Yes, the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago. But you know what else happened in July a long time ago?
Bastille Day. July 14, 1789. The French Revolution.
I love the French. Marie Antoinette got cake in the face, and then, oops, she lost her face and her jolie coiffure! Quel dommage! Or was it?
I can’t wait to read Slamone de Beauvoir’s take on this.
I’m thinking a whipped cream pie à la mode (in the face) for the Orange Buffoon. Maybe it’ll even out his skin tone.
I digress. I mentioned pie, that’s all it takes. Yum. Peach, please.
The United States of America is as far from “united” as we’ve ever been, except for the Civil War. I always wondered why it was it called civil. It was anything but. Now, this country has topped itself in demonstrating how low certain factions can go. We’re inches away from hitting bottom. We’ve got the Orange Buffoon and his cast of clowns to thank for that. I’ve never been as mortified or as angry.
But they want us to be paralyzed by fear. You know what I say? Fuck that.
I won’t give them the satisfaction, not for a day, not for a minute.
That’s what’s on my mind. But our storytellers this month can use the theme in any way they like.
The stories don’t have to be about ‘Murica at all.
Fear can be a healthy emotion when used sparingly and for things we need to be mindful of. But when fear is taken to an extreme, I’ve found it terribly unhelpful.
Living in fear is not the way to go. Swing out, sisters! Get your brave on. We’re here for you. We can’t let bullies get in our way. Especially now.
We’ve got work to do, things to celebrate, and idiots to ignore. It makes them really mad when we laugh at them. I alternate between LMAO and OMFG. In between those bouts, I dine on carefully resourced media bites that keep my outrage alive.
If you haven’t been to a slam yet, this is your chance to see what we’re made of.
Get your ticket or become a paid subscriber today.
The slams come packaged with all the feelings. There may even be a couple you haven’t felt before.
If you couldn’t make the last one, here we are. Again!
We’ll be here for every month that follows.
Some spots are still available for our slams from September to December.
If you feel an unquenchable thirst to join us on our virtual stage to tell your story, you can sign up for a slam today!
Storytellers
Mel Moseley is a storyteller, writer, actor, musician, mosaic/mixed-media artist, and fledgling witch at Mel’s Messy Love Lab. She lives with her black cat, Shadow, mostly off-grid in Fiddletown, CA. If you want to collaborate with her, the project has to include play, community, and creativity and Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! passes the litmus test!
Amie is a 57-year-old writer who is too stubborn to want to write a snarky bio on demand. This is definitely not because of menopause. She is editing an anthology about eating disorders in midlife women titled This Is Not Your Mother’s Eating Disorder, producing an associated documentary, and is hard at work nurturing a menopause coven to topple the patriarchy.
Bridget Young is not a mama bear. She is a mama wolf who refuses to perform in the circus. A mother, a psychologist, and the creator of Black Sheep Mom on Substack, she questions everything she has ever been taught.
Christine is a visual artist, social and environmental activist, and writer. Born into an eccentric (think Coen brothers meet Bergman) family, she became familiar with the absurd early in life. Once she figured out the key to happiness is self-acceptance, she’s rocking her golden years.
Claire was born in Gouda — that place from the famous Dutch cheese — lived two decades in Paris, married an American in Italy, slow travels the world as a nomad, and is in love with Japan. She published six books. She’s mainly funny when she doesn’t intend to be.
Claire’s books are listed on Wham! Bam! Books! Bookshop or Amazon shop.
Elizabeth Dana Yoffe is an independent documentary producer, a writer, an artist, and a stroke survivor. She has come to relate deeply to the lyric from Bowie’s “Changes: “Ooh, look out you rock ‘n’ rollers… pretty soon now you’re gonna get older”, while reveling in the joy, freedom and clarity of post-menopause.
Word enthusiast with a passion for rhymes, books, art, Gloria Horton-Young is a companion in mischief, avid political debater, daring adventurer who forgoes the safety helmet every single time.
Lisa St. Lou is singer-songwriter and comedy writer at the “no fucks to give” part of her life. Finding humor in middle age, ex-pat life in France, and reflections on being married to (and divorced from) a megalomaniacal narcissist. But it’s funny.
To the chagrin of some, I’ve written about family, love, and friendship, abortion, rape, cancer, and eating disorders, all in the service of learning to be a better human. I have a story collection, Shout Her Lovely Name, a NYTs notable book. And a memoir, Community Chest.
Natalie’s books are listed on Wham! Bam! Books! Bookshop or Amazon shop.
Professor Meredith is a historian, writer, and professional overthinker who spends an alarming amount of time yelling about gender, politics, and pop culture. When she’s not ruining nostalgic myths for the public good, she can usually be found talking about Star Trek, Taylor Swift, or why the past is never as dead as people keep insisting.
Rosana has been called a hippie. She calls herself a Flower Child, her name for the hidden generation between Boomers and Gen X. A semicolon lover who will fight for the Oxford comma —and a liberal user of em dashes and disdainer of AI — she was made in Argentina, raised in Illinois, and found her people in San Francisco.
Nan Tepper is the creator of Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! She’s memoirist-in-chief at The Next Write Thing. She styles stacks for writers on the Substack platform. She’s living her creative dreams, writing, designing, and being a kosher ham on stage. She recently discovered that she’s lusted for the spotlight since childhood, so now she’s making up for lost time! What’s your story?
Become a paid subscriber, because paid subscribers see all the shows for $100/year.
Or, you can buy a ticket for each slam.
$12.50 for every one but men.
They pay $15. Ever heard of the wage gap?
If you can’t afford either option, but want to see the live show, DM Nan.
Help this project grow by spreading the word. There’s more than one way to support Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! You can buy a ticket to the show or become a paid subscriber (you get in to the live show for free). Or you can sign up to tell a story.
We obtained a fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. Direct donations made in WBTYS’s name are tax deductible as permissible by law in the U.S.
Law? Do we still have that here?
Watch our slam replays:
