FROM YOU.
WE HAVE SOMETHING REALLY
COOL TO SHOW YOU HOW
COMFORTABLE WOULD YOU BE
SHARING STORIES ABOUT
YOURSELF TRUE STORIES TO AN
AUDIENCE OF COMPLETE
STRANGERS?
I THINK THE KEY THERE IS
TRUE.
RIGHT.
UH-HUH.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S
HAPPENING IN DETROIT AND
IT'S REALLY PUTTING A TWIST
ON THOSE POETRY SLAMS YOU
HAVE HEARD ABOUT.
THIS IS CALLED A STORY SLAM.
AS PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX ATWELL
SHOWS US IT'S UNIQUELY
DETROIT.
EVERYBODY READY FOR SOME
STORIES TODAY.
SO WE ARE AT CLIFF BELL'S
RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS TRADITIONALLY A JAZZ
CLUB BUT IT REALLY LENDS
ITSELF WELL TO THE INTIMACY
OF SHARING YOUR PERSONAL
STORIES WITH THE WORLD
WELCOME TO THE STORY
SLAM.
I HEARER CAN PLUNK,ER CAN
PLUNK,ER CAN PLUNK.
GUYS ARE COMING UP.
IT'S AN EVENT THAT PEOPLE
FROM ANY WALK OF LIFE CAN
COME IN AND PUT THEIR NAME
IN THE HAT.
SO FIVE MINUTE STORIES.
NEXT THING YOU HEAR.
-- WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP
THERE?
I'M GOING TO GET DEPORTED
LIKE THIS IS NOT GOOD.
SHARE THEIR STORY BASED
ON A THEME.
IT'S ON A THEME, YOUR
THEME IS BALANCE.
AND MY STORY ABOUT
BALANCE.
AND THE ROOM'S MOVING.
SO I THINK WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD
STORIES BECAUSE IT'S A VERY
BROAD THEME.
SO THE EQUAL LIB YAUM OF
MY LIFE WAS -- EQUILIBRIUM
OF MY LIFE WAS OUT OF
BALANCE.
IT'S CALLED A FLAIL MATE
AT THIS POINT.
THE KIND OF STORYTELLING
WE DO IS TRUE PERSONAL
STORIES.
I AM THE HYPHEN BETWEEN
MEXICAN AND AMERICAN IT.
KIND OF SHOWS THAT
EVERYBODY HAS A STORY TO
EVERYBODY'S LIFE IS
INTERESTING WE SHOULD ALL BE
COMFORTABLE TO SHARE WHAT IT
IS THAT MAKES US SPECIAL
ABOUT YOURSELF.
YOU DON'T YOU WANT TO
HEAR SOME DETROITERS.
YOU ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM
I DO THE WHOLE POINT ABOUT
RIGHT HERE.
BECAUSE DETROIT GOT SOME
STORIES, GOT SOME REAL
STORIES.
.
I WAS [INAUDIBLE].
Reporter: DETROIT
STORYTELLING HAS BEEN A
REALLY BIG DEAL IN THE
NATIONAL STORY TICKET FOR
QUITE A LONG TIME.
BUT I LOVE THE IDEA OF
GETTING INTO SOME DEEPER
STUFF, YOU KNOW, TALKING
ABOUT RACE, TALKING ABOUT
POETRY.
THERE'S PROBABLY NOTHING
MORE DIFFICULT THAN
NAVIGATING TWO ETHNICITIES.
IT'S ABOUT BEING
PASSIONATE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT
IDEA.
ABOUT BEING REAL.
BECAUSE IT MADE ME REALLY
ASSERT MYSELF.
ABOUT TELLING YOUR TRUTH
AND SHARING IT WITH
EVERYBODY.
WE'RE HITTING EACH OTHER.
WAIT FOR IT TO COME IN.
WHETHER THAT BE COMEDIC
OR TRAGIC OR SOMEWHERE IN
BETWEEN.
THEY WOULD JUST PUT ME IN
A HARNESS AND SWING ME FROM
A ROPE THEN THAT WAY I CAN
GO UP AND DOWN LIKE PETER
PAN OR SOMETHING.
I HOPE THAT PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY'S
VOICE SHOULD BE HEART.
BUT AFTER --
MOMENT OF BALANCE FOR ME.
WHAT I DID TAKE AWAY FROM
THAT EXPERIENCE IS THAT HEY,
IF I WANT SOMETHING IF I
WANT TO DO SOMETHING I GET
IT DONE, MAN.
TALKING ABOUT YOUR LIFE
IN SOMETHING THAT MATTERS TO
YOU.
BEST PART ABOUT THIS
STORY IS WHAT COMES NEXT.
IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT AND
WE SHOULD ALL FEEL
COMFORTABLE TO DO THAT.
THAT WAS A GREAT LEARNING
EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
THAT WAS A GOOD THING TO
LEARN ABOUT MYSELF.
I WASN'T JUST MEXICAN, I
WASN'T JUST AMERICAN I WAS A
LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING.
[APPLAUSE]
WOW WHAT A COOL CONCEPT.
THIS IS SHANNON CASIN WHO
REALLY DEVELOPED THIS IDEA
AND REALLY HAS BROUGHT IT TO
FRUITION TO FOLKS HERE IN
DETROIT.
THIS IS REALLY COOL.
YEAH.
WHAT WAS YOUR CONCEPT WHEN
YOU FIRST STARTED GETTING
THIS STARTED WHAT WERE YOU
HOPING TO ACHIEVE?
LET ME GET IT RIGHT THIS
ISN'T MINE IT'S THE MOTH
STORY SLAMS WHICH ARE OUT OF
IT'S A STORYTELLING
ORGANIZATION OUT OF NEW
YORK.
SO IT'S NOT MINE.
BUT IT'S NATIONWIDE.
IT'S WORLDWIDE BASICALLY.
THEY HAVE PLACES IN IRELAND,
LONDON, DETROIT AND ANN
ARBOR TOO THEY GOT STORY
SLAMS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
SO I GUESS TO KAREN'S
POINT WHAT'S THE HOPE WHAT
IS THE OUTCOME WHEN YOU HAVE
THESE EVENTS FOR THE PEOPLE
THAT ATTEND AND THE PEOPLE
THAT GET ON STAGE.
I THINK THE BIGGEST THING
IS PEOPLE SHARING THEIR
LIVES, YOU KNOW.
YOU GET FIVE MINUTES THEY
PREPARE BEFOREHAND SO
THEY'LL KNOW A TOPIC
BEFOREHAND.
AND FIVE MINUTES TO SHARE
YOUR LIFE YOU KNOW.
YOU CAN TOUCH SOMEBODY, THE
THING I FIND PEOPLE GET
CONTROL THEY GET POWER
THEMSELVES TELLING THEIR OWN
STORIES.
WHAT YOU CAN TELL YOUR STORY
YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH HANDLE
IT.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD
STORYTELLER?
BECAUSE I'M SURE HAVE YOU
ALL DIFFERENT FOLKS SHOWING
UP.
YOU CAN SEE ON STAGE IT'S
SO MULTICULTURAL DIFFERENT
AGES.
THAT'S WHAT I LOVE.
I LOVE WHEN IT'S LIKE ALL
KINDS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
STORIES FROM ALL DIFFERENT,
YOU KNOW, PARTS OF LIFE,
YOUNG, OLD, I LOVE IT WHEN
IT'S LIKE THAT.
AND I THINK PEOPLE JUST
GOING OUT THERE SHARING
THEIR STORIES IS THE
ULTIMATE THING.
WE SHOULD SAY DO YOUENT
HAVE TO HAVE ANY TYPE OF
EXPERIENCE NO STAGE
EXPERIENCE.
NO EXPERIENCE.
NO COMEDYIC.
BUT YOU WANT TO PUT IT IN
ORDER LIKE A BEGINNING,
MIDDLE, AND END AS FAR AS IN
A REGULAR STORY.
YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME KIND
OF ART IT TO.
YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO FEEL
SOMETHING THROUGH THE STORY
SO THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT
THE STORY.
NOW ON THIS EXAMPLE YOU
DID BALANCE.
GIVE ME OTHER IDEAS OR
TOPICS THAT YOU HAVE DONE?
I DO ONE ON LOVE ARE
HURTS AROUND YOU KNOW
VALENTINE'S DAY, THEY'LL DO
YOU KNOW ONES ON FAMILY,
THEY DO ONE ON CARS, THAT'S
A GOOD DETROIT THEME.
OKAY.
SO THE LAST ONE YOU HAD
WAS BECAUSE IT'S FIRST
THURSDAY OVER AT CLIFF BELLS
WE WERE SHOWING IT.
NEXT TIME IN ANN ARBOR.
IN ANN ARBOR IT'S THE
THIRD TUESDAY AT THE CIRCUS.
IF WHICH WANTED TO GO FOR
INSTANCE WHAT'S THE PROCESS.
YOU WOULD JUST GO YOU
WOULD THINK AHEAD OF TIME.
FIND OUT THE THEME THINK
AHEAD OF TIME ON THE STORY
YOU LIKE TO TELL.
PUT YOUR NAME IN THE HAT
ONCE YOU GO AND YOU CAN TELL
FIVE MINUTE STORY.
BUT WHAT IF YOU WANT TO
GO AND NOT TELL A STORY.
GO AND ENJOY AND EAT SOME
POPCORN.
MAYBE THE FIRST ONE I
WANT TO WATCH.
IS THE ANN ARBOR THEME
OUT ALREADY?
YEAH, BUT I DON'T
REMEMBER IT.
YOU PUT ME ON THE SPOT.
YOU CAN GO TO MOTH.ORG.
THE MOTH LIKE THE
INSECT.ORG AND YOU CAN FIND
IT OUT IN ADVANCE.
BUT THERE'S SO MANY
DIFFERENT STORYTELLING
EVENTS GOING ON IN THE CITY,
TOO.
THEY HAVE TWISTED
STORYTELLERS GOING ON AT
CHARLES H. WRIGHT IT'S
CALLED THE SECRET SOCIETY OF
TWISTED STORYTELLING.
I DO A PODCAST CALLED
HOMEMADE STORIES PODCAST
WHICH I TALK ABOUT DETROIT
STORIES, I TALK ABOUT ECORSE,
I TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY AND
PEOPLE I LOVE.
I TALK ABOUT REALLY STORIES.
THIS IS NOT YOUR
BACKGROUND BEING A WRITER OR
STORYTELLER WHAT IS YOUR
BACKGROUND?
I WAS A PLUMBING
WHOLESALE MANAGER AND I
WALKED INTO A MOTH EVENT AND
I WAS LIKE I GOT SOME
STORIES, TOO.
SO I TOLD STORIES.
THE FIRST ONE I WENT I WON.
BECAUSE THEY JUDGE THESE
IT'S A SLAM.
THEN YOU GO ON TO A
GRAND-SLAM WHICH IT MY BE
500 PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE
WHICH IS DAUNTING YOU KNOW.
WHAT DO YOU WIN?
YOU DON'T WIN ANYTHING
YOU JUST WIN A PAT ON THE
BACK.
IT FEELS GOOD.
BUT END UP TELLING YOUR
STORIES TO THE AUDIENCE.
KIDS, LIKE HOW YOUNG?
WELL, IT'S 21.
BECAUSE THEY SERVING BEERS
IT'S A BAR.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS.
IS THERE A COST WHEN YOU
GO?
IT'S ONLY $5 IT'S LOW
COST TO GO.
ESPECIALLY IT'S A GREAT
THEME NIGHT OUT.
IF YOU GO YOU WILL ENJOY.
I THINK I SHOULD TRY IT.
MAYBE WE COULD GET OUR
SIGNIFICANT OTHERS TO GET UP
THERE AND START TELLING SOME
STORIES.
I LIKE THAT IDEA.
I'M GOING TO DO IT.