Last night I went to The Bitter End in the West Village to attend the Moth StorySLAM. I have never attended a story slam before, but the concept lies somewhere in between a poetry slam and stand up comedy. Contestants each tell a five minute story (the time limit is strictly enforced) and then three judging teams score the story on a scale of one to ten. At the end of the night a story slam winner is picked.

The basic concept is simple but the product is rather amazing. The crowd is supportive, the contestants are refreshingly diverse, and the night is full of energry, reflection and laughter. Each story slam has a theme and last night’s theme was “Meltdowns”. Each contestant interpretted this theme in a comepletely different way, and the night was therefore surprising and thrilling. One man told of his high school principal committing suicide years after his graduation. Another man described the worst imaginable blind date, and the clear highlight of the night was a middle aged attractive Jewish woman telling of her breakdown in Paris and the kindness of a stranger saving her life. Somehow, each of these stories were told comically, the audience laughing along with the story tellers. No one bombed, no one was judged too harshly and everyone gained insight and compassion.

The Moth Story Slam is a night that gives you hope for New Yorkers connecting to each other on an intimate level, and I personally walked away feeling fantastic and excited for the next slam. I went alone to the event and would recommend the same for anyone who is bored with no one to hang out with on a Monday night. The Bitter End is a great location with good drinks and friendly waitstaff. I was content people watching, (the audience had a huge age range and a low key vibe) listening to stories, and becoming part of an impromptu community for a few hours.