The Stoop Storytelling series is one of my favorite events in Baltimore. For each series, 7 “storytellers” are invited to tell a 7 minute story on a chosen theme, ranging from “Holidays from Hell” to “What I did for Love.” In addition, during the intermission 3 audience members are drawn from a fish bowl to tell a 3 minute story (same theme) off the cuff. Storytellers range from celebrities (“The Wire” creator David Simon on “My Nemesis”) to “Baltimore Celebrities” (people who keep popping up around town). All past stories are can be listened to (podcasts) on the site (I also highly recommend Dale Marie Prenatt’s story on Bullies and Bridget Cavaiola’s holiday from hell). The popularity of The Stoop has outgrown the Creative Alliance, so starting Monday, September 24th the new home of Stoop Storytelling will be CENTERSTAGE with “Corpus: Stories of the Body.” Tickets sell out, so reserve your seat now.

There’s something about Baltimore that just works, but similiar series can be found in other cities. DC’s Speak Easy, NYC’s The Moth, Tuscon’s Odyssey, and San Francisco’s Porchlight Storytelling Series.