LITUP WRITERS: that friend you have

Nicole McFeely / June 10, 2011 / 1 Comment / Event Review, Scene, Statement

You know that friend you have who is constantly making people laugh? The one you bring along to parties and other social situations because they always have such great stories? Yeah? Well, LitUp Writers is that friend, only better. You see, because each show is filled with those types of people and their stories, and you are only one member of a packed house, boisterous and eager to laugh.

At first, I was worried I might end up being a little biased. June 4th was my first time at the show, and it happened to be the night they were celebrating their (nearly) two year anniversary by inviting some of their favorite stories back to the stage. However, It only takes one show to get what Graham Gremore and Jennifer Lou are doing every quarter at Space Gallery, and why it continues to work so well.

Everybody has a story. That’s what’s so great about submission based reading series* like LitUp Writers, Bang Out, and Quiet Lightning, Speckled Egg Studios, and Lip Service West; anybody who puts in the effort has a chance to be a part of the show. I like that. There are very few places in life I’ve found where this is the case. However, LitUp is much more than storytelling. The pieces chosen are polished essays which lends an effortlessness to their delivery, permitting the crowd to hang on every word and raising the energy of the entire room markedly.

In fact, it’s high energy the whole time. If you were to stop and look around the room during a set, you would see that everyone is listening. The whole room is laughing at the punch lines, tilting their heads forward to listen more closely together at the same times. I can’t say that about a lot of other series, and its a hell of a lot of fun to be a part of something that encompassing. It feels new.

And it is new. The theme of the stories changes every month, though it certainly wouldn’t have to for that be the case. Even if they repeated a theme, they would still pack the house. The novelty of the show doesn’t lie in the topic, it lies in the people who participate, their stories, and the friends they bring. Leading me to believe that though there may be a core group of LitUp followers, their audience probably varies a great deal with each new set of contributors, and what show doesn’t want that type of pull? I can guarantee most if not all of the people who attend to see their friends read would and do return for another show. I know I will.

If you’re interested in being more than just a part of the audience, LitUp Writers is currently accepting submissions for their next event, Tales of the City, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd.

Jessie Alsop