PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE   

Everyone has a story in them. Some are lived, some are recalled, and some are invented. Some of us want to tell them, and some of us love to listen. This May, the Acton Story Slam will be the place for telling and hearing stories from near and far. Open to anyone with a yen for a yarn, ten lucky storytellers will be chosen from a hat from anyone who comes to tell a story for five minutes each. Any tale of laughter, entrancement, poignant memory, or riveting suspense is welcome – this is a shared feast of imagination and the spoken word. Bring the stories in your heads and hearts, from your kitchens and firesides, from your own life experience or others’, true or fabricated. No retelling of literary works, and no notes or props permitted - just words aloud. Ten folks from the audience will be also be chosen from the hat to judge your stories, and this makes it a story slam – a friendly competition whose end game is entertainment. Judging criteria will include how well the story is told (does it have a beginning, an arc, and a resolution?), and how it keeps within the time limit. The stories that stay are often the ones that matter from the first line and which have a clear close, like the snap of a book Practicing beforehand to let the story flow out smoothly will help you, and no doubt entertain anyone listening. Participants will all get T-shirts and the winners will receive gift certificates from Willow Books in Acton. To anchor the evening and set the stage, local actor Brian Schimpf will emcee the evening and tell you his own brief stories. Because the night’s stories are not previewed ahead of time, this evening is likely not suited to young children. Find babysitters and enjoy a great evening out! Refreshments will be available. The event is made possible by a grant from the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council. Donations at the door will benefit the people of Haiti through the Worcester Area Mission Society. The Acton Story Slam joins the growing phenomenon of story slams, recently made famous by The Moth Story Hour and its story slams in New York City (www.themoth.org). Stow inaugurated its annual Story Slam last January with a tremendously successful evening that brought in nearly 200 people on a cold winter night. In Boston and Cambridge, Massmouth, a Massachusetts storytelling organization, holds monthly story slams (http://massmouth.ning.com). The Acton Story Slam will be a new stage for an innovative and time-honored tradition right here in town - storytelling. Everyone participates, either as teller or listener - come and enjoy your role. Tell everyone you know, and we can spread the words.