When I say Chestnut, yall say Hill!

There’s a “first” time for everything — including a StorySlam in Chestnut Hill! This past Friday First Person Arts took a road trip to our first First Person StorySlam at the Venetian Social Club.

We heard stories from many “first”-time StorySlammers, including First Person Arts’ very own Founder and Executive Director, Vicki Solot.

A good number of our “first” stories had to do with dodging dangerous situations. We bewildered a bandit and maintained a “jingle” in our step in the midst of trouble. But it was our winning story by first-time StorySlammer, Jos, that told how Hip-Hop legends Run DMC, Rapper EP and Fresh and them saved a life.

Check out stories by winning storyteller and Audience Favorite, Jos and First Person Arts Founder, Vicki in the videos below.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Chestnut Hill StorySlam! Special thanks to all of our storytellers — particularly, our “first”-timers.

Jos, Winning Storyteller and Audience Favorite


Vicki, First Person Arts Founder and Executive Director
-Becca Jennings

What do we all have in common? Telling stories.

First Person Arts might be the big dog of storytelling when it comes to Philadelphia, but there are amazing organizations all over the country that put on StorySlams and teach workshops all in the name of good story! Here are a few of our favorites; next time you’re in New York, Boston, DC, Baltimore, or all the way in San Francisco you’d better check them out!

The Moth, New York, LA, Detroit
The Moth has been putting on StorySlams since 1997, and it’s been going strong ever since. Similar to First Person Arts slams, every slam starts with a theme and each storyteller is given the chance to explore and explode said theme on stage. The Moth Mainstage has heard stories from Malcolm Gladwell, Ethan Hawke, Annie Proulx, and Salman Rushdie, and Moth StorySLAMS have now gone on the road all across the country! Don’t miss the Moth’s Podcast or Radio Hour (a recent winner of the Peabody award). First Person Arts’ own Juliet Hope Wayne was the first woman to ever win a Moth Grandslam. (Heads up- she’s the guest storyteller at our July 11 Slam at World Cafe Live!)

(Speaking of The Moth, Did you know that Adam Wade, their seventeen time Grandslam champ is going to be performing at First Person Art’s 2011 Festival? Stay tuned for more information on that and all of our other Festival events coming to you this November!)

massmouth, Boston
massmouth was our most recent competitor in the Boston vs. Philly slam we had at the Free Library this spring and they brought it! Even though Philly brought home the award for best city, massmouth’s Jim Stahl ran away with the title of “Best Storyteller.” massmouth has writing and storytelling workshops as well as “mouthoffs,” their own version of the StorySlam.

Speakeasy, DC
Speakeasy in DC is a busy busy (and fun!) organization. It holds monthly open-mic storytelling competitions, puts on original ensemble shows that have included The Sin Show, Chocolate Jesus and Revenge of the Cat-Headed Baby and Other True Tales of Life & Death, and Sucker for Love Valentine’s Day Special. They also hold classes such as a One-day Storytelling Boot Camp to get your storytelling muscles in shape, master classes on specific skills and topics, outreach programs, and on-site professional trainings. They also have a Speakeasy Storycast and host video channels on Vimeo and Youtube. They were also the winners of the 2010 City vs. City Slam at the Free Library. We still like them.

The Stoop, Baltimore
Stoop shows feature seven storytellers who each get seven minutes to tell a true, personal story based around a theme. Though Stoop shows are not completely open-mic, at each show a few lucky audience members get the chance to tell a three-minute story on the Stoop stage. You can also check out the Stoop’s Radio Show.

Porchlight, San Francisco
Each month for the past eight years, Porchlight has invited six different people from six different backgrounds to tell ten-minute true stories on its stage. More recently, Porchlight has also launched Open Door, a small stage open mic event on the last Monday of each month.

Story League, DC
Story League is not your typical storytelling organization. Story League is for writers, artists, poets, and actors who want to perfect the art and craft of telling true stories on stage with other performers who share their passions. Part guild, part support group, and part performing troupe, Story League puts on events about three times a year.

- Laura Reeve

For my staff fave, I’m going to have to go old school with Alex Nguyen’s Odd Jobs tale from 2009. This is one of the first videos I watched as a newbie Marketing Coordinator and I was totally charmed by Alex’s over the top attempts at impressing his personal assistant. Enjoy!



- Karina

Here at First Person Arts, we’ve heard a lot of amazing stories, and now we want to share with you some of our all-time favorites. I, the infamous intern extraordinaire, am up first. For my favorite story I chose one from our “Dates to Remember” StorySlam from last July. On this particular night, Andrew told a hilarious story about the time he was robbed. Then a young Temple student, Andrew refused to give away his Redbull because he needed it to study. Andrew ultimately won the slam and went all the way to our 2010 Fall Grand Slam at the First Person Festival!

Watch Andrew tell the whole story here:


Don’t miss other staff favorites to be revealed in the next couple of weeks and come on out to our upcoming slams so you won’t miss a future favorite!

- Laura Reeve

It’s that time of year again! Our 2011 StorySlam theme contest has started! Last year’s winner included themes like “The Ex-Files,” “Do the Right Thing,” and “Almost Famous!” Do you have anything better? Well, if you do, fill out the form below and you could win two free StorySlam tickets! Hurry up because the contest ends July 31!

- Laura Reeve

Hey ladies and gents, care to see what FPA has been up to this past Spring? We hosted some absolutely amazing events and we hope that you enjoyed them as much as we did. Let’s check out our Spring roundup and you can find more photos on our Flickr page.

StorySlams

This Spring we heard stories about families, fame, inheritance and much much more! Our popular slams culminated in the Summer Grand Slam on May 25 where we crowned Caitlin as the best storyteller in Philly! The Grand Slam was hosted by funny man Doogie Horner and everyone feasted on delicious Sweet Lucy’s BBQ before the slam went down. I don’t know about you, but we had the best time chowin’ down and listening to all the Out of Place stories!

Slam Nation

For our Slam Nation event we joined up with PIFA and brought some of the greatest storytellers to the Kimmel Center on April 26! One of our most popular storytellers, R. Eric Thomas, hosted the big show while storytellers such as Elna Baker, Laura Packer, Adam Wade, and Giulia Rozzi delighted us with stories about their “Worldy Possesions!” Big shout outs to all our storytellers, PIFA, and the Kimmel Center! We had a blast, didn’t you?!

Boston v. Philly

On April 15 we headed over to the Free Library and threw the gauntlet down against Boston’s Massmouth storytellers. We heard all about our slammers Experiments and even though Boston storyteller Jim Stahl won the competition with his hilarious story about a homemade rocket and a false eye, Team Philly came out on top overall! The slam featured Philly favorites such as Marla Burkholder, Michael McCarry, Bernardo Morillo, and Michael Minard! I can’t say I’m surprised Philly came out on top with such a stacked team!

Edible World

At our latest Edible World event we sat down with Chef Gabrielle Hamilton. She’s a writer and James Beard-winning chef of New York City’s Prune and on April 3 she shared her new memoir, Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef at Philly’s very own, Pumpkin Restaurant. One of our most delicious events this spring, FPA feasted on brunch prepared by Pumpkin’s Ian Moroney while former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Rick Nichols introduced Chef Hamilton and her journey through kitchens, french creperies and the University of Michigan writing program. Flying Fish Brewing Company provided beer for the brunch and we were all left feeling quite satisfied, if not a little bloated!

Sad you missed out on these events? Don’t worry, we have plenty more for you this summer and at our Festival in the fall! Visit our calendar for upcoming events.

- Laura Reeve

The last (but definitely not least) storyteller we are featuring who will be competing in our Summer Grand Slam this Wednesday, May 25 is Mo! She won our inheritance Storyslam when she signed up last minute and told a story about the laughs she inherited and how they once stopped traffic. Watch Mo tell the whole story below AND COME OUT TO THE SLAM WEDNESDAY!!!!

Name: Mo Burroughs
Current Location (as specific as possible, please): South Philly
Slam won: Inheritance
Favorite Philly summer activity: Chillin in the various parks.
What’s your dream StorySlam theme? “Why should you rule the world?”
Tell us a summer story in 10 words: Water ice in hand, peepin on the cheepin’ sparrows, summertime.
What’s the best story you ever heard? Uh, the best stories are not, uh, strictly speaking, fit for general consumption.  You understand.
What makes a great story? What makes a great storyteller? A great story requires relatability.  A reason for the listener to care.  A great storyteller can make the subject of the story relatable to an audience based on subtle feedback from an audience.
Why should your competitors watch their backs? They shouldn’t.  I’ll be winning right in front of them, where they can see me clearly.



Check out our our other slammers here and don’t miss the Grand Slam!

- Laura

Out next storyteller, Jane Doe, (aka Janet Von Trapp) won our Almost Famous StorySlam when she told a story about the time her mother asked for Jesse Jackson’s wife’s I.D. at the bank. You can watch the whole story down below. Don’t miss Jane(t) and our other amazing storytellers when they compete for the title of “The Best Storyteller in Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 25.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, she’s Dr. K’s daughter.

Name: Haven’t thought of a new name yet
Current Location (as specific as possible, please): Philadelphia
Slam Won: Almost Famous
Favorite Philly summer activity: Looking around on south street. I like going to the little stores…. shopping for shirts with inappropriate sayings….etc.
What’s your dream StorySlam theme?:I have no dream theme, I don’t dream of themes.
Tell us a summer story in 10 words: This is a story all about how my life got
What’s the best story you ever heard? My favorite story is how Harriet Tubman returned to slavery over 10 times to free people, even with fainting spells… that’s dedication to a cause.
What makes a great story? What makes a great storyteller? A great story is comical, a great story teller is monotone.
Why should your competitors watch their backs?They should watch their back because I’m in their face…. and they might not want to look at my face too long so it’s best to watch their back.



Check out our our other slammers here and don’t miss the Grand Slam!

- Laura

Marla won our Beasts StorySlam and now she’s competing at the Summer Grand Slam on Wednesday, May 25! Marla told the story about the time a possum fell through her ceiling…twice. Watch the full story below!

Name: Marla Burkholder
Current Location (as specific as possible, please): West Philly
Slam won: Beasts, January 2011, L’Etage
What’s your dream StorySlam theme? Beasts part 2
Tell us a summer story in 10 words: One summer I cleaned hundreds of toilets at Pottypalooza.
What’s the best story you ever heard? Tough one.  Probably any story by my 90 year-old grandfather.
Why should your competitors watch their backs? No one knows being out of place like a Mennonite girl.



Check out our our other grand slammers here and don’t forget to get your ticket for the Grand Slam!

- Laura

Johnny may be new to StorySlams, but he still won our New Territories Slam in January. Johnny won when he told a story about meeting his father for the first time and living with him in Southwest Georgia. Check out the full story below and don’t miss Johnny compete in our Summer Grand Slam on Wednesday, May 25!

Name: Johnny Walker
Current Location (as specific as possible, please): West Chester Pa.
Slam Won: New Territories
Favorite Philly summer activity: Cook outs are my favorite activity.
What’s your dream StorySlam theme? “What’s love got to do with it” would be a good topic.
Tell us a summer story in 10 words: Girlfriend threw out my concert tickets. I faked a press pass.
What’s the best story you ever heard? The crack house story on the Moth. When the guy left his infant in the car and was going to be right back but stayed 4 hours in freezing temps near Christmas
What makes a great story? What makes a great storyteller? Honesty and keeping it simple. A great story teller doesn’t seem overly rehearsed.
Why should your competitors watch their backs? I never knew about story slams until my new girlfriend told me about them. So in hopes of winning her over, I competed and lost. Then I gave it one more try and my girlfriend showed up just as I was called (story teller #7) up to tell a story. I didn’t even know the theme until I got there. And with Lesley watching I won. Now we are engaged. So I hope I win again to prove to myself it wasn’t just luck.



Meet our our other slammers here and don’t miss the Grand Slam!

- Laura