Hi Everybody,

Kevin Allison from the Risk! podcast asked me to send him any stories from FGS that I think would be a good fit for their show. I don’t give your stories to anyone, but if you’d like to submit your story to them, send me your audio, and I’ll pass it on to Kevin and his staff.

Risk! is a long-running storytelling podcast, and many of our tellers have been on their live shows when they come through town. If you didn’t have a chance to audition for those shows, now’s your chance to get on the podcast from the comfort of your well-worn couch.

Here’s their website if you aren’t familiar with them:

Home

They’ll accept any live recording, but you must get permission from the producers of whatever show it was recorded at. If you send them a recording from FGS, you are always free to do whatever you want with the recording I send you. But if you want to send them a recording from The Moth or some other show, you’ll have to contact those producers and get written permission from them to let Risk! air the story.

As far as I know, there are no taboo topics with them, so feel free to send them a story on anything. I do know they’re hoping to get some holiday stories ASAP, so those will probably be listened to first.

Send me anything you’d like me to pass along to them. I don’t have anything to do with how they select the stories, so I’ll include your email with my submission and let them contact you if they want your piece.

Let me know if you get on the podcast! I’d love to send the link out when your story airs 🙂

That’s the big news for this week. Don’t forget our free online workshop is this Sunday at 1 pm.

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories-storytelling-workshop/events/317027461

I’m happy to help one-on-one if you’d like to set up a phone call.

We’ll be in the lobby of the club for the next few shows while they remodel the top floor. I’ll do my best to get them to leave some of those puffy chairs for us to use.

See you on the 19th!

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

I’ve gotten lost in a lot of different ways. Lost on a mountain, lost in a bottle, lost a relationship. I’ve been lost in a crowd and lost on a one-way street with nowhere to go but forward. I’ve definitely gotten lost in my own head.

One of the few things I know that can always bring me home is telling the story of how I got lost. I don’t know why, but I figured it out 12 years ago, and it hasn’t failed me yet.

I’m not sure if stories are the rudder that keeps me on course, or the stars that guide me through the night. I’ll work on that metaphor and get back to you. Feel free to send me your own metaphor for stories if you have one.

This month our theme is getting lost. It could be getting physically lost, mentally lost, spiritually lost, or even being on the show Lost.

We’d love to hear you share a story about getting lost and finding your way home. What did you discover about yourself along the way? Did you end up a different person than when you left? Did you swear you’d never leave the house again without four maps, a satellite phone, and a Thomas Guide? Or did you realize that getting lost can sometimes take you where you needed to be all along?

Our themes are just suggestions, so you can tell a story about almost anything as long as it follows our usual rules and guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/

The easiest way to come up with a story is to start with a moment that meant something to you. Once you have that, write down all the memories that have something to do with that moment, both before and after it. Then choose 2-3 of those memories to be the story.

Remember that a story isn’t just a series of things that happened. There needs to be something at stake that you overcome by the end.

Practice the story out loud to as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing it.

All stories have to be under eight minutes. Stories can be as short as you want, but no longer than eight minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email if you have any questions about that.

Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story. Our next one is Sunday, November 1.

https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop

I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Email me, and we can set up a phone call.

See you Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm. Normally we’re on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club, but the club is doing some renovations on that floor, so we’ll be in the lobby for a few shows.

The address is 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109. We have three lots and 109 spaces of free parking. When was the last time you got free parking at a show??

Paul

Freshgroundstories@gmail.com

What a beautiful night we had Thursday, with the perfect number of tellers and an audience that was ready to pop at any moment. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been coming to our shows for 15 years and never told a story. You are just as important as anyone who walks up to the mic. Love and support count for a lot at FGS.

First-time tellers Chris and Ujjwal both told stories we’re still talking about. Thank you for letting us get to know you through your stories. Please come back and tell more with us.

As usual, we learned a lot that night. We learned what happens when your life turns into a country song, and that the best way to ask a woman out might be to ask for her zip code.

We learned what happens when you miss a bus in Pittsburgh, that making the Olympics might not be the hardest thing you ever do, and how to set your mother free long after she died.

We know now that dogs can save us in ways that sometimes humans can’t, that aging parents can thrive in places where they’re appreciated and can go downhill fast in places where they aren’t, and that against all odds, love can be found at the Denny’s in Tumwater.

In the end, we learned what it means to put memories in their place and choose to live in the present.

I’m so damn grateful to everyone who walked up to the mic that night. I hope everyone who came out Thursday met someone interesting. A lot of friendships have begun with someone walking up to a teller after the show and thanking them for their story.

I also want to thank everyone who donated through Venmo or tossed a few bucks in Mr. Coffee. I convert all donations into annual memberships to the Swedish Club and give them away after the show. I was so happy to give away a record number of memberships this month. Not only does that allow us to keep doing our shows there, it also supports a place that gets people out of their house and spending time with each other in person. Viking disco, Bezerkaoroke, Swedish pancake breakfasts, Soup and Cinema, and Friday Night Dinner and Music are just some of the things you can do at the club. Next year we might even be able to go there and cheer on the women’s soccer world championship 🙂
Next month the club will be doing its first big renovation since 1962. The end result will be more room for us on the third floor where we hold our shows. Until then, we’ll be holding our shows in the lobby on the street level. It might take me a couple months to figure out the perfect chair arrangement, but we’ll have fun no matter which way we’re facing. Once the renovations are done, we’ll be back upstairs with the best view in town.

Our next show is November 19th. The theme is “Getting Lost.” I’ll get the invite out as soon as I can. If you’re working on a story, stop by our free monthly online workshop. The next one is Sunday, Nov. 1.

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories-storytelling-workshop/events/317027461/

If you didn’t get enough storytelling last week, come out this Friday to 7 Stories in Burien. Some of my favorite tellers come from there to tell at FGS.

https://www.meetup.com/7-stories/events/316951748/

Now go out and make some bad choices so you can come back with a story.

See you next month!

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all having a grand week. I’m looking forward to seeing you next Thursday and hearing all your love stories. 

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories/events/316719658/

If you’re looking for some inspiration, Gretchen, one of our long-time tellers, recommended the Seattle Reps’ “Eulogy. How to plan your own funeral and have fun doing it.” It got “Best of Seattle Theater 2025,” and Gretchen says it’s a great example of how to use stories to say big things. If Gretchen likes it, you will too. 

Here’s a quick blurb from the website:

“Eulogy is a heartfelt and humorous exploration of the journey we must all take eventually. In lieu of flowers, you’re encouraged to sing a song you love, bake your sister her favorite cake, or bring all your family and friends to this genuine celebration of life.”

https://www.seattlerep.org/events/special-events/eulogy

If you can’t make it to the Rep, here’s a sweet story about connecting with people over ice cream. Is there a better way to share a moment with a stranger than with a Klondike Bar? I think not.

See you next Thursday!

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

This month we’re going straight for the heart. We’re looking for stories about love. Falling in love. Falling out of love. Finding love in strange places. Falling in love with strange things. 

Did you fall in love with fishing and then get caught stuffing your walleye with lead weights in the 2022 Lake Erie Walleye Tournament? If you did, we would really love to hear that story.

Of course, our themes are just suggestions, so you can tell a story about almost anything as long as it follows our usual rules and guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/

The easiest way to come up with a story is to start with a moment that meant something to you. Once you have that, write down all the memories that have something to do with that moment, both before and after it. Then choose 2-3 of those memories to be the story.

Remember that a story isn’t just a series of things that happened. There needs to be something at stake that you overcome by the end.

Practice the story out loud to as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing it.

All stories have to be under eight minutes. Stories can be as short as you want, but no longer than eight minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email if you have any questions about that.

Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story. Our next one is Sunday, October 11.

https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop

I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Email me, and we can set up a phone call.

See you Thursday, October 15 at 7 pm, on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Paul

Freshgroundstories@gmail.com