Ideally, stories will be about how love changed one’s perception of reality. Also – this doesn’t have to be about romantic love. The story can be about love of mankind, love of family or friends. So a few questions for this slam is:

- Have you ever been in love with someone you shouldn’t be in love with?
- Have you found a love so good you pinched yourself because you didn’t believe it?
- Have you ever had your understanding of love tested?

Our themes are meant to be rather broad in scope so as to encourage folks to stand up and tell their story. If your story has any aspect about infatuation, crush, stalking, love, etc, come on up and tell it!

Videos of the stories are posted on the Resolutions page. Our next iTunes podcast will be out on iTunes by the end of the month but you can listen to the Best of 2011 now. Subscribe to West Chester Story Slam on iTunes so you don’t miss it!

Our next story Slam is Tuesday, February 14th and the theme is “Fiction Romance.” What does this theme mean? Think of fiction as an adjective. Maybe your story is about an infatuation – you thought it was love but it was not. Maybe it was love that proved so true you pinched yourself and thought this can’t be real. The story slam is on Valentine’s Day so the story should be about romantic love or the deception of romantic love.

Thanks again to everyone who came out tonight! We hope to see you in February!

So what is the theme Resolutions? This time of year, we think of New Year’s Resolutions, but it is actually much broader than that. How does an issue or series of issues resolve itself? Think of how Seinfeld episodes end with the stories being resolved. Our themes are meant to be broad-based, so think about your resolution story and get on-stage!

res·o·lu·tion a noun

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2.a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3.the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

5. the act or process of resolving or separating into constituent or elementary parts.

And a reminder, our Story Slam is being held on Tuesday, January 10th at Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown. Show starts at 8pm. If you are bringing eight or more for dinner before the show, you can call and reserve a table! Make sure to tell them you are reserving for the Story Slam so they seat you in the room! Call Victory at (610)873-0881.

I want to thank Pat Ryan at Ryan’s Pub for providing us the space to try a simple little experiment. When we started the story slam two years ago, I really didn’t know if the idea would gain traction. I’ve been overwhelmed at the response and hope we can continue to interest more folks to come out for a night of live storytelling.

Check out our dates and themes on the home page. I look forward to seeing you at Victory on January 10th for our first slam of the new season!

Thanks so much,

Jim Breslin
Founder

PS: Yes. Despite the new location, we will still be known as the West Chester Story Slam!

Other storytellers during the night included: Andy Meehan, Peter Cunniffe, Mikey Gleason, Jake Frechette, Patrick Carmody, Stephen Castrianni, and Gretchen Cole.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Grand Slam. We had a packed house and appreciate all those who stayed with us through the night in tight conditions. Sorry to those who could not stay due to lack of seating. Please check in here to learn about our plans for the 2012 season!

Sixteen short stories from local Chester County authors, several of whom have told stories at the West Chester Story Slam! The collection includes stories by these slam participants: Jim Breslin, Peter Cunniffe, Jake Michael, Wayne Anthony Conaway and Eli Silberman. Also included is: Virginia Beards, Robb Cadigan, Michael Dolan, Ronald D. Giles, Terry Heyman, Joan Hill, Nicole Valentine and Christine Yurick.

In this debut collection of stories, Jim Breslin explores the soul of suburbia; the disenfranchised and the desperate. The characters in these twenty-one stories struggle to mend relationships and find redemption. Reviewers write,”These stories are human – as funny as they are sad, haunting as they are hopeful.”

Jake Michael’s historical fantasy Buddha’s Thunderbolt tells the tale of Merlin, a 5th Century rationalist, who regards magic as bunk, druids as idiots, and knights as glorified thugs.

Susan Weidener’s memoir, Again in a Heartbeat, examines love, loss and dating again. From the moment Susan meets John, love comes calling. Their world comes crashing down when John is diagnosed with cancer. Together they live through the ordeal of illness and the toll it takes on their marriage and family. This candid memoir moves beyond grief to one woman’s journey to find strength and happiness in a world without the man she loved.

Please mark your calendar, arrange your babysitter and make plans to come out on June 14th for our slam based on the theme “Foreign Soil.” Stories of traveling to exotic lands, dealing with diffferent cultures, getting lost and confused! You don’t need to tell a story to come out either! Follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter (@wcstoryslam) for continual updates or just check back here at our website.

Love and Marriage