Ideas for language/literature-based events

March 4, 2006 5:58 PM

I'm interested in learning more about language/literature-based events. Not so much the traditional poetry reading, more like innovative ways people come together in a relaxed environment to do some sort of activity that revolves around reading stuff aloud and telling stories.

I know about the old Fray Cafes, and I know that This American Life had a letter-reading show a few years ago, and I know about the Cringe Readings, where people read from their embarrassing adolescent journals and the like, and I know about the Little Gray Book Lectures .

Anyone know about more these kinds of things? Any interesting ideas for new events of this kind? Experiences promoting and organizing this kind of thing?

posted by lalalana to writing & language (7 comments total)

Check out The Moth, a nine-year-old NYC storytelling series. I've never been to an event, but have heard the experience can be pretty amazing.
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:38 PM on March 4, 2006

Trampoline Hall is a Toronto-based non-expert lecture series.
posted by xo at 10:47 PM on March 4, 2006

check the event listings at your local university's literature depts.
posted by ori at 2:06 AM on March 5, 2006

My local public library has an occasional storytime-for-grownups series; I don't know how common this sort of thing is.
posted by nonane at 9:42 AM on March 5, 2006

Where, noname? Do you know what they call it?
posted by lalalana at 9:49 AM on March 5, 2006

Wintertelling; sponsored by the local Storyteller's Guild. Looks like the Virginia Storytelling Alliance might be your local equivalent, from the address in your profile.
posted by nonane at 10:28 AM on March 5, 2006

The Jonesborough Storytelling Festival was an awful lot of fun when I went. I met Alex Haley there when I was a kid, and got him to autograph a copy of Roots. It was a blast. Hotels around the area fill up far, far in advance, and so do camping facilities.
posted by digitalis at 1:06 PM on March 5, 2006