Congratulations to Devan Sandiford, Speak Up storyteller who just won his first Moth StorySLAM last week. Devan is my 20th storytelling student to win a Moth StorySLAM or GrandSLAM.
As a teacher, I couldn’t be more excited for him or the 19 other students who came before him to win a slam:
Teachers, retirees, a real estate agent, a dairy farmer, two college professors, at least two attorneys, a fast food worker, a handful of college students, one high school student, and many others.
As Devan so kindly pointed out to me, this number does not include the many people who have written to me about their success on various stages around the world (including The Moth) after reading my book, Storyworthy, and listening to our podcast, Speak Up Storytelling, to help them find and craft their stories.
If I was to include all of those winners from around the country, the number would be much higher.
I’ve also helped many friends and at least of my former elementary school students find the courage to take the stage and tell stories for The Moth. They haven’t all won a slam yet, but all have found enormous satisfaction in sharing their story with a Moth audience.
The number of folks who I’ve convinced to take a Speak Up stage is even larger. Just last week, a colleague finally took the stage and told her incredible story of immigrating to the United States and becoming a school teacher.
It took me four years to convince her, but I didn’t give up. I play the long game, and eventually, I broke through.
She was magnificent.
There have also been at least five storytelling shows launched around the world as a result of Speak Up, including one in Australia. New stages for new folks to tell their stories.
I’m a writer and a storyteller and many other things, but I am first and foremost a teacher, so seeing my students succeed is one of the most gratifying things in my life.
It’s admittedly slightly less gratifying when one of my students beats me in a StorySLAM or GrandSLAM, which has now happened six times in my life.
It’s even less gratifying when one of my students beats me with a story that I have helped them to craft, which has happened twice, but even in those instances, I’m still happy for the storyteller.
Eventually.
I know full well the excitement of performing well and being acknowledged as one of the best.
The ability to tell a great story is a super power, but unlike Superman or Wonder Woman, this is a super power than can be acquired through hard work and practice. You need not be born on a distant planet or some secret island Amazonian island in order to gain your power.
But the results are the same:
You will be able to to do something that most people cannot, and it will change your life in so many ways.
The world is a better place when people are empowered to find and tell their best stories. I am honored to have played a tiny role in helping this happen.
All of this is a long-winded way of suggesting that you should tell a story, on a Moth or Speak Up stage, or maybe get your start in the lunchroom at work or at the dinner table with your spouse and children.
The location doesn’t matter all that much. Just start telling stories.
Also, since I started writing this post a few days ago, another student has won a Moth StorySLAM in Boston.
Twenty-one and counting.
You could be next.
