Things I've Noticed: Edmonton is a pretty cool place for writers

Imagine sharing your latest short story, not by passing around a copy of it to your friends, but instead by getting up on stage and reciting the thing to an audience. This is exactly what I watched on Wednesday night, and it was pretty darn cool.

As a guy with aspirations to write, I try to keep my ear open for opportunities in my local area. On Wednesday I came across one of them - my friend Trish suggested I check out Edmonton's Story Slam, as it was partnering with our local genre fiction magazine - On Spec (I went to a reading hosted by them recently and had a pretty good time).

The concept for the Story Slam was pretty simple - 10 contestants, 5 minutes each, a microphone in front of a bunch of other writers and their friends. The event was held in the Haven Social Club, a basement cash bar with a stage and comfortable seating, and when I got there at around 7:00pm, the place was already packed. I got a really good vibe off of the audience, as everyone seemed very supportive of the writers and was having a great time.

Although I didn't personally perform a story (I thought I might give it a try, but then got a little gun shy after seeing the size of the crowd), I will definitely check out the next couple of these events (they happen on the third Wednesday of each month. Also it was nice to see that the writers could bring their stories on stage with them and read, as I thought it may all have to be done spur of the moment.

It's really kind of cool to see just how big the writing community is in my northern city, considering I always used to feel there were only one of two folks up here giving it a go. BTW - my favourite story there was an interesting take on the maze of King Minos from Greek mythology, told from the Minotaurs (extremely pleasant) point of view.