Eighteen amateur storytellers had a lot on their minds Tuesday night at Treehouse Café, but worrying about the standing-room-only crowd didn’t seem to be one of them at Field’s End’s first-ever Island Story Slam.
More than 100 people attended the show, which was inspired by the recent surge of popularity in storytelling events around the nation, such as The Moth story slams.
Bhama Roget, a member of The Edge improv group, acting as the evening’s emcee, drew the storytellers’ names from a hat, and set an overall lighthearted, entertaining and supportive tone for the Field’s End event.
All stories were required to last no more than five minutes, without the use of written materials, and relate somehow to the evening’s theme, “Away From Home.”
The funny and sometimes poignant, true, personal experiences ranged from travels in Europe, Canada, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and Argentina, experiences as a Glacier National Park ranger, an Air Force cadet’s first jet flight, a skydiving jump, a starving student’s free ice cream sundae, teenage boys on a bicycle camping trip, and friendship with a migrant apple-picker family.
The judges’ panel consisted of actor/director Dinah Manoff, author Lynn Brunelle, and videographer/director Steve Stolee. Judges scored the storytellers on story structure, performance and relevance to the night’s theme.
The top three winners, Steve Brady, David Bray, and Bridget Young, received gift certificates to Treehouse Café, Eagle Harbor Books and a Field’s End tote bag.
The other brave and talented storytellers were Kenneth Enright, Donna Moore, Bob Leik, Hans Griesser, Arthur Mortell, Donna Anderson, Mary Ann Moorman, Chris Walker, Eric Kuhner, Beth Balas, Melissa Lunt, Patricia Lahtinen, Chris Brookes, Jeff Wenker and Jonathan Hibbs.
Organizers said the fundraiser brought in more than $300, and the island’s generosity was much appreciated.
Field’s End, an all-volunteer organization for writers affiliated with the Bainbridge Public Library, thanked those who worked to make the event a reality: organizer Wendy Wallace, graphic designer Chris Driggers, Becky Marshall, Cheryl Cain, Margaret Nevinski, Barbara Clarke, and the rest of the Field’s End team.
