NCPR jumps the border with Kingston story slam

We howled under a full moon. NCPR’s Howl Story Slam made its Canadian debut on September 16 at Stone City Ales in Kingston. Folks wanting to share a lesson learned gathered at the popular brewery and bar on Princess Street following a live broadcast (and also a first for NCPR) of David Sommerstein’s The Beat Authority.

The location couldn’t have been better. Stone City Ales is located right between the old downtown and the Queen’s University campus, so there was a diverse crowd of locals, students, and tourists.

Five customers in the bar shared stories. Relationships gone wrong were a common thread. A woman told of her difficult dating experiences when living in Montreal.  Justin, visiting from Toronto, talked about his past girlfriends that his friends disapproved of. A guy from Kingston told about his marriage ending and how he ended up living alone in a cabin in the woods north of the city. He learned a valuable lesson about forest fire prevention and how to safely dispose of woodstove ashes. That story complemented Radio Bob’s account of living in his own cabin in the woods and being bit on the nose by a mouse and the brief rabies scare which followed.

A couple of us veered into political territory with our stories. My friend Robert Dorey from Napanee shared his experience of running for mayor of that town a couple of years ago. The town’s online voting system had serious ethical flaws and operated suspiciously. He lost the election by three votes and bureaucratic obstacles made it impossible to get a proper recount. I shared my experience of learning that labelling people politically and academically doesn’t matter and that everyone respecting each other and sharing their ideas is a far more positive plan.

There was a visitor from New York State in the audience who talked about his experiences as a young symphony orchestra musician. The NY state content was rounded out by NCPR’s Jonathan Sklaroff’s hilarious memory of the 6^th grade and some racy magazines. Ellen Rocco topped the event off with her touching and encouraging story of giving—not from the perspective of being the giver, but how difficult it can be sometimes to be a recipient. I’d found out earlier that day that my car needs close to $1,000 in repairs. I’m trying to write a PhD thesis too. I was sitting with friends who have also had similar ups and downs in life. Ellen’s story of financial and physical challenge put a positive cap on the evening.

The Supreme Court of NCPR judges retreated to their chambers and decided the winners. Their verdict was the guy with the unfortunate experience involving discarded ashes in the forest, Justin and his unlikeable girlfriends, and the woman with her tales of disaster dates in Montreal. Failed romances make for good slam storytelling.

I left the first Howl Story Slam and NCPR’s incursion into Canada feeling satisfied and inspired. I felt like I got to know other people–including complete strangers better after we shared our experiences involving high and low points of life and the lessons we learned through them.