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Have You Been Miami’ed? We want to hear all about it!
Storypalooza: Saturday, Sept. 10, downtown Miami
By Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes
What is the Miami experience? Is it to figure out whether it’s going to rain or not? Is it trying to guess whether without the use of a blinker, that person driving to your left is going to move into your lane, and cut you off? Is it stone crab, Florida lobster or mango season? Or is it just “Another Day in Paradise.”
Miami is home to as many ways of driving as there are sand crystals on our beaches. We have 360 days of beautiful weather, even if it does rain everyday at 4:00 p.m., somewhere in town. And we know as many recipes for mango as there are varieties of this luscious fruit. But there is actually one way to eat a mango: over the sink, to let the juices drip down your arms! This and other ways of experiencing Miami is the Miami experience.
Lip Service wants you to share how you got Miami’ed. Now what does that mean? It can mean anything you want it to mean. When I first moved to Miami Beach from living in Washington, D.C. for a decade plus, I couldn’t believe my new life: I now lived on the Venetian Islands. And here we are, now 20 years later, and I’m still amazed about the bluest water I see every day as I make my way, going East, moving away from the mainland to my island home. It’s where I live. Miami is place where everything goes, and anything can happen. I’ve been Miami’ed!
Says Nick Garnett, co-producer of Storypalooza!, “Sometimes, Miami feels as though it not just a place, it’s an active participant in the lives of the people who live here — the traffic frustrates us, the sunset astounds us, the heat oppresses us, the tourists amuse us, etc. So, we turned Miami into a verb.”
We do things our own way. We don’t listen to anyone else who might think they know more than we do. Many of us are still here, while they are not. We know how to enjoy the winter, endure daily traffic, survive the amped-up, near-hysterical anchor reports of a possible hurricane, the monthly King Tide, and so much more! It’s just another day in paradise.
“We thought that ‘I got Miami’ed’ would lead people to tell stories about a specific thing that happened to them here that was significant — led to some sort of emotional change in their perspective or attitude,” adds Nick.
Nick wants you all to know that unlike the Lip Service stage show that solicits stories in advance, Storypalooza! operates more like an open mic. He and co-producer Esther Martinez invite you all to just show up with your written story of 500 words or fewer, drop it in a hat and, with any luck, you’ll be picked to come up and present it. And lucky lucky storytellers will get instant feedback from the all-star Lip Service editorial team.
Mark your calendar for these two events: Storypalooza! Sat., Sept. 10, 7:00 p.m. at the MDC Live Arts Lab, Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave., Bldg 1, first floor; and the next Lip Service performance will take place at the 2016 Miami Book Fair on Fri., Nov. 18, 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of MDC Wolfson Campus, Building 1, 2nd floor.
For this Lip Service, Nick tells me there is no theme. He and Esther want you to submit any story (submissions@lipservicestories.com) as long as it is true, personal, and 1200 words or fewer.The submission period begins the day of Storypalooza! and ends Saturday, Oct. 29 at midnight.
Eight stories will be selected from the submissions. And from there, Nick & Esther will work with the selected storytellers to edit & rehearse the story, to prepare the storyteller and the story for the stage.
Anyone interested in submitting a story should check out the guidelines at www.lipservicestories.com.
Founded by Miami-based writer Andrea Askowitz in 2006, Lip Service: True Stories Out Loud, is dedicated to presenting the smartest, hottest, and most honest storytelling event in South Florida. It is now integrated into the Miami Book Fair’s roster of year-round activities.
“We are going to continue the tradition of presenting entertaining, smart shows that really highlight Miami’s writers, and provide a great gathering place for people who enjoy stories,” said Lissette Mendez, Miami Book Fair’s Program Director. “And, of course, we plan some twists.”
For more information, please visit miamibookfair.com