(July 11, 2011) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present a new kind of storytelling event called a Story Slam on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.
A Story Slam is an event in which people tell true, five-minute stories based around a particular theme. All stories are told in front of an audience, without notes, scripts or cheat sheets. The names of ten individuals from the audience who have prepared stories are picked randomly from a hat. The theme for the evening of July 27 is, “Tell us your favorite story about summer.”
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“I hold Story Slams (used to be called MothUps) on a quarterly basis,” said Jen Schulze, head of adult services, “because people really like to have a chance to talk about the memorable events in their lives. We’re getting a good following of storytellers.”
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The phenomenal popularity of New York City's, “The Moth,” has inspired this program. The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization, was founded in New York in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate in New York the feeling of sultry summer evenings on his native St. Simon's Island, Georgia, where he and a small circle of friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales on his friend Wanda's porch.
After moving to New York, George missed the sense of connection he had felt sharing stories with his friends back home, and he decided to invite a few friends over to his New York apartment to tell and hear stories. Thus the first 'Moth' evening took place in his living room.
The program is free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders. (MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries. Check our website to see if your library participates.) To register for the program, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, click on the Online Calendar, or call 908.789.4090 x7951.
Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday for the summer.
For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”
