Hi Everyone,

I have some bad news. For the first time in six years I have to cancel this month’s Fresh Ground Stories. I just found out my mom has to have a tiny machine put inside her heart this Thursday so it keeps beating in way we like it to keep beating. I don’t let much get in the way of running FGS but pacemaker has suddenly shot to the top of the list of things that are more important.

But we’ll be back with our regular show on April 28th so keep working on your stories if you were planning on telling this week. The theme will be the same so you don’t have to change anything.

Theme: http://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories/events/229429995/

I do have two really cool opportunities for everyone as a way of making up for this. A couple of storytelling shows reached out to me recently asking me to send them tellers. One of them is a very popular live show and podcast called Risk! (yes, the ! is a part of their name)

They are coming to Seattle in April to do a show at the Vera Project and wanted FGS tellers to pitch them some story ideas. If they like your story you’ll get to be part of the show. I’ve listened to the Risk! podcast for a long time and I would love to be in one of their shows. This is a great chance to stretch a bit and see if you can meet some out of town storytellers and maybe even get to be in a show with them. I pasted the text of their email below so you can find out how to send them a story and ask them any questions you might have.

I was also contacted by Mike Lawson down in the Bay Area. He runs the podcast 12 Minute Stories. It’s a really interesting concept. You record your story on your phone or computer and then email it to him. Then he produces it, adding music and whatnot, and plays it on the podcast. He also puts the finished version on the website http://www.12MinuteStories.com.

Check out the website if you’re curious what the produced versions sound like. I don’t know Mike personally but I like the idea of someone else producing a story for me and it’s always fun to be on a podcast.

Contact him directly from his website. If you do send him a story let us know how it goes. I’d love to post the podcast link to your story on our FaceBook page 🙂

I’ll be posting all the info I have for both these shows on our FaceBook page as well:

https://www.facebook.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-316944020508/

That’s all I have for you guys right now. I’m sorry I have to cancel this month’s show. This is the first time since we started in 2010 that I’ve had to do this. But we’ll be back in April and I’ll be able to tell you guys all about something called Atrial Fibrillation.

Don’t forget to check out the Risk! info below

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

PS – For those of you who know me the mom I’m talking about is actually my step mom but I’ve known her longer than I knew my bio mom so she’s kinda got mom status now. That makes three moms for me if anyone is counting. Only two speak English, one is Canadian and one was on Bewitched. I’ve had lots of great women to learn from!

Risk!

We are currently casting storytellers for an upcoming show in:

 

Seattle, WA on Thursday, 4/28/16

@ The Vera Project

Warren & Republican Ave N

 

RISK! Is a live show and podcast “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public” hosted by Kevin Allison, of the legendary TV sketch comedy troupe The State. RISK! has featured people like Janeane Garofalo, Lisa Lampanelli, Kevin Nealon, Margaret Cho, Marc Maron, Sarah Silverman, and regular folks from around the world, dropping the act and showing a side of themselves we’ve never seen before. The RISK! podcast gets over a million downloads each month. Slate.com called it “jaw-dropping, hysterically funny, and just plain touching.”

 

RISK! is not like other storytelling shows. It’s “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public.” We encourage our storytellers to step out on a limb, be brutally candid and emotionally raw. This is an uncensored show where taboos are tackled and people talk about things they ordinarily might not share in mixed company, but might save for their therapist.

 

To hear some of our stories, go to http://risk-show.com/listen

For more information about what we look for in story pitches and how to submit, go to http://risk-show.com/submissions/ and send us your pitch by 3/31/16 to be considered!

 

Please let the performers in your community know about this exciting opportunity as soon as you can, and let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you,

Cyndi Freeman