The Josh Fruhlinger Experience

Hey, Baltimore-area folks! Do you like stories? Do you like seeing people such as myself tell stories about themselves, and about winning and/or losing, in seven minutes or less? Then you should come to Stoop Storytelling this coming Monday!

This is a picture of me at an entirely different event, but at least it gives you a chance to see what I look like holding a microphone.

There’s been a trend of having live events in which people get on stage and tell true stories about their lives. One of the most famous versions is New York City’s The Moth, though Baltimore’s iteration has fewer Malcolm Gladwells and Ethan Hawkes and more, uh, Josh Fruhlingers. I’ve been to plenty of Stoops, and while there are occasional local celebrities (at the last one I saw, the mayor of Baltimore told a story about how her little brother shat on her one Christmas, no lie), mostly they are just regular folks who have moving/hilarious anecdotes to tell. Plus, there are musical interludes from Caleb Stine and the Brakemen, who are the coolest!

One of the great things about this event is that audience members get to participate: if you want to tell a story, you can put your name in a hat before the show starts, and three names are drawn after intermission for quick three-minute stories. A few years ago I actually was one of these audience storytellers, when the topic was “living together”; here’s my contribution, recorded for posterity.

This time I’ll be talking for twice as long, about my failure on Jeopardy! The other six storytellers are also really great and hilarious too. Now, here’s the awkward part; tickets are actually sold out, at least in theory. I’ve been told that they do hold some tickets back for day-of sales, though, so if you’re Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, I encourage you to stop by and try to get some. The show is at Center Stage at 700 N. Calvert St. in Baltimore. And if you miss it, I promise to post my audio here. Doors open at 7 pm for cocktails and live music — if you don’t have tickets, showing up early is your only hope!