By Gina Lanaux, Photos by Stephen Savage

This is a story about a story slam, a live storytelling event where participants share personal stories based on a theme. My favorite podcast, The Moth, “promotes the celebration of the commonality and diversity of the human experience through the art and craft of true personal storytelling.”

With this mission in mind, The Hope Community of Fairhope sponsored a recent Slam at The Book Cellar. This organization's purpose is to nurture unity and relationships through food, healing, and education, and its story slams are a wonderful way for the community to embrace these ideals. Stories spark empathy, bridge divides, and connect hearts, and this event was no exception. With the theme of ‘Traditions,’ storytellers had 6 minutes without notes to make the audience laugh and sometimes cry at their anecdotes. 

The Book Cellar was packed on this Wednesday evening, with the audience eagerly waiting for the Slam to start. Barry Silverman, whose melodic voice is heard on radio and television in the Scenic 98 Coastal area, was the emcee for the show and encouraged audience members to sign up and put their names in a hat to be drawn for their turn to speak. 

The first to take the microphone was the president of the Hope Community, Shawn Graham. Shawn is a very engaging storyteller, and he has the audience working up an appetite with stories about his family's holiday food traditions. He reminisced about plates of fried chicken, ribs, and all the sides, prepared by his very large and lovable African American Family, some of whom were founding families in Fairhope South. He laughingly said that his partner is Caucasian because any girl of color he brought home, his mother would tell him, she was his cousin!  Food is a huge part of almost every family holiday, so the audience could relate to how good food brings people together.

George Fuller, my cousin and friend, shared how he first met his wife at my family's Christmas Eve party on Dog River for the first time. (The party was also one of my favorite traditions.) He is a hopeless romantic and took us through their courtship, until he proposed after a mere six dates, proudly announcing when his time was up, that they had been married 45 years. George's sentimental and loving tribute to his wife, Frances, aka Bootie, warmed our hearts.  Another funny family thing… George has a brother who is also called Bootie!

JD Crowe, everyone’s favorite cartoonist with Al.com, took us down a road we weren't expecting as he told us about a double-murder family tradition, where his two favorite hogs, Snout and Smokey, were slaughtered by two beastly, burly figures: The Hog Killers. His sister and he watched from the kitchen window, Ugh! You can read the whole hog story on JD’s Facebook page. Believe me, it won’t put you in the holiday spirit, but he always spins a good yarn.  

Barry Silverman, who is of the Jewish faith, told his story of feeling left out of Christmas as a boy and how he learned to go with the flow and not tell well-meaning people who asked what Santa was bringing him, that he didn't celebrate Christmas. When he married Nancy, a Christian, everything changed, and he got to celebrate Christmas in a very big way! I love a happy ending. 

There were many other storytellers who were articulate, engaging, and likable, but since I strictly follow my 500-word per article rule, I can’t write about them all. There will be another Story Slam in January, as Barry explained, they hold them quarterly. Read more about the Hope Community by clicking this link, it is a wonderful organization, and they are planning a 5 K race on January 4th.

In the meantime, start compiling and rehearsing your favorite personal story for the next Slam and if you have stage fright, sit in the audience and be thoroughly entertained.