up front arts
Spill Your Soul Spillit provides an avenue for modern storytelling in the Bluff City Story by SEVERIN ALLGOOD | Photos by JAMIE HARMON
L
eah Keys' life changed on January 22, 2011. She and her five-year-old daughter were driving on Interstate 40 near West Memphis when a van, traveling in the opposite direction, crossed the median and hit Keys head on at 70 mph. Her Subaru Forester was sandwiched between the van and the car that slammed into her from behind. “I was sleepwalking through life. I was withdrawn and often felt sad, anxious, hopeless, angry and lonely,” Keys says. “My marriage had ended and my daughter was the only real joy that I knew.” Miraculously, neither her nor her daughter were seriously injured in the crash. After the accident, she realized how lucky she was to survive unscathed. After such a surreal experience, Keys decided to share her story and
24 MARCH 2014 | myclickmag.com
the personal triumphs and tragedies of others. The accident was the beginning of something opening up inside of her heart, and the spoken word slam “Spillit” would radiate from it. Prior to the inception of her own night of community storytelling, Keys had been a longtime listener of a true storytelling podcast out of New York City called "The Moth." “They hold themed storytelling events where people are invited to tell a true story from their own lives and record them for the podcast,” Keys says. “I loved listening. Before I knew it, I was overwhelmed with this feeling that I wanted to connect with people in my own community and hear their stories.”
Spillit events typically last around an hour. Each story is ten minutes long and must have a beginning, middle and end. There needs to be a moral that ties it all together and the stories must be true and unscripted, no notes of any kind. Storytellers are encouraged to connect with the audience by speaking to them, not reciting a story word for word that they have rehearsed. A few key points are fine to memorize, but the rest of the details need to be filled in as the speaker goes. Stories can be hilarious, contemplative, heartbreaking, suspenseful and reflective, as long as they are true and tie in to the theme of the event. Spillit takes place in the Crosstown Arts space at 430 N. Cleveland St. The first Spillit event happened in May of 2012. The theme for the night