What we’re about
Meet other storytellers and all those who enjoy the art of personal storytelling. Inspired by The Moth, we get together at 7pm on the third Thursday of each month at the Chabad of Queen Anne-Magnolia in Seattle to share true stories about our lives that somehow changed how we saw ourselves or the world around us.
If you're curious, you are free to come to the show whether you're a Meetup member or not. Visit our Rules and Guidelines page to see what you'll need to do to tell a story. Join the group if you'd like to receive the monthly invites.
Email me if you have any questions.
Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com
Upcoming events
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FGS: Secrets
Swedish Cultural Center, 1920 Dexter Ave N., Seattle, WA, USWhat's the difference between a secret and something you just never bothered to tell anyone? No one knows that I am the 1982 Alaska State Hackysack Champion, novice division. Is that a secret or just something that's never come up in conversation in the last 43 years?
When I was seven years old, we lived in a rented house that had a chandelier in the dining room. It was the fanciest thing I had ever seen, and I always wanted to touch the pendants that hung from it. The day we moved out, I climbed up on the dining table and touched one of those pendants. A few seconds later, my parents walked back into the house, and I jumped down so they wouldn't know I was on the table. My mom saw the lamp gently swinging and thought the chandelier was saying goodbye to us. She told that story to a lot of people, and I never told her the truth because I didn't want to embarrass her. I think this may have been the first real secret I kept from my parents. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last time I realized my mom believed in things that weren’t true.
Come tell a story about a secret you have. How did it happen, and why didn't you tell anyone? Or maybe you discovered a secret about someone else. Did you tell the world or keep it to yourself? Did it change how you felt about that person?
Remember, a story isn't just a series of things that happened. There has to be something at stake. As you work on your story, think about what you were worried would happen if people found out about the secret. Would you be embarrassed? Ashamed? Would you lose friends or get fired from your job? Did any of those things happen when someone did find out?
Practice the story out loud to as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing it.
All stories have to be under 8 minutes. Stories can be as short as you want, but not over 8 minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email if you have any questions about that.
The rest of the rules and guidelines are below:
https://freshgroundstories.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/
Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story.
https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop/
I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Email me, and we can set up a phone call.
See you Thursday, December 18, at 7 pm on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave, N Seattle, WA 98109
Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com36 attendees
Past events
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