On Tuesday night, I told a story in my 100th Moth StorySLAM.
I’ve actually attended 143 Moth StorySLAMs, but my name is not always pulled from that damn bag.
But on Tuesday night, it was pulled again for the 100th time.
100 performances in just over 11 years. About nine stories per year.
It’s been a remarkable ride.
51 performances in NYC
41 performances in Boston
6 virtual performances during the pandemic
1 performance in Seattle
1 performance in Washington, DC
I performed in my very first Moth StorySLAM on July 12, 2011, at the Nuyorican’s Poets Cafe in Manhattan. I was chosen as the tenth storyteller that night and told a story about pole vaulting in high school.
Somehow I managed to win.
Elysha was by my side that night.
I was fortunate enough to win again on Tuesday night – my 58th victory in all – and for just the third time from first position.
The storytelling gods were clearly smiling upon me for my 100th performance.
My friend, Jeff, was by my side this time.
But unlike that first StorySLAM, I had many friends in attendance on Tuesday night, too. Storytellers, audience regulars, the host and producer of the show, and even the sound engineer. All have become part of a tight-knit community of storytelling fans I adore.
I’ve also performed in 32 Moth GrandSLAM championships (another one on Monday!) and 6 Moth MainStage shows, but it’s the Moth StorySLAM – those open mic storytelling competitions that provide anyone with a stage, an audience, and a chance to shine – where I first made a name for myself and changed my life forever.
I said, “Yes,” back in 2011 when it was suggested that I go to New York City and tell a story. My original plan was to tell one story and check that item off my list, never to return again. Instead, I’ve taken that stage 100 times – triple digits – and it’s still just as fun, exciting, and unforgettable as it was 11 years ago.
And it has truly changed my life in more ways than I could possibly count.
Lucky for me and all my fellow storytellers that The Moth is alive and well in this world, giving people with stories to share the perfect place to make it happen.
Maybe you could say, “Yes,” and be the next person to tell their first story onstage.
