He Said What?!

I talk a lot.

Given the gender makeup of the world's population, the likelihood that I'm within earshot of a woman is high, and given my limited intelligence and the sheer volume of words that spill from my mouth, the chances that I'll say something stupid is practically a statistical certainty.

My only comfort is that I'm not alone.

Luckily, not all the things I say are stupid. Of course, not everything I say is smart either. But smart or stupid, given the sheer number of things I say and the people I say them to, occasionally I'll say something important.

Again, I am not alone.

On that theme, journalist Avril Benoit hosts a night of fiction-free storytelling at the Gladstone where Victoria Zackheim and contributing authors Dianne Rinehart and Amy Ferris will be launching their new book, "He Said What? Women Write About Moments When Everything Changed".

In it, they talk about women's game-changing moments and the men who created a big impact with only a few small words, and they'll be discussing their stories on stage as part of This Is Not A Reading Series (TINARS).

But to kick off the evening, storytelling group 10 1/2 Stories (that's us!) will be inviting three storytellers on stage to share their true-life tales about what he said and what happened next.

The last time we had a storytelling event, I got up on a stage and told a story about my testicles on a day meant to celebrate women. We can't dip into that well twice. Well, we could. But we really shouldn't.

That is my horribly awkward way of saying we need other (re: different) storytellers interested in sharing their stories.

If you're interested, please write to either myself (leonardchan@gmail.com) or my fellow diminutive (but in no way small) storyteller (tasleemthawar@gmail.com). 

Alternatively, when you arrive at the event, please put your name in the hat and if it's drawn, then you will be one of the lucky winners of storytelling fun time (five minutes, to be exact). 

To recap, the theme is about the things men say (whether stupid, smart, or otherwise) and how it's changed your life. 

Please come share your stories!

Details on the event itself:

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

The Gladstone Hotel, Ball Room

1214 Queen Street West

Doors open at 7:00; Event starts at 7:30

Admission is $5.00 or FREE with a book purchase