Enjoy a good story? Olympia’s best storytellers will compete Saturday night at StoryOly
StoryOly’s 2022 Grand Slam, a showcase of storytellers brave enough to tell true and personal stories on stage, is the first championship since pre-pandemic times.
Eleven storytellers — including four who’ve been waiting since before the pandemic to have their eight minutes in the Grand Slam spotlight — will compete Saturday, Sept. 17. The event, hosted by Elizabeth Lord, also will feature live music by the String & Shadow Cartoon Orchestra, a merry (and often masked) band of old-time musicians.
Saturday might prove to be the first time that a StoryOly Grand Slam has happened in a space that can accommodate all of the people who show up to listen. The event is at the Eagles Ballroom in downtown Olympia, which holds 200 people. Through February 2020, StoryOly’s home was the now-closed Rhythm & Rye, which maxed out at 100.
When COVID changed everything, StoryOly hosted noncompetitive storytelling gatherings online, resuming live slams in December at The Cryptatropa Bar in Olympia.
“When it re-emerged, I was super excited,” said Kell Rowen of Grapeview, one of Saturday’s competitors. “The pandemic was annoying in lots of different ways, but it didn’t really change my life that much since I live in a rural area. But StoryOly — it really bummed me out not to be able to go.”
Rowen competed in the 2018 Grand Slam, where she was disqualified for taking more than eight minutes to tell her tale. “My story was not worthy of winning, anyway,” she told The Olympian. She’s not sure what story she’ll tell on Saturday, but she’s determined to stay within the allotted time.
“So many people are afraid to speak in public or get up on stage, but everyone has a story to tell,” she said. “If you think about that story and get rid of the stuff that you don’t need to say and keep it within your time frame, then all you have to do is memorize your first sentence. One you get up on stage and you start, everyone is listening to you politely and nonjudgmentally.
“It’s one of the coolest experiences ever.”
Though some former regulars didn’t return when live slams resumed, StoryOly is still drawing crowds. Cryptatropa, which was requiring proof of vaccination when StoryOly moved its events there, attracted lots of new listeners and tellers but ultimately proved too small. With the next regular slam, StoryOly is moving to the roomier Brotherhood Lounge on Capitol Boulevard.
As much as the pandemic changed life, few StoryOly tellers have focused their stories on it, said Lord, who started StoryOly with actor-singer-playwright Amy Shepard.
“One of our themes this past season was ‘Home,’ ” Lord said. “I thought for certain we would have stories about being home and not being able to be anywhere but home for a while. But we did not. … It was very surprising.”
StoryOly Grand Slam
▪ What: Olympia’s story slam is hosting its first championship since 2019. The mega-slam will be hosted by storyteller and entertainment impresario Elizabeth Lord and will feature old-timey tunes by the String and Shadow Cartoon Orchestra.
▪ When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Doors open at 6, and music begins at 6:30.
▪ Where: Eagles Ballroom, 805 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia
▪ Tickets: $15-$25 donation suggested, with no one turned away for lack of funds. Half of proceeds will go to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund.
▪ More information: http://storyoly.com
▪ Also: Like all StoryOly events, the Grand Slam is open only to people 21 and older.
▪ Monthly slams: Monthly events resume at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at a new location — The Brotherhood Lounge, 119 Capitol Way N., Olympia. They continue on the third Tuesday of each month through August. $5-$15 donation suggested, with no one turned away. Half of proceeds go to local nonprofits.