I’m not sure if we’ve talked about Chaos Thaoghaire on culch before but it’s back next Wednesday, August 18th at Odessa (map here). For those wondering what the hell it is, the site describes it as an evening of:
…storytelling, games, camaraderie (ha!), bloody-minded rivalry, and mutual humiliation.
Each month, a featured speaker curates the storytelling element. He or she is often a relatively known or established name, and is the headline act in the narrators’ revue. The games and stories are linked by a shared theme that will be different at every event. Each person will tell a funny, moving, or otherwise personal tale, being as free and oblique as they like with the theme, but using no notes. Stretching the truth is encouraged. If we wanted just the facts, we’d go to court (again).
Between rounds of storytelling, we’ll have increasingly competitive games, played in teams of three to six. We like being both repository and factory for old and new stories, wounds, scars and grudges. There is rarely blistering, although tears of both victory and of defeat can irritate sensitive skin, so you might want to bring some salve or that cream that the doctor told you to keep in the fridge.
This month’s theme is We’re Sorry for Any Inconvenience: Stories about Journeys. It’ll be curated by author and broadcaster Charlie Connolly. My first Chaos event was at WordCamp Ireland and foolishly, due to conflicting events, I haven’t been back since but will definitely be there on Wednesday. If you’ve yet to be convinced of how good an evening at Chaos can be, listen to this amazing story by Mark Congiusta.
Chaos Thaoghaire are also down at this year’s Electric Picnic in the Mindfield area from 4-6pm on the Saturday and Sunday so if you miss Wednesday, catch up with them then. You can find them on Facebook here.
