[READ PART 1, “THE STORY OF STORY LEAGUE”]

MIXING IT UP WITH STORY PEOPLE

Story League has now had two “Mixers,” which are a way for story artists and those curious about the story business to meet up and talk. That’s how business is done, after all! Fun business and work business. D.C. is famous for its productive happy hours, and I wanted Story League to get into that scene. We chose two of the coolest bars in town: The Gibson and Dickson Wine Bar. Where will the next one be? Suggestions welcome.

In the last few months Story Leaguers also made performative appearances at Salon Contra (The Pink Line Project) and BloomBars to broaden our base. And Cathy Alter and I shared producing responsibilities on our third show with the talented Natalie E. Illum. And we want to keep involving other Leaguers at that level, too! Ask us about it.

Woody Allen it was, I believe, who said that “80% of success is just showing up.” (Often misquoted as “90% of life…”) Well, the other 20% is staying put. Constancy is how you build a successful group. With each successive (and successful) show Story League has put on, more people have glommed on! Because the longer you are around, the more people feel confident signing on with you.

Continuity. Centrality. That’s why I started publishing a newsletter, the Weekly Leaguer, which I email to select people and also post at the FB page. It lists the week’s “show picks” from the whole region (see next section) as well as Story League news about upcoming events. I would like to expand its scope a little and do a spotlight on a story person each week. You wanna be the first one?

The DC Magazine article written by People’s District proprietor Danny Harris shows that there is a growing community of story groups in D.C., and we are all intertwined. Not just because familiar faces pop up in all of our shows (which is natural) but because we share a passion for the story business. I hope to see even more groups/shows form! Even just since the article hit early this month, BYT‘s Andrew Bucket and 365DC writer Mary-Alice Farina have put on new story shows, and are bringing in a huge, young, hip, new audience (as well as fresh storytelling faces) to the art form.

Meanwhile Capital Fringe is finally over, with all of its promotional postcarding and ceaseless going-to of shows by me and the other Leaguers to shows with our friends in them (Vijai, Tom/Karl, Adam, Molly, Joe/Amy/Jason/Chuck, Alex). I think it’s important that we all support one another.

LINKING THE STORY PEOPLE OF THE EAST COAST METROPLEX

Besides being open and inclusive to all, I think the most positive thing about Story League is that we are building connections with other story clubs in other cities. We included three performers from Baltimore in our first show, one performer from Philadelphia (Katonya Mosley) in our second show, our third show was hosted by New York City’s delightful Robin Gelfenbien, and our first encore show has another New Yorker, Michele Carlo, as its host.

(Note: Our good friends at First Person Arts in Philadelphia — as well as some other story orgs around the country — also have done this. Their “Slam Nation” show in April had former slam winners and tellers from New York, Baltimore [Story Leaguer Jon Aaron], and Boston.)

But the big merger so far is the “Politics of Science” show at Artisphere we are co-producing with Ben Lillie and his show series The Story Collider, which is based in Brooklyn. Bringing talent down the I-95 corridor raises the visibility of D.C. story artists in New York, which has a much larger storytelling community. And it introduces D.C. audiences to new storytellers they haven’t seen around town before.

I have also assiduously maintained an Events Calendar with all of the literary, poetry, comedy, and story events I can find up and down the East Coast. Send me your event and I’ll put it up.

And finally, I myself have become peripatetic, bouncing among D.C., Baltimore, NYC and Philly all the time to see or be in shows. It’s fun. And since I don’t understand much about Twitter, I’ve made this my main tweeting activity: Posting photos that I take at shows.

BRINGING MORE COMPETITION TO A TOWN THAT LOVES IT

The two major political parties make sure Washington, D.C., is perpetually submerged in an internecine blood feud. The need to win runs wild in our “Hollywood for Ugly People” here. So I say, why not tap in to that sexy battle vibe with a new (to D.C.) form of nightlife activity: Story Contests. (Usually known as “slams.”)

So far mainly The Moth in various cities and First Person Arts in Philly are the only two major “slam”-sponsoring organizations that I know of. Well, old Shrake here has been planning a new take on the story slam especially for Story League. As I said in “The Story of Story League, Part 1,” I’ve been studying — while participating in — story slams for over a year now. I have a long list of new things to try, new ways to run a competition.

So mark your calendars for Thursday, September 8. That is the date of the first Story League Story Contest! It will take place at 9 PM (Oooh! Grownup time!) at Busboys & Poets at 14th and V Streets in D.C. Doors will open at 8:30. Get your 7-minute (original, not previously told on any other stages) stories ready… and may the best story win! If you’re wondering what the “theme” is: The theme is don’t be boring. Just focus on making us laugh, cry, faint, think, and/or puke. More details to come. And as always, ALL are welcome to enter the contest!

Love, Scott

Tags: 365DC, Adam Ruben, Alexandra Hewett, Amy Couchoud, Andrew Bucket, Artisphere, Ben Lillie, BloomBars, Brightest Young Things, Busboys & Poets, Capital Fringe, Cathy Alter, Chuck Harmston, Danny Harris, DC Magazine, DC Modern Luxury, Dickson Wine Bar, First Person Arts, Jason Pittman, Jon Aaron, Joseph Price, Katonya Mosley, Mary-Alice Farina, Michele Carlo, Molly Kelly, Natalie E. Illum, People's District, Pink Line Project, Robin Gelfenbien, Salon Contra, Story Contest, Story League, StorySlam, The Gibson, The Moth, The Story Collider, Tom Tiding, Vijai Nathan, Woody Allen