About Us

Story Club was started by Dana Norris in June of 2009 as a forum for writer/performers to share their work. The show combines the spontaneity of an open mic with the polished readings of seasoned writer/performers.

Chicago has a thriving storytelling community and Story Club is one of many live storytelling events currently occuring in the city, and is member of the Chicago Story Collective. 

If you're interested in live storytelling, this article may be helpful.  Please also visit the sites of our storytelling friends/partners.

Essay Fiesta

This Much is True

2nd Story

Story Lab

Chicago Story Collective

Turnstyle Theatre Company


The Rules

The first rule of Story Club is:
Tell everyone about Story Club.

The second rule of Story Club is:
TELL EVERYONE ABOUT STORY CLUB.

The third rule of Story Club is:
This is an open mic for stories.  It is a forum for writer/performers to display their fiction and nonfiction storytelling prowess. There are many open mics in 
Chicago dedicated to poetry and music, but Story Club is dedicated to stories and only stories.

The fourth rule of Story Club is:
Sign up for the open mic is at 8pm. Go time is 8:30pm.  We will be prompt.

The fifth rule of Story Club is:
Open mic participants are each given 5-8 minutes.  It takes approximately 2 minutes to read one page of 12 point double-spaced type out loud, so an 5-8 minute story will be 3-4 pages.  We suggest timing yourself ahead of time to make sure that you fall within the 8 minute time limit. If your story goes over time we may have to interrupt you, and we hate interrupting you.  

The sixth rule of Story Club is:
The open mic slots are given out starting at 8pm on a first-come, first-served basis.  If at 8pm there are more than 5 people who want to sign up then we will draw names out of a hat to see who gets to perform.

Advice to new open mic participants:

• The 5 open mic slots are given away on a first-come, first-served basis.  Arriving early increases your chances of getting a spot.
• The best stories to tell out loud are ones that involve dialogue and where the plot moves quickly. 
• Present your work in a professional manner. Stand up straight, speak clearly, and make eye contact with the audience. We recommend rehearsing your story ahead of time.  If you're reading your story, consider keeping your pages in a binder.
• Please be considerate of the other performers.  Don't talk during the other performances and please don't leave right after you're done performing.