First Person Festival of Memoir & Documentary Arts

by Andrew Parks

festival

Reality is often the best form of fiction. Take the gilded tales of Donald Trump or the dark detox comedies of Augusten Burroughs. Both are sensational enough to double as screenplays. Which is why memoirs sell better than Stephen King these days. Consider it a broadening of our collective fascination with ourselves: the streamlining of our own seasons of Survivor.

"I always learned about the world through the individual stories of people, as opposed to history or something more synthesized," says Vicki Solot, founder of the First Person Festival. "People don't want to accept the sound-bite answers we are given about what other people of the world are like."

Solot created the Blue Sky organization in 2002 to tap into the rising popularity of memoirs and documentaries and to transform "the drama of real life into art." The annual First Person Festival showcases national and local artists and is Blue Sky's most anticipated event. This year's outing is spread over 10 days and includes readings, music, workshops, screenings and even the dusting off of secret family recipes.

The schedule is difficult to sift through, as it touches on both the silly and serious sides of the autobiographical spectrum. Here are a few recommendations, with further details available online: "Telling Tails" (Animal Planet junkies share their pets' deepest secrets); "From Passion to Obsession" (best-selling author Kathryn Harrison, pictured, speaks about The Kiss, a provocative account of an incestuous relationship with her father); "Double Entendre" (blind twins David and Daniel Simpson read poetry and prose about their respective lives as an organist and teacher). And finally, there's "We Say," an evening of dramatic interpretations of stories by local schoolkids.

"It's designed to reach a range of people, anyone who has a personal story to tell," Solot says of the diverse lineup. "Listening to what kids are thinking is a way to put our ears to the ground of what's going on in America."

First Person Festival of Memoir & Documentary Arts, June 3-13, check out www.blueskyarts.org or call 215-627-1144 for schedule and ticket information. (See Naked City on p. 44 for the winner of the City Paper-sponsored element of the festival, a writing contest called "Secret Passions.")

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