The Myst[o]ry Machine

Disclaimer: This story relates to a promotion run by First Person Arts, of which Editor Jill is an employee. Editor Jill did not have a hand in writing or editing this post, and the opinions contained herein are exclusively those of the author, who would think this is pretty cool even if he wasn't Editor Jill's better half.

If you read Sunday's Inquirer, you might have seen a story about a psychedelic-looking van that's making its way around the city. If you didn't read Sunday's Inquirer, fear not, because we're giving you a story about a psychedelic-looking van that's making its way around the city. The graffitied 1988 Dodge Ram is the official vehicle of the First Person Story Tour. The Story Tour is an initiative of First Person Arts and Red Tettemer. Its goal: to collect real stories from real Philadelphians. By "real Philadelphians," we truly mean real Philadelphians: musicians, investment bankers, students, psychic advisers, and everything in between. Including kids at the zoo.

That's right, if you're a nine-year-old visiting the Philadelphia Zoo on a Sunday afternoon when the Story Tour van happens to be parked at the entrance gate, you can tell a story, any story, to the Story Tour crew. They'll record it and, using their poster printer in the back of the van, turn it into a promotional poster right on the spot. Then, they'll post your story for the world to see on their website (which you really should check out by clicking the link above - the design and navigation system is killer)...at least as long as your parents sign the release form. And that's what we saw at the zoo this past Sunday.

The Story Tour allows you to tell any story you want, whether it's about a life-changing experience, how you felt watching the Phillies over the past two weeks (though that may have been a life-changing experience for you), or how unbelievably cute the zoo's tiger cubs are. The whole idea is to get people telling stories, with the underlying idea being that everyone has stories worth telling, and those stories are worth listening to. That's also the idea behind the First Person Festival, which runs from November 7 to 11, and the Story Tour is the lead-up to the Festival. And even though you (yes, reader, we're talking to you) probably won't have the opportunity to tell your story at the Festival, you will be able to tell your story to the whole Internet-wired world... if you can find the Story Tour van.

And there's the catch. The van is making appearances all over the city through the end of October. But the organizers don't give many details about where and when those appearances will be. It's all part of keeping the Story Tour real. No rehearsed bits. Just on-the-spot true stories. So we can't tell you exactly where to find the van, though rumor has it the Mystory Machine (our name for it, not theirs) will be in the Italian Market area sometime Thursday and roundabouts the First Friday Activities on N. 3rd Street Friday. So keep your eyes peeled, and if you see it, go meet the Story Tour crew, and maybe tell them your story.

Images by author.