I’m…honored?…nervous?…surprised?…to again be a finalist for the Windy City Story Slam All-City Championships.
From their website:
It’s that time of year again!
This year we’re proud to bring you the 2nd Annual Windy City Story Slam All-City Championships from the Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee).
We’ll be hearing from our finalists Alex Bonner, Fernando Hernandez, Nicolette Kittinger, Maggie Ritchie, and Alexis Thomas.
We’ll also have some special guests joining us: 2009 National Book Award finalist Bonnie Jo Campbell, John Patrick Hemingway, John Schultz, and Ben Evans.
The night’s musical guest is White Mystery.
Be there at 8 p.m. Friday, February 26th. $7 cover, or $25 for a VIP ticket (admit it, you are a very important person).
Last year’s show at Metro saw 900+ attendees. Drunk, surly, cold Wrigleyville types, many (I’m sure) who’d never heard of Story Slam before and were lured in by virtue of the show being free, and the temperature being well below zero. In true Story Slam fashion, the show was packed with featured readers and music. Add that to a roster of eleven finalists and an unwillingness on the venue’s staff’s part to let people in and out to smoke and, well, people get antsy. And drunk. And yell-y.
There were complaints. There was fallout. Bruised egos and burned bridges. People took to the internetz to voice their disappointment.
It was one of the best nights of my life. Bill “The Butcher” Hillmann (or should I say Reverend Butcher?), Story Slam founder, his crew, and everyone involved in the show came together and did something that won’t be soon forgotten. For better or worse.
Though, I did get married that night. So, I’m biased.
Come on out to the finals. There will be music and featured readers, but the the semi-finals show at the end of 2009 means a smaller roster of finalists, stronger stories, and less time for you to get drunk and obnoxious. It’ll be a fun night, to be sure.