PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Tuesday, June 7, The Berkshire Yarn Mill (BYM) will again welcome to the stage anyone who has a tale to tell.

 

Storytellers' stories must be true, have happened to the teller, pertain to the evening's theme, and must be told with no notes or props. Raconteurs only have five minutes to get through the beginning, middle, and end of their story.

 

Based closely on the StorySlam competitions popularized by The Moth storytelling events founded by the novelist George Dawes Green, The Berkshire Yarn Mill, in its new home at Flat Burger Society on McKay Street, is meant to be bring community together. 

 

The series, initiated by The Greylock Glass editor Jason Velázquez, is scheduled to run every first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. A total of ten performance slots will be available, leaving space in the one-hour event for judges to make their appraisals. 

 

Velázquez, who founded the series originally in North Adams before the pandemic, said that this renewal will be a welcome release after so much pent-up creativity.

 

"After two years, the people have a hunger for community and a thirst for in-person communication," Velázquez said. 

 

According to a press release, the debut installment of the series, "Out of the Ashes," is meant to acknowledge the flames we've traversed, even if the stories themselves have nothing to do with the pandemic."

 

Restauranteur Joad Bowan, proprietor of Flat Burger Society, was looking to add some diversity to the schedule of entertainment and was open to the idea of a story slam event series when Velázquez approached him.

 

"Flat Burger Society welcomes the opportunity to create a new space for local arts and performance all types of creators," said Bowman. "We are absolutely ecstatic to partner with The Greylock Glass in bringing back the Berkshire Yarn Mill," he added, "We need gathering, we need storytelling, we need more smiles."

 

The venue's full menu will be available for purchase during the event.

 

Velázquez said  that what has changed since the previous incarnation of the BYM is that far more attention will be paid to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. He said he intends, over the coming weeks and months, to host versions of the the story slam that center the tales of Blackness one night, elderly experiences another, LGBTQ stories another, cuentos en español otra noche, and so on. 

 

He also intends to work in at least a few dates that are just for fun, with no judging.

 

"There's a reason kids love getting that big, fat 64-color box of crayons as presents," said Velázquez. "People like to have all the options available when we make a picture. Storytelling is like that. We want to hear the narratives from 64 types of people and more, since each type leaves its mark in its own specific hue on our community."

 

The Berkshire Yarn Mill is free for storytellers, and has an admission fee of $5 for audience members, collected online via The Greylock Glass' events calendar, or on the honor system during the event. The show is expected both to be live-streamed on The Greylock Glass' 24-hour online radio station, Radio Free Berkshires, as well as made available as a podcast in the week following each event.

 

For more information, visit greylockglass.com/event/berkshire-yarn-mill or e-mail info@BerkshireYarnMill.com