Storytelling time

Thursday night, I drove to Motorco in Durham for my second try at telling a story at a StorySLAM event from The Monti.  I first went last December and had a decent time on stage, though I learned in the process that the tale I'd chosen was simply too long for the five minutes the StorySLAM format offers. 

Armed with that knowledge, I crafted my presentation differently and was ready with a humorous piece that fit nicely in five minutes.  The topic was "PISSED", and my piece fit it well.  They chose me to go first, which is typically the kiss of death for winning, and so up to the stage I went.  I felt I nailed the story.  The audience seemed to agree; they laughed almost constantly throughout my performance--which was my goal.  The judges gave me pretty good scores.

I ended up again in third place, but I was much happier with my delivery and story this time.  I haven't decided yet whether I'll go again, but I had a good time.

Dinner afterward was a tasty sandwich from a nearby food truck, Porchetta.  I ate with friends at a bench under the stars, the night life of Durham swirling all around us.  A delightful way to end that part of the evening.  If I had not had to work another almost six hours upon my arrival home, the night would have ended perfectly.

Jeff Polish and the folks who help with The Monti are doing a good thing by promoting verbal storytelling, and the two hours of live entertainment you get is a more than fair return on the price of the ticket ($13.65 after the ticket service's fee, $12 without the fee).  Check it out if you get the chance.