Stories on the Square: A stage open to everyone by Benjamin Carr

In the past few years, the metro Atlanta literary scene has experienced something of a boom. Through fun live events like Write Club Atlanta, Carapace and Decatur’s own Stories on the Square, a supportive community of writers and storytellers has emerged to create the next chapter of the South’s narrative – usually enjoying a few drinks and laughs in the process.

Stories on the Square, the free monthly storytelling event next happening 7:30 Tuesday night, June 11th, at Famous Pub on North Druid Hills Road, stands apart from other local events because it features an open microphone available to anyone with a seven-minute true story to tell. Everyone who signs up can take the stage, and the show doesn’t end until every story is told. The audience is always willing to listen and applaud you – whether you are talking about your old war buddies or about how your cross-dressing uncle was buried wearing his favorite lingerie or about the time that you accidentally ate chocolate-flavored body paint from a sex shop. These are just a few examples off stories told from the Stories on the Square stage. And the joy that comes from being in the audience at these events – even if you just want to listen - grows exponentially the more someone bares their soul or reveals their secrets. The stories are unpredictable, profound, often very funny or ultimately moving.

The folks you meet there are the sort you’d want to grab some barbecue with, the kind that can bend your ear and leave you entertained for hours. Recently, Stories on the Square teller Sarah Zureick-Brown sat down over a plate of ribs and discussed what she loves about the event.

“As someone relatively new to storytelling, Stories on the Square is a place where I feel less stage fright and can take more risks because of the supportive people there in the community,” she said. “I like that about it a lot. Being part of this, people are so supportive. I feel like I get so much love, and that’s really nice.”

Zureick-Brown, a Cincinnati, Ohio, native who currently resides in Oakhurst, recently took the stage at Stories on the Square to explore her job history, tracing her resume from chili salesperson at the zoo all the way to her current position as an academic researcher at Emory. When the story took a twist, and Zureick-Brown announced onstage that she was leaving her current job to pursue her passions as a writer and performer, the unguarded, honest moment moved her to tears.

Zureick-Brown discovered storytelling events like Stories on the Square about eight months after moving from Madison, Wisconsin, to Atlanta with her husband David. In a short time, she has become embraced by the Atlanta storytelling community.

Stories on the Square founder Shannon McNeal believes that Sarah is an emerging talent.

“Sarah is able to take her everyday occurrences, put them into story form with a beginning, middle and end, and leave you with an idea or issue that you remember days and weeks later,” McNeal said. “Her stories strike at your core, your nerve center in a way that is unexpected.”

Zureick-Brown said that storytelling has helped her better appreciate her own vulnerability.

“I told one story about my grandmothers,” she said. “It was about their deaths and how they were very different women and the different ways they expressed their pain. So my one grandmother, her pain was all out there. She was crying all the time, and she had a hard life. My other grandmother was very reserved. When I was growing up, I thought that was the sort of person I wanted to be, someone who could hold their grief in, but – being older now – I have an admiration of people who can be vulnerable. That’s bravery, not just being able to hold on to your feelings. Letting people in is also a form of bravery.”

Storytelling has opened her up to other possibilities, as well. She says she has made lots of friends through the events. She now takes improv classes at Dad’s Garage and is planning a book.

“One thing that’s been empowering about this – when you get on stage for five minutes to tell the story – you’re in charge of it,” she said. “Anything that’s happening in it has happened to you, and you’re telling it through your own eyes. It’s taught me that I’m in charge of my own narrative.”

May’s June’s theme for Stories on the Square is “Summer JobsWhat Ails You.” Zureick-Brown says she hopes new storytellers will be tempted to take the stage.

“I think this month in particular would be a good month to come if you’ve been interested because the theme is ‘Summer Jobs.’ Who doesn’t have a good story about their first job? I think it’s going to be a really interesting theme because every one at some point probably worked a job where the pay was low, bosses were tough and both the hours and conditions were abysmal. This suffering can often lead to a great story..”

Stories on the Square is for anyone who appreciates a good story. To learn more, check out their Facebook page..