PREVIEW: Word of Mouth StorySLAM

Hey all! Nina here, a lucky new writer for [art]seen. Taking the opportunity to christen my writing profile with a preview about an event that is near and dear to my heart. Shameless plug: a student organization that I help to run is holding its last event of the semester this Friday night!

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Word of Mouth StorySLAM . STUFFED. Friday December 9. Work Gallery on State St.  6pm.

Still full from Thanksgiving? Come tell us about it! Join Word of Mouth Stories for its next StorySlam at 6 PM on Friday, December 9th, at the Work Gallery on State Street. This month’s theme is “Stuffed,” and the event should be full of tasty tales. Never been to our slams before? Audience members tell five-minute stories from their lives relative to a theme. Whether you come with stories or just to listen in, we hope to see you there. In the meantime, check out our blog!

Word of Mouth began as a student organization in Fall of 2010, inspired by NPR’s The Moth. The Moth holds StorySLAMS in major cities throughout the country, including Detroit and, recently, Ann Arbor (third Tuesdays of every month at Circus Bar on 1st St.). Originally the student group was called The MothUP, as offspring groups of the radio program go by. After growing in publicity and popularity on the internet, however, NPR contacted our student org and us we had to change the name if we wanted to avoid a lawsuit. Oops! But at least we made a splash in the literary world. Now we go by Word of Mouth. Events are just as fun, just as moving, just as creative as ever before.

Here is a clip from our last event on October 21st. In the spirit of Halloween, the theme of the evening was “Night.” The speaker is last month’s winner Maddie Sharton, a junior in the school of Music, Theater, and Dance.

Also, check out the muse of our org, The Moth. Here is a story from 2006 told by playwright Michaela Murphy. It is about her her Irish Catholic family who “lovingly spies on the Kennedy compound from afar.”

Take a listen, tell me what you think. Hope to see you on Friday!

PREVIEW: Sweet Treat

Is there any better way to wave goodbye to winter and welcome the warm weather than eating ice cream? Ben and Jerry think so, by hosting their annual Free Cone Day, tomorrow April 12th! Every year, Ben & Jerry’s warms hearts and cools taste buds with a little bit of heaven. Celebrate the arrival of spring with a FREE scoop from any local Ben & Jerry’s parlor. Most people have to search the freezer section of their local grocery store to find the quirky, frozen treats but lucky for us Ann Arborites there’s a Scoop Shop smack dab in the thick of downtown AA. Go between 12PM-8PM to receive a free treat. Ben & Jerry’s is located on 304 South State Street. The company considers it a small thank you to their customers for thirty-three years of “scooping the chunkiest, funkiest ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet.” Looking for traditional chocolate or vanilla? Try Stuchhi’s down the street because Ben and Jerry “classics” consist of Cherry Garcia, Everything But The Kitchen Sink, and Phish Food. Infamous for their fun flavors and hippie roots, the question for Ann Arbor isn’t whether you’re going, but what flavor are you going to get?