Miss Spoken Takes On A Challenging First Topic, Succeeds Wildly

By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on May 29, 2014 8:30PM

Behind every woman is a complicated boob story. If you’ve ever survived a middle school locker room you know this to be true. But articulating the experience is no easy feat. You need to be candid, strong, vulnerable, and not afraid to challenge societal norms. You need to be able to reference Judy Blume. And you need to have a sense of humor about it. The powerhouse storytellers at the premiere of the Miss Spoken live lit series, met the challenge and soared way beyond.

Starting at 7 p.m. at Gallery Cabaret, Miss Spoken kicked off with an intro from co-hosts Carly Oishi and Rosamund Lannin. They spoke briefly about the genesis of the show and how important it was to them to create a platform for smart funny women to share their stories. There were seven storytellers in total with each story running about 7-10 minutes. You might not think you can have so many viewpoints on boobs but you’d be wrong.

There were those in a full-on love affair with their boobs, like storyteller Melanie LaForce. Not only is she a fan but the Windy City Rollers, where she’s a member, once awarded her the “Golden Tickets Award” for best cans. When she was done reading she shared the award with the crowd like a proud parent. And there were those like Alicia Swiz, who had a breast reduction to combat the negative attention and assumptions placed upon her in her youth. And then Samantha Irby of the famed Bitches Gotta Eat blog brought the house down with her tale of middle school revenge and the bra she stuffed with dog shit.

The next show will be on June 18 and take on the theme of “debt”. For more dates, themes and how you can get involved check out the Miss Spoken blog.

By: Allison Kelley