The Moth Grand Slams Its Way To Chicago

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 19, 2011 7:20PM

For all those who have waited for hours on the last Tuesday of the month to squeeze into Martyr’s for a standing-room only Moth StorySLAM, we have good news for you. The first ever Moth GrandSLAM is coming to Chicago. Hosted by Peter Sagal and featuring the winners of the past 10 StorySLAMs, the GrandSLAM is bigger and better than any Moth event our city has seen before. There are plenty of seats at the venue, AND tickets for this one can be purchased in advance. It’s a Moth miracle!

As always, there’s a theme. The ten champion Moth StorySLAM raconteurs will each have five minutes to tell their true stories on the theme “Into the Wild.” We can attest to the fine, fine storytelling of these word purists, and we look forward to what they have to offer. The winning storyteller will be determined by guest judges, selected from the audience. That could be you!

The Moth is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to storytelling. The monthly StorySLAMs - like open mic nights, but for stories - started in New York City in 2000, and have since expanded to Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. If you’d like to brush up on Moth stories before the GrandSLAM on the 26th, we recommend downloading the Moth podcast, which include some favorite stories culled from the thousands of stories recorded at Moth events over the past 10 years.

The Moth GrandSLAM, Park West Theater, January 26, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., $16 via etix.com