Nope! Only The Moth is The Moth. The Salem Story Series is closer to a story slam (more on that next), but without a competitive edge attached.

In a general sense, story slams are competitions, which Salem Story Series is not. It has a lot of the same criteria of a slam (such as the 5-minute time limit per storyteller), and that’s mostly to provide a clear structure to the event and to keep things moving.

Potentially! If there’s interest in such a thing, Salem Story Series might evolve into something more akin to a competition. For now, while word spreads and the shows become better attended, events will consist of 5-minute true-life stories and, hopefully, a lot of good vibes.

Nope! There’s no such thing as “good” or “bad” stories, especially at events like this one. In general, people who’ve never told a story on stage share the best stories because they’re raw and unpolished. Luckily, in a format like this one, you’ll be SURROUNDED by people who are just like you.

I love storytelling. I caught “the bug.” Salem didn’t have anything quite like this, and rather than waiting for someone else to do it, I’m putting my years of experience to the test. If you’re asking why I seem to know a lot about this craft, it’s because I learned from a long list of brilliant storytellers who have run programs similar to this one (at a much bigger scale).

I don’t think anyone is an “expert” in storytelling. That’s like saying I’m an expert in breathing, or an expert in digesting. There are scores of academics who claim storytelling as their modus operandi, and their degrees suggest a level of expertise about the fundamental basics of storytelling, but all human beings are natural storytellers. We can plumb the depths of the human psyche to become experts in the “why?” and “how?” of storytelling, but all of us who can communicate have mastered the art of sharing stories.