Michael Manzano stepped onto the stage Friday night and channeled his best impression of an old school, Cuban philosophy professor.
Surrounded by an intimate, captivated audience of about 150 people inside the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, the Dunmore native took the room back to pre-revolution Cuba as he'd heard the story many times from a family friend. He told the story through the voice of Eduardo Capestany, a retired professor who taught at the University of Scranton.
Many decades ago, Mr. Capestany saved a young man in Cuba who injured his head after wrecking his bicycle, taking the man to the hospital. Little did the future philosophy professor know he'd helped a man named Fidel Castro.
"And to this day, my sister still tells me I'm responsible for the Cuban revolution," Mr. Manzano said, speaking in a thick Cuban accent.
One of 10 storytellers picked to speak at the third Scranton StorySlam, Mr. Manzano's take won over judges and earned him first place in the storytelling competition. With a theme of "Game Changers: An evening of life-altering moments," the speakers had to tell a true story and do their best to keep it close to five minutes.
Other speakers shared intimate memories, with Pat McNichols' realization that he'd become his dad and Laurie McMillen sharing the wisdom of embracing her green Dodge minivan.
For Jim Warner, one of the event's judges and a fellow storyteller, a good story balances humor, sincerity and finding a way to reach the audience.
"It's about making a connection," he said. "The best storytellers can make it a conversation between them and the audience."
After a night hearing stories, Cynthia Ropoch said she planned to attend the event again.
"It's nice to hear people's stories," she said. "Most of them make you stop and think."
Contact the writer: rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT on Twitter