It is our great pleasure to announce that West Side Rag is hosting its first-ever storytelling night at Gastronomie 491 on February 28 at 7 p.m.! West Side Storytellers will feature stories about the Upper West Side as told by Upper West Siders, in a live event with drinks and food. Gastronomie 491 is a Mediterranean market and cafe on Columbus between 83rd and 84th streets that features a full line of prepared foods, cheese, specialty items and more.

The event will be similar to The Moth, a popular storytelling series and podcast.

There are two things for you to do now:

1. Sign up to attend the event: It costs $10, which gets you a free appetizer and the entertainment. To buy tickets, click here. Spots are limited, so go get them now!

2. Volunteer to tell a story: We need at least 5 people to tell stories. The criteria are: the story should be a true tale about the Upper West Side, and it should take 5 to 10 minutes to tell. It can be funny, sad, silly, strange — whatever. To sign up, send an email to westsiderag@gmail.com with a brief description of your story (the description can be three sentences). Participants will receive a special gift.

We’re thrilled about this event and about working with Gastronomie 491. If it’s a success, we’ll plan to make it a monthly series.