The Bent Page

At the West Chester Story Slam you’ll hear great tales told by regular people. I attended a few of these before stepping up to the plate to tell one of my own. The rules are simple: 5 minutes or less, a true story, and consistent with the theme. Well, last night, the theme was “panic switch.” The stories were brilliant, including one about a guy and his wife camping in the woods that was alternately chilling and hilarious. I told one about a 1997 business trip to Cozumel, Mexico. I was in a dive bar with the fellow I was doing business with when a couple of Norse Vikings thought we were checking out their women. One huge guy (think Chewbacca from Star Wars) comes across the room, picks me out of my chair like a little kid and starts screaming at me in Norwegian or something. I escaped with no damage, but the panic switch was flipped. It must have been a good story, because the three judges awarded me first place for the night. Here’s the screen shot from the Story Slam website:

What a thrill to be a first-timer and win the prize! Too bad I won’t be around for the November Story Slam to compete for the 2012 championship. I will definitely be attending as many of these that I can next year. They’re held at Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown, PA on the second Tuesday of the month. See http://www.wcstoryslam.com for more info. Stop by, enjoy some food and micro-brews, and of course, the great story telling.