True story.
Jim Bosha grew up in a big Irish Catholic family that at one point lived in his grandparents' funeral home in West Scranton.
As a young boy, Mr. Bosha, 55, and a cousin, "let's call him Frankie," found a remnant of something spherical in a trash burn pit out back. Poking it with an umbrella and wracking their brains over what it could be, they determined it must be a human soul. They told their grandmother, who upon investigating the claim burst into laughter and spit her dentures clean across the room. The soul actually was a partially burned-up cabbage.
The crowd hearing this tale Saturday at the Scranton StorySlam also burst into laughter, though apparently no one lost any dentures.
Mr. Bosha, the winner of Saturday's competition, was one of several yarn spinners at the event at Haggerty's Tavern in West Scranton, where the theme fittingly was "West Side Stories."
The story slam's rules are simple: stories must be true, delivered without any notes and last no more than five minutes.
"It has to be a true story as remembered by the storyteller. That's key. That's what makes it authentic and compelling for the audience," said event organizer Pam McNichols. The tales that are told tend to be "the kind of stories you might hear at a bar, not the stories you'll hear at the library."
A panel of judges scored the stories on performance, content and whether they adhered to the time limit.
So, what makes a good story?
"When they (storytellers) are vulnerable, fearless, willing to share anything. People love that, that honesty, and it has to be true. People really relate to that," Ms. McNichols said.
Other storytellers Saturday included:
-âKate Barrett, a West Scranton native who is a writer and Web strategist living in the Washington, D.C., area.
-âMark Dennebaum, a filmmaker and owner of a video-production company, TwentyFiveEight Productions.
-âCy Douaihy, a former history and government teacher in the Scranton School District, including West Scranton High School; for 35 years before retiring, student teacher supervisor/teacher at the University of Scranton, and a candidate for the Scranton School Board.
-âJoe Fasula, a West Side resident who is a co-owner of Gerrity's Supermarkets, Fire and Ice Restaurant and Save-A-Lot food stores.
-âMike Foster, a Maine native and 30-year Navy veteran who lives in West Side and is active in revitalization efforts there.
-âRich Howells, an avid blogger and editor of The Weekender newspaper.
-âMaureen Welby McNichols, a West Scranton native, one of 13 children in a family of Irish descent, an administrative assistant for CPR in Dunmore and president of the Betty Welby Foundation, dedicated to her late mother, which helps feed and clothe the needy.
The story slam began a year ago as a school project for Ms. McNichol's daughter, Zoe, who is a senior at Abington Heights High School. It was an instant hit, with about 160 people packing the Vintage Theater for the first slam. Other slams followed in summer at the Banshee Irish Pub and in the fall at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel. The goal is to have four slams this year leading up to a grand-slam story slam, Ms. McNichols said.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter