate of the University of the Arts, and lives in South Philadelphia with three other beautiful women, two cats and a dog named Scout. She works at the Crane arts building just north of Northern Liberties, and also at Sabrina’s Cafe. She was not expecting to be competing for Best Story Teller of the year, but cannot wait to share her story!
Natala’s Audience Favorite StorySlam: Whoppers (April at L’Etage)
Nightmare scenario: You’ve had a canoe accident on the Delaware followed by a night of excruciating ear pain and blood. Fast forward three weeks, you are now lying on the bathroom floor with your mother’s turkey-baster in your ear while she tries to flush out the remaining bits of decomposing beatle trapped inside!
Storyteller Q and A
1) What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
I won a scholarship from UARTS to go to Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, for a two week class two summers ago.
2) The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
Honestly, I can’t remember much of elementary school… I’ve blocked it out.
3) What is unique about your storytelling style?
I use my hands A LOT when I tell stories. It’s a nervous thing.
4) Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
I am the nervous one, not my opponents.
5) Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
I live in South Philly, and I’m almost 23.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
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.
Ben’s Life Story:
I work during the day; chase three kids around in the evening and on the weekends; hang out with my wife when the kids fall asleep; and write short stories and novels in the middle of the night. My fiction has appeared in 13E Note Editions, The Big Stupid Review, Full of Crow, and Zygote in my Coffee (may Zygote rest in peace).
Ben’s Winning StorySlam: The Perfect Storm (April at World Cafe Live)
What do you get when you mix a group of wanna-be-pirates who don’t know how to sail, a 90 foot-long WWII tugboat caught in a tropical storm, and a big belly full of mac and cheese? The Perfect Storm!
Storyteller Q and A
1. What was the last thing (contest, competition, etc.) you’ve won? (not counting our StorySlam)
The last thing I won was a jar of jelly beans in Kindergarten for guessing that there were 97 beans in there
2.The theme is Show and Tell. What was the silliest/best/coolest object you took to Show and Tell in elementary school?
One time I took a Neil Young After the Gold Rush tape to show and tell, which didn’t make any damn sense
3. What is unique about your storytelling style?
I say a lot of bad words.
4. Why should your Slam opponents be nervous about competing against you?
A lot of times I spill beer before and after telling stories.
5. Boring question double header- where do you live (neighborhood or town) and how old are you?
Frankford. 32.
Okay fans, here is where you get to have your say! Post away! And check out our other contestants by clicking here.
Root for Olga in July's Grand Slam!
Our first Grand Slam is Saturday, July 24th at 8pm with a pre-Slam Block Party, all at the Painted Bride Art Center. The block party will feature bbq, booze, and the Brooklyn band, Peculiar Gentlemen. We’re keeping the theme a secret till the end of this month, so all storytellers will have the same shot at prepping their story. Stay tuned for the big reveal! In the meantime, buy your tickets here.
Our second Grand Slam kicks off the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art on Wednesday, November 10th at 8pm, also at the Painted Bride Art Center. Then stick around the Bride for four more days of innovative, collaborative, funny, touching programming based on our lives. We’ll be closing things out on Sunday, November 14th with what promises to be one of the top cultural events in the city. We’ll be revealing more details over the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
To recap:
Grand Slam #1: Saturday, July 24, 8pm with a Block Party featuring Peculiar Gentlemen at 5pm. $30 for Block Party and Grand Slam ($24 for members)/ $15 for just the Grand Slam ($12 for members).
First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art: November 10-14, 2010
Grand Slam #2: Wednesday, November 10, 8pm
All events at the Painted Bride Art Center.
And to get you in the mood, here’s our winning story from the last Grand Slam, featuring Ky Mettler!
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:
