My father was a good man, so he wanted the best for his daughter. When my parents banned Barbie, it was Dad who was behind it. The rules of Barbie were complicated. When my aunt and uncle gave me a Barbie doll for my birthday, my parents solemnly placed her in a box, put that box on the highest shelf in my closet, and told me I could have her when I was 16 years old. On the other hand, […]
Originally performed at Snubfest, click below to watch Paul Whitehouse perform his story. Paul is a Chicago based storyteller, educator, and actor. As a storyteller, he has told stories all over Chicago and has had his work featured on the Afternoon Shift on WBEZ. He also has told stories for family audiences at the Chicago Symphony Center. He teaches with American Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, and Pegasus Theatre. Some of his favorite plays he has acted in include The Hotel […]
“I’m leaving your father.” It’s Christmas Eve 2005. I am in love with a man who told me, right before I got on the plane home to Chicago, that he loved me but didn’t “love” me love me. He is beautiful. He smells like Old Spice. I live in Los Angeles. This pretty much automatically means I am miserable.
“Christmastime, glasses clinking! ’Cause its time to start drinking! A beautiful sight: this bottle so bright! Walking in Coquito Wonderland. Go away, Borden’s eggnog, champagne punch and Swedish glogg… …what I have right here, is Latino cheer—walking in Coquito Wonderland. In a blender you can put some vodka—only if you want a bellyache! Take a tip from Carmen, you’ll be smarter…to add as much dark rum as you can take! Have a shot—you’ll be smiling. Not too much, or you’ll […]
I grew up in a long line of drunks. And no, not that Russell Brand kind of drunk. “Oh yeah, brilliant. Cheers. Let’s all drink Champagne. Oh, dance with me, PUPPET!” No. Charm is for the British and the rich. I come from a clan called HUUUUFFFFFFF; the onomatopoeia serves my people well. We are prone to Old Milwaukee and sucker punches. We are the violent, loud kind of drunk. The best kind! My family is so drunk the police […]
In high school, I got hit in the mouth with a field hockey ball. The goalie cleared a line drive from the center of the field straight into the bottom of my mouth. If you’ve never seen a field hockey ball, they’re solid plastic and can reach up to 100 miles per hour when hit by a stick. The ball slammed into my face, and I immediately covered my face with my hands. “You’re fine. You’re OK,” my teammates said, […]
My ex-boyfriend, Warner [1] had actually asked me, “Hey, do you want to go camping?” I was like, “I haven’t been camping in ten years. That sounds really homely. Cool. I’m still just your friend. We’re friends now. I’m not going to touch your butt. I’ll go camping with you. As long as you don’t drink too much and try to touch my butt, we’re cool.” I had already lied to my family about where I was going and told […]
It was one of those nights we wait all year for, the first night where you can go outside without a coat or a sweater. I walked up Lincoln Avenue after an uncommonly good production of Hamlet, and thinking many thoughts about the play.
Taylor Tower’s story was recorded live at Story Club Minneapolis. Taylor Tower is a storyteller and teacher based in Minneapolis by way of Montreal. Her writing has been featured on CBC’s WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein and Roman Mars’ Public Radio Remix, as well as on nerve.com and elsewhere. She was thrilled and honored to participate in The Moth MainStage in September 2014, where the audience went wild, just like her mom said they would. She has taught storytelling workshops to students of all ages through […]
