Sonoma storyteller to compete in Grand Slam

They say everyone have a least one good story in them.

And Bill Reading plans to prove that true, as the 30-year Sonoma resident will be one of 13 storytellers competing in the West Side Stories Grand Slam in Petaluma on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at the Mystic Theatre.

Reading is the owner of Sonoma Portworks and, for many years, he was one of the coaches of the Sonoma Valley Rugby Club.

West Side Stories is a monthly event. Each month has a theme, and each storyteller must touch on that theme. Stories are no more than five minutes, they must true, and stories are told live, on stage, without notes. The winner from each month (Reading won last January) competes in the Grand Slam event each December.

After producing successful shows where stand-up comedians told their stories, former comic turned storyteller Dave Pokorny (of West Side Stories Petaluma) sought to accommodate all those people who asked, “When can I tell my story?”And to encourage those people who doubted they had a story worth telling.

Explained Pokorny, “Grand Slam 2015 storytellers are your neighbors – doctors, a music teacher, a couple school principals, a winemaker, a landscaper and bicycle enthusiast and so many more. These are the people making up our third annual search for the best story ... the theme is ‘reflections.’”

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2. Tickets are $13 a person in advance or $18 at the door. brownpapertickets.com/event/2464857