by Ash Abraham Coutu

SAMSUNG CSC

On Nov. 8, a group of people cast their votes for something that had absolutely nothing to do with the American election. Ottawa residents were invited to participate in the Urban Legends Poetry Collective’s “Tell Me a Story Slam: Immigrant Edition” and vote for their favourite storytellers.

Inspired by the New York-based nonprofit storytelling group, the Moth, raconteurs took to the stage to spin personal five-minute tales. Proceeds went to the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services-Youth Program (YOCISO), which selected the theme of the night: “What I left behind.”

Under this umbrella, storytellers from diverse backgrounds shared moving anecdotes detailing the travails and triumphs of the immigrant experience. The narratives were performed with part grit and part levity, as the audience fluctuated between laughter and tears. Artist Allan Andre interpreted the storytellers’ colourful tales into a live-painting, which was auctioned off later in the evening.

Sergio Guerra performed a dramatic piece, walking the audience through images of war and relocation from the perspective of a child. Guerra also works closely with immigrant youth at YOCISO. He believes that storytelling is essential for youth integration.

“Including their stories and dreams of the future means their dreams aren’t stuck back home. Stories are vessels of culture. They get passed down and become tradition. [The youth] will change their ideas of what they left behind,” said Guerra.

Panos Argyropoulos and Khaleefa Hamdan spearheaded this event. The pair have taken up the mantle of Urban Legends, an organization with an origin story dating back to 2009.

Hamdan witnessed some of the changes Urban Legends has undergone over the years. He grew up in the Urban Legends scene as a youth poet. “Urban Legends is my life,” he said. Hamdan stepped into a leadership role as a way to give back to the community which has provided him with the opportunity to compete in poetry slams all over Canada.

Under the thoughtful guidance of Hamdan and Argyropoulos, Urban Legends has expanded into a spoken word collective that now includes a writing community, a poetry showcase called “Poets and Pancakes,” a Monday night youth poetry initiative, and the “Tell Me a Story Slam.”

Argyropoulos said he wanted to bring a story slam to Ottawa because “everyone has a story.” Where poetry slams often focus on the specifics of proper intonations and rhythm, Argyropoulos believes that “storytelling is more accessible. Everyone has a different way of telling a story, and there’s no right way to tell one.”

The last round of each “Tell Me a Story Slam” is an open-mic, where anyone in the audience is invited to share their story. “When people see someone on stage telling stories, they want to get up and tell one,” Argyropoulos said.

Want to share a story? The next “Tell Me a Story Slam” is on Dec. 6, at the Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium.  

This article was first published in the Leveller Vol. 9, No. 3