Bawdy Storytelling – The Defiant Balloons
I tell stories a lot.
Some of my friends lovingly call it “The Kali Show” (well, at least they mostly say it lovingly!)
When I meet new people, or am hanging out with friends or am teaching classes…there’s always a story to tell. I like my stories to entertain and inform and since my life is filled with wacky experiences, I have plenty of stories to pick from!
Last Tuesday I was invited to tell a story at the Friday night Bawdy, so of course I said yes! Ever since I moved back to the Bay Area I’ve been looking forward to pitching a story to Bawdy, and when Dixie, the charismatic founder, said the theme would be “Risky Business” I knew the exact story to tell.
Even though I wasn’t able to make it to the dress rehearsal, I was incredibly impressed with the before-show info that Dixie shared. She sent me a super simple but extremely effective ‘storyboard’ tool to help me plot out the steps in the story to make sure I didn’t get distracted and lose my place. Usually I’m a rather organic storyteller so this one page of putting the details down gave me a great outline to follow once I was up on stage.
Since I joined the event on a slightly last minute basis I already had a commitment later in the evening, so Dixie scheduled me as the first story-teller. Thankfully I got there just in time for the night to begin!
The venue is simple and stylish with a bar and a stage and plenty of space for the audience. The room was packed with pretty much all the seats filled and even more people standing in the back. Dixie really does a fantastic job getting the audience ready and even giving some ‘coaching’ on how to be a great audience. I’ve never seen the technique and it was brilliant! There were a lot of newbies in attendance, the vibe was super supportive & excited for the fun.
After an amusing song (Bi-Curious George) by John Woods of the Wet Spots, it was my turn to get on stage.
(the video focuses after the first 30 seconds or so!)
I tried so hard to stay within the 10 minute time-frame, and I would have if I’d have actually STOPPED at the end of the story, but the educator in me felt the need to crystallize the lesson I learned from the experience. I really do love telling a good story, but I almost always feel compelled for it to have a ‘point’, like Aesop’s Fables or something!
Thank you so much to Dixie, to everyone involved with Bawdy Storytelling and to the fantastic audience. Next time I’ll plan my entire evening around it so I can stay and enjoy everyone until the end!
Hi Princess Kali. I was at Bawdy Storytelling last Friday when you told your story. I was thrilled because I was also at Reid’s “Iron Slut” event two years ago and watched with amazement the “defiant balloons” episode. I remember watching you reach way behind your head and bringing that whip down hard and fast on those balloons and thinking “Holy crap, that’s going to hurt if she misses”! Luckily, no one got hurt and it was such a good time. Everyone in that room was rolling on the floor at the craziness of the situation.
I have told that story myself quite a few times, but it was so unbelievable that I had started to think that I made the whole thing up. It was great to hear you retell it (100% truthfully) and restore my faith in my own memory, haha.
Keep up the good work!