The Moth Story Slams

I’m down with The Moth Story Slams. It runs like a well oiled machine but because of the storytellers, you never know what you will get. They’ve sold me completely and I’ll be back soon for another slam.
The Moth Story Slams are an open mic storytelling forum. Participants all submit their tales and 10 are picked to be shared with the group. 5 minute time limit and if you run over a harmonica will let you know it. The MC for the show is a hilarious comedian who keeps things moving and has some good jokes in his pocket. Between each speaker, he breaks it up with some laughs & reads some one liners filled out by audience members. On our night, the phrase was «I needed my Father’s advice when…» and one they read was my friend’s! It makes you feel like you’re a part of the show! They pick audience judges that give ratings on each story teller — three groups of judges. After 5 stories, there is a brief intermission, then the night finishes off with the last 5. For each story, the judges give a score, most ranged from 6.5 to 9.5. The storyteller with the highest average moves on to the grand story slam.
My friend and I bought «Premium Tickets» for the event at $ 16 each. There is zero need for that. The $ 8 at the door tickets will do you just fine.
Martyr’s does get extremely packed for the show, but it’s well worth it. My friend and I got there right as the doors opened at 6pm and the show itself doesn’t begin until 8pm. Before the show begins, you can hang out, get some food, have some drinks and have fun filling out the little fill-​in-​the-​blank for the night. By about 6:45pm there were no seats left, so plan on getting there by 6:30 if you want a seat.
The night I went to the Moth Story Slam the theme was Fathers. I was a bit worried I would be bawling like a baby the whole time as it may bring up some of my own memories. Turns out the stories didn’t jerk as many tears as I anticipated they would. They ranged from hilarious (ie the winner of the night) to cringe worthy to nearly bringing a tear to my eye, but not quite.
I really enjoyed everything about The Moth Story Slams but I think our experience was further helped by sitting with some great, friendly people. We enjoyed swapping our own stories, comparing craft brew offerings and one guy from our table was the last storyteller of the evening! Mad props to anyone that can get in front of a crowd like that and share something so close to their heart.
Moth Story Slams ended about 10:30pm and some veterans we sat with say it ranges from ending at 10 – 1045 usually so plan accordingly. It can turn into a late school night. ;)
I laughed a TON, I nearly shed a tear and more than anything else, I was enthralled in other people’s lives for five minutes at a time. If you’re up for an escaping and entertaining night, look into attending The Moth Story Slams. You won’t be disappointed!

After enjoying the show when tripping across it on WBEZ the girl and I decided that we should give it a whirl. Well finally about 6 months after the initial decision to visit the stars aligned and we…
a. remembered that it was the last Tuesday of the month and
b. actually wandered down the street.
Fun times for sure, we arrived and got our hand stamped at 7:10 then ran across the street for a bite to eat as there was nowhere to sit, apparently this is a popular event. Upon re-​arrival we settled in standing by the back bar with a good sight line to the stage. With a subject of ‘Lost’ I was interested in how the stories would play out. Funny, sad, and inspirational were what we got. Story telling seems to be a dying art as TV has become formulaic, tweets are limited to 140 characters, texts are short and to the point, FB Updates… well let’s just say that many are losing the ability to form a solid and cohesive story because some folks spend more time interacting with the device in their pocket than with each other.
Head over to hear real people tell real stories, you may not like them all but you will certainly appreciate the ability of the participants ability, to at times, move you to think.
Seriously get there early if you want a seat, show starts at 8 PM, I would suggest to be there before 7.

It disappoints me to have to write this, but they are not as good as you’d think from the podcast and word of mouth.
1. Very crowded — you have to get there within a few minutes of the door opening to get an OK seat.
2. An MC that speaks about half the time, a combination of a stand-​up act and pithy responses to that night’s performers. We didn’t come for you, sorry.
3. A guy from WBEZ who twitters about and has ridiculous facial expressions who supposedly runs the thing. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything during the show, but his absurd facial expressions detract from the performers (he sits right behind them and makes no effort to be politic).
4. Annoying crowd. Pushed, shoved, and when eating, our companions reached over our plates at different times to grab ketchup or napkins. Learn some manners.

My friend invited me to go to this as a last minute thing. It was on a weekday and given that I am an old lady who goes to bed at 9 pm (ok, not old but I do go to bed that early) I was hesitant to go. I thought it over and thought, «what the heck.»
I’m definitely glad I went, because it was an amazing experience. I didn’t stay the whole night to see who won (I was starting to shut down physically around 10 pm), but I was thoroughly entertained.
The theme was «a race» and, as others have said, the stories were funny, inspiring and in some cases downright sad. I wasn’t quite prepared or in the mood for sad, but that’s life!
I did feel inspired to try my hand at it some time in the future. I like getting up in front of crowds, oddly enough, so it’s right up my alley.
Anyway, check it out if you haven’t before. It’s something to experience.

Is it Sunday and you are bored?
Me too.
It’s too early to turn on the TV– I’d get sucked into the Food Network (I yell at the telle like an armchair quarterback– MORE BUTTER!!!) and Boyfriend will have it on some kind of Fox News lobotomized talking roundtable– I yell at that too… now we will both be in a foul mood for the rest of the day!
But wait darling, what is that charming, archaic device– a radio? Remember those? Well, if you don’t you can go online to
Boyfriend has been listening to this program for years, used to be he’d play it on road trips… Now it’s a Sunday morning staple. Make coffee, maybe do some light cleaning, kick back, cuddle and just listen to a really good story… maybe learn something but above all, find something you know you both will relish!

Checked out for the first time last month and had a great time! My friend won tickets from WBEZ, and learned that it’s quite a hot ticket — it tends to sell out fast! The theme was animals and I was throughly entertained by both the 10 storytellers and the emcee. Ford Falcon. Death of a Squirrel… keep an ear out for those if you listen to the recorded podcast.
I definitely want to try going again in the future and also, make sure you get there early. We got there around 6:30 and were able to get a decent spot to lean against the wall and still have a good view.

Listen to the podcast first, then go see it live! The podcast is free
. It’s crowded so you have to get in there early and not a lot of seating. But the stories are great, funny, sad, touching, all around great. Check it out!

Great, fun event. Held the last Tuesday of every month. Different theme, stories and story-​tellers each month. Be aware that it fills up quickly: the event starts around 8, but Martyr’s is usually full by 7pm.