By Ashley Troutman

Everyone has a story, and several Somerville residents are going to share theirs on stage, in front of a live audience on Thursday night. Long-time Somerville residents and newcomers to the city will participate in Tales from Somerville: A Community Storytelling Slam March 10 at PA’s Lounge, and attendants will vote for best story.

A storytelling slam is similar to an open-mic night, but participants will share a personal narrative. Events similar to these take place across the globe, and have been gaining popularity for the last decade.

Co-producer Bess Paupeck, applied to work with the Somerville Arts Council to plan the event. Paupeck studied storytelling, and gained her interest for the craft while working as a cultural producer. “For me, it’s become a real sort of relationship with understanding the story, and how everyone tells them,” Paupeck said.

Participants were pre-selected for the event, and will each have five to 10 minutes on stage. According to Paupeck, the stories will be “more anecdotal, more personal stories from ones life.”

The goal of the event is to highlight the variety of personalities and perspectives in the community, look back at a collective memory of Somerville, and embrace the stories of others. Residents who have a 40-year history with Somerville, business owners, artists, and other community members will share their very different, unique tales.

“A place like Somerville, where there are so many diverse people living together, it’s hard to get everyone to understand each others stories.” Paupeck said. “To live in Somerville is a different story, depending on who you are talking to.”

At the end of the night, ballots will be passed out, and one story will be awarded the title of ‘Best Somerville Tale.’