Did you catch one of our tellers opening the Moth podcast this weekend? Harjas found us during Covid when we were on Zoom and told some great stories with us. A few days ago The Moth featured him on their podcast. Way to go Harjas!

You can find him at the 3:30 mark here: https://player.themoth.org/#/?actionType=ADD_AND_PLAY&storyId=234145

If you were at the latest Moth GrandSlam in Seattle, you know that Saloni won the big show that night. Yay Saloni! I’ll share the link with everyone as soon as Le Moth puts it out.

If you missed Harjas and Saloni, you can still catch our good friend Paul Barach at Ignite Seattle next Tuesday. He’s got a five-minute talk he’ll be giving called “Remember, You Will Forget This.” I’ve heard little bits of it over the last few weeks, and those words have been haunting me ever since. I thought about them a lot on the two hikes I’ve been on since he shared them with me over the phone.

This show only happens twice a year, so get your tickets here: 

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/igniteseattle/2087864/r/website

If you’ve never been to Seattle Ignite, here’s a bit from their website:

“Twice a year, one of the greatest audiences in the world gathers to hear interesting people tell interesting stories. Each speaker gets 20 slides, for 15 seconds each, to share a passion for 5 minutes – it’s an evening of curated discovery. We take pride in providing every audience with a deep sense of the community + possibility that surrounds us in Seattle in every moment.”

I don’t know how the best storytellers in the PNW keep showing up at FGS, but they do. I hope a bunch of you come out and see who shows up at our next one on June 18. The theme is “Stories of someone surprising you.”

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories/events/314956552

See you then!

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

Just when I think I have someone figured out, they surprise me. Most of the time, it’s a beautiful reminder that I’m not in charge of the world and that there’s more sweetness in the world than I think there is. An unexpected apology, a kiss on a first date, a compliment from someone I didn’t think was listening. All good things that make me look forward to life.

Some things are just weird and make me wonder if I’ve been paying attention. My son coming home with a shaved head. Overhearing people at work hating on someone I like. 

And then there are the ones that you swore would never happen. My brother and I started talking to each other after years of silence. An old friend and I stopped talking to each other. Maybe one day we’ll surprise each other and start again.

Every one of these moments could be a story. 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. 

Come tell us about a time when someone surprised you. Try to focus on a person rather than a thing. Unless you were hit by lightning. I would love to hear a story about being hit by lightning. But generally, a story about a person who surprised you will reveal more about yourself than a thing that surprised you. 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.

Storytelling Rules and Guidelines

Whatever the story, we’d love to hear it. 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. 

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, June 18 at 7 pm on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Paul
Freshgroundstories@gmail.com

What a week of stories! We had FGS on Thursday, and the Folklife story showcase on Friday. Thanks to everyone who came out to one or both of those shows.

Before I go any further, I need to ask a quick favor. Can you please forward this email to freshgroundstories@gmail.com if you bought a membership to the Swedish Club in the past year? I know how many I’ve given away at the show, but I don’t know how many folks paid for one themselves. So if you or a friend or family member got one just to support FGS and the club, let me know by forwarding this email to me and letting me know how many you signed up for. Thanks!

Ok, back to the shows…

If you’ve been attending for a while, you know that my favorite part of any show is when a first-timer walks up to the mic. I know how hard it is to speak to a room full of strangers, especially when you’re saying something personal. All four first-timers we had Thursday night nailed their story. Thank you, Jose, Ed, Eric, and Nick. I loved each one of your stories and hope you come back and tell more with us. Write me if you’d like your audio.

Our regular tellers that night were just as inspiring. Cliff’s story was so moving to me that I almost proposed to my girlfriend from the stage. I didn’t, of course, because she would hate that, and then I’d probably have to find another girlfriend. But I did enjoy the look of terror on her face when I talked about doing it. I’m pretty sure she was laughing when I said it. Did anyone look over? Was that a smile or a grimace pretending to be a smile? 

Cliff’s story had nothing to do with marriage. It was about doing something you’re not used to doing and what it felt like to do it anyway. In Cliff’s case, it was a quick decision to move from Washington DC to Seattle. As I listened to the story, my body shook loose a fear I didn’t know I had of being trapped with the wrong person for the rest of my life. I don’t know why this story made me think of that, but it hit me so hard that I had a sudden urge to marry my girlfriend, who was sitting one row behind me. Luckily, I came to my senses by the time I got to the mic and managed to admit to the urge without giving in to it. 

That’s what stories do to us. They bring up stuff that might have nothing to do with what’s going on in the story. As scary as that moment was for me and then Marni, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. That’s why I keep running this show and telling my stories. I don’t get those moments anywhere else. 

Cliff was just one of our regular tellers that night. We also heard from Craig, Lance (welcome back!), Brian, and David. (I hope I didn’t forget anyone) 

I could tell from the number of names in Mr. Coffee that we wouldn’t have time to get everyone on stage that night, so I want to extend my extra-special thanks to the folks who let me know that it was ok to bump them. That helps me a lot. I feel terrible when I have to bump people, even though I give them a guaranteed spot on any future show. It still sucks to work on a story and not get to tell it. So thanks to everyone who let me know ahead of time.

Even more thanks to everyone who showed up at the Folklife story showcase Friday. What a treat to tell stories in a theater! All but one of the tellers were regulars at FGS. The only one who hadn’t done our show was Tom Rawson from Canada. He killed it that night. I told him the next time he comes down, it needs to be a third Thursday. You will love Tom when I finally get him to our show. Big thanks to Joanna Demarest, the folklife story coordinator, for making it all happen. I hope we can do it again next year.

That’s all for now. Our next show is June 18. The theme is “Stories of people surprising you.” I’ll get the invite out as soon as I can.

I hope you’re all having a great long weekend. I have to go install a sump pump now.

Paul

Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Last year, we heard one of the most unusual stories we’ve ever had at FGS. A man I’d never seen before got up and told a story about starting a terramation funeral business that changed his life. Terramation, we learned, is the process of turning human remains into nutrient-rich soil. 

What started as a project focused on the ecological benefits of composting over cremation became a place where loved ones can slowly and naturally return to the earth. It was an amazing story of how Micah, the founder, realized the process was more about humans than technology. 

Two days ago, I learned that a documentary about Micah’s journey is being shown at the Seattle Film Festival on Saturday, May 16. I am so happy for him! We knew his story was special the night he told it, and I’m thrilled to find out it’s on film now. Here’s a quick blurb from the website:

https://www.siff.net/festival/the-life-we-leave

“An ambitious entrepreneur and two funeral directors pioneer a groundbreaking eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state, challenging traditional burial practices and transforming end-of-life rituals.

Recipient of a 2024 SIFF Grant for Courageous Documentary Filmmaking. The 2026 Grant Cycle opens May 15 on the SIFF website.”

Advance tickets are sold out, but there are standby tickets still available. Here’s the info on that:

“A Standby line will form at the venue, usually one hour before showtime. At approximately 10 minutes before showtime, available seats are counted and sold on a first-come, first-served basis to those in line.

Standby tickets are sold only to those waiting in the Standby line at the time of sale.”

If you can’t make it to the theater for standby tickets, you can check out the business site here:  https://returnhome.com/

I never know who is going to show up on any given night, but I always hear at least one story that I need to hear. I hope you can join us at our next show this Thursday, May 21, at 7pm on the top floor of the Swedish Club. The theme is Losing It – Stories of being out of control.
https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories/events/314480178

See you then!

Paul

freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

The reason I’ll never skydive isn’t that I’m worried that the chute won’t open and the ground crew will find my body, feet sticking up out of the grass like a lawn dart. It’s that I don’t like being told what to do. And as soon as you step out of the plane, gravity tells you exactly what you’re going to do for the next 10-15 minutes. There’s no discussion, no listening to reason. You’re going to be falling at 176 feet per second until you pull that cord.

That’s why it’s always interesting to me how I react when I’m truly out of control. I like to go back and think about why I did what I did. I was proud of myself a few years ago when I had to give the Heimlich to a guy choking next to me at a lunch counter. I stood up, knocked his gut in a couple times, then sat down and went back to my omelet. 

I wasn’t proud of myself when I broke my hand punching a wall at 19, when I found out my girlfriend was stepping out on me. I also wasn’t proud of myself when I had a complete mental breakdown in 2012, when the world fell out from under me. I told that story two years later. It ended with a moment in my kitchen that brought me back to life and made me want to see what happened next. I’m still thinking about that time, and hope I’ve learned enough skills that it doesn’t happen again.

I’d love to hear about a time when you or your life were out of control and how you made it through. How did you act in the moment? Were you cool as a Bering Sea ice floe or did you lose your mind and kick a bunch of rocks? Were you dumped? Fired? Evicted? Given a diagnosis? How did you react in the moment and how did you find your way back to Chillsville?

Whatever the story, we’d love to hear it. 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.

FGS themes are just suggestions, so you can come out and tell a story about anything as long as it follows our usual rules and guidelines.

Storytelling Rules and Guidelines

Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story. 

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, May 21, at 7 pm on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com