Michael: It's time for the Mission Story Slam podcast, brought to you by PWP Video. I'm Michael Schweisheimer. I'm the executive producer at PWP Video, Mission Story Slam, and I am rapidly becoming a donor kebab aficionado. We are recording this episode on July 14th, but I want you to think ahead and mark November 17th on your calendar for Mission Story Slam 15.

The theme will be role model. We're gonna be back at Triple Bottom Brewing, and we are very hopeful that South Philly Barbecue will be providing the food, but I can't confirm that just yet. So today on the podcast, I am joined by the grand prize winner from Mission Story Slam 14, No Judgment. My favorite irony from that slam was that the judges had to cast judgment on the no judgment theme So Charles Black describes himself as a storyteller, organizer, educator, proud Philadelphian, person who stutters.

I think he worked every one of those into his story except maybe the proud Philadelphian part, but, you know. Let's take a listen.

Charles: Hey, I am Charles, and I'm chairing for the Mazzoni Center, because right now our, our queer siblings, especially our st- our, our, our t- trans siblings need access to healthcare.

I've always known that I talked a little different. My parents put me in speech ther- th- therapy when I was, like, six or seven, and I hated it. I always thought I was that odd ch- kid in this weird thing where I was just speaking. And I always thought that because I stuttered, that was my superpower. But I kept hearing from professionals, "We need to work on this."

So when I was, like, 14, I decided, "Screw this. I am proud of the person I am," and I quit speech th- th- therapy. But we love speech therapists if, you know... Um, but so fast f- so in my teens and 20s, I actually didn't feel a lot of judgment. People knew, "This is Chuck. Chuck is the kid who st- stutters. Chuck is the queer kid who st- stutters, and Chuck is pretty damn proud of himself."

So but in my 30s, everything started to change. I was working this job in 2024 in the midst of a presidential campaign, and politics always brings out the best in all people. Uh, I was working for this person. And for HR purposes, let's call her Catherine. Catherine had a reputation as being filled with judgment, a lot of judgment.

Um, w- I guess we could call her, like, a walking HR violation. But when you're 12 weeks away from a presidential election, HR has other shit to do. So also love our friends in HR. Um, but so part of my job is I was- I was, I was running this big event with her and a person who, this was his first real job. I think he was, like, 18.

And we were preparing the night before, and in front of him, she looks at m- m- me and says, "Chuck, your speech im- speech impediment's getting so much w- worse." I w- really wanted to say a lot, but, you know, HR. Um- And I could not believe this woman had that audacity to s- s- say that. I don't believe, and I still don't, that having any speech im- speech challenge makes me better or worse at my job.

I actually think it gives me a lot of empathy. Um, so I just couldn't wrap my head around that she s- s- said this. I went to bed that night, and I really wanted to file a complaint that night, but I was like, "HR probably thinks I went to the bar, so let's not send something that late, 12:00 AM." So that next day, 8:00 AM, I fire off this long email about Catherine.

Within an hour, HR calls me, and I really didn't think they were gonna do anything a- thing, because in 2024 I learned bullies sometimes win. Um- Oh. Fast-forward. Um, so Catherine that day just kept saying the craziest things, and I thought, "Sh- should I file another complaint?" I let it go. The event was a s- was a s- success.

I did very well, 'cause of course. Um, and that Monday, people were starting to hear, "Oh, we heard things happened. What did Catherine s- say?" And I just let it go. Monday afternoon, Catherine was fired. Whoo. And bullies sometimes don't win. Um, but this really taught me a lot, and I don't wish anyone to lose their job.

I just want people to learn that we all speak different. We need to embrace those things that make us beautiful. So let's not judge how our brothers and sisters talk, and let's not be a Catherine. Thank you.

Michael: So welcome to the Mission Story Slam podcast, Charles. Really glad you're here.

Charles: Uh, thanks so much. It is very exciting to be here.

Michael: So I have to start with, uh, my most important question. I am confused. Do you prefer to go by Charles or Chuck?

Charles: Uh, both. Uh, depends the mood, depends the stage, depends the time.

Michael: So are we in a Chuck or Charles or an alternating mood right now?

Charles: We are definitely in a Chuck m- mode. Uh, but next time I'm on a stage, it'll probably be back to Charles.

Michael: Okay. All right. Well, I'll, I will be ready. Um, I think we labeled you Chuck on the story because you'd introduce yourself that way during it, but, uh, I hope it- That's fine ... I hope it works. So, um, listen, in your story, it sounds to me like you've had a real mixed bag in your life with bullies.

You talked about sometimes they win, sometimes you win, but it seems like you always have the confidence to come out on top no matter what. Like, are, are bullies something that you've been confronting your entire life? Are you still confronting them now?

Charles: Oh, um, y- w- well, first of all, that's a great question.

Uh, I was a m- middle child, so in some ways, uh, have always dealt with it. Uh, but I, as I've gotten older, uh, I definitely have encountered them, especially the person who I talked about in the- Mm-hmm ... show. Um, but I also feel like I've gotten a lot better at standing up for my s- s- self, as we talked about. Um, but yeah, I think unfortunately, we live in a world where bullies exist.

Uh, but I, I think y- myself, I just hit a point of, uh, learning to stand up for my s- s- self, and I think that has gone a long way.

Michael: I know you do a lot of organizing work, a lot of work in politics. I know you're studying education right now. Has, um, has anti-bullying work or some work dealing with recovering from bullying, like, has that ever come up in your, uh, path, either in career or volunteerism?

Charles: To be honest, n- not as much as I wish it would. Um, I also, I think for years I tried to just shrug it off. Really wasn't unt- on, um, until I got into storytelling, which was actually last s- s- summer, um, where I really got passionate about talking about anti-bullying, really pushing for people to stand up to thems- themselves.

Um, I think in a w- in a world where there is so much of this, I think we have a lot more work to do. I also, I remember as a kid, like, being told, "Well, kids are mean. This is what kids do Do, but if we are accepting it when we're young, and as adults if we're just brushing off kids' f- feelings, then a kid who's a b- uh, who's being a bully when they're eight, nine, or t- 10, it, it, if they think it's okay and if they think, "Well, this is what people do," then that's going to certainly impact them, uh, and let them know that it's, it is certainly okay, and it's n- not.

Um, I've also been surprised in the w- workforce, the person who I in- I encountered who really caused a lot of challenges, she was bullying multiple people. I joked in the- Geez ... story how she was a walking HR violation, but she truly w- was. But I, I think a big f- piece of it, I think in nonprofit worlds, politics, and I'm sure, I haven't actually had a corporate job, uh, but I'm sure in like a corporate environment, sometimes these, these things are just accepted and they shouldn't be.

Michael: Yeah. I've, I've also never had a corporate job. My wife does. Um, obviously I agree with you, like accepting bullying, not cool. And in my own industry, I think one of the reasons that I have my own production company is, you know, sometimes I think in the film and video production industries some people feel like, you know, be- somehow they think like lives are on the line.

And it's like, "No, it's, it's just a budget and a schedule and we're all gonna live and let's just keep doing it and stop yelling at me. Like it's not okay." Right. So I've had to stand up to some bullies that way too. So I do wanna ask, you mentioned storytelling, that you got involved in it about a year ago.

Like when you're talking about that, are you talking about, um, story slams? Are you talking about other aspects of storytelling? What, what is your definition of story slam, or storytelling in this case?

Charles: Um, people sharing their own personal journey around a theme, um, in the first person. Um, I went to my... So I had done several years where I had been involved in TEDx events.

Yeah. Uh, I, I hosted a- TEDx event here in Philly in 2024. And while I really believe in the power of TEDx, uh, in 2025, I was living in DC for a nine-month period and then came back here. But I had gone to a storytelling event, and I didn't quite know what I was walking into, but then I just, like, I caught the bug of like, oh, in some ways this is like TED, where you're talking about a topic and all of that, but it's so much more personal and it's...

I, while I do get value out of TED events, I have found my confidence and my passion is really with story- telling, 'cause I, I think we all have something to say, we all have s- stories to share, and I do love, like, y- the M- Missions Story Slam or any of the events I've been a p- part of.

Michael: Mm-hmm.

Charles: Uh, one theme can be taken so many different ways by every- Yeah

o- one, and I think there's some beauty in that.

Michael: Boy, you said a lot of things that I wanna ask you questions about. Um, I will just tell you, I completely agree that one of my favorite things is when people take the themes in unexpected directions, and every single slam, people take the theme somewhere I do not expect, and I just love it.

Our co-founder of the Story Slam always said, "It's a story, not a TED Talk." Mm-hmm. What is your take on that statement? 'Cause I agree with it, and I assume that you f- see a lot of differences as well. How would you encapsulate what could be or needs to be different between a TED Talk and a Story Slam event?

Charles: Okay, great question, and I don't want to diminish the value of the TED events. That was a, a very important part of my journey, but w- let's start with TED Talks are a lot... They take up time. Uh- Mm-hmm ... they are often very professional. Sometimes it feels like a college professor is yapping, and I... Most of the TED Events I've been a part of, you're having someone speak for, like, a 15-minute period, and- Mm-hmm

I appreciate Story Sl- slams are typically, you know, five to seven minutes, whatever. They're shorter, they're more personal, they grab your attention, and in often ways, I feel like there's feelings, uh-

Michael: Mm-hmm ...

Charles: attached. Like, yes, I think there's some very good TEDx Talks where you're gonna learn something, but you might not necessarily have a feeling or a real- late.

Um, so I d- I have just found, I think, storytelling is empowering. It is very personal, whereas I feel like TED Events tend to be a little more on the academic s- s- side. Sure. Which is, which is fine, uh, but that is not where my passion lies right now.

Michael: By the way, I have-- I'm in no way attempting to slight TED or TEDx.

I think they are awesome. I, I haven't listened to as many TED Talks as a lot of my friends who are like, seem very, very addicted but I've listened to quite a few and watched a bunch and, uh, they're, they are amazing, but they are-- sometimes they have a first-person storytelling element, but that's usually in support of a thesis.

And I feel like one of the differences between a Story Slam story and a TEDx talk, to your point about academic, is that kind of lack-- I've seen stories that might have a thesis t-to it or something it is proving, but at the same time, it's done on a-- almost it's an emotional thesis versus something that may be more factual or something that maybe we're trying to change or impact in a, a concrete or more measurable way, I guess is something I might say

Charles: Right.

I also, at least in, in, this is just my own experience, um, I tend to always, like, try to prepare when I'm at a s- when I'm going to a story event. Like, here's what I want to go with. But sometimes, you know, your heart or your m- mind just take you in a different dir- direction. Mm-hmm. I remember there were certain things that I, um, at this event, I had wanted to work in, and I, I was...

You know, I was over here, over here, but I still wove together the story that I wanted to go w- with. But was it the same full thing that was in my head an hour before I w- walked in? Absolutely not. But it, I feel like when I've been involved with other events, if, if you skip even a piece, it can mess with the whole t- talk.

Whereas I feel like with story telling, so- s- sometimes things just develop right there, and you're pulling your experiences into your talk. Like, I cracked a couple j- jokes in mine that I didn't plan f- for. Um, and I, I, I think that's the beauty.

Michael: I've made more unplanned jokes than planned jokes, that's for sure, which-

the audiences are probably relatively grateful for. Okay. H- How did you... 'Cause I've never met you before, and I really, I'm not aware of you, and you are in a lot of the places that I have been. So how did you find out about the Story Slam? 'Cause I'm not sure what our intersections might be.

Charles: Instagram, to be totally honest.

That's great. Um- Hooray. Yeah. Um, so I, I... A f- f- friend and I early, or this year, we started Philly Queer Storytelling. And on that page, we have followed all sorts of different st- storytelling pages, and somehow this had popped up, and I was like, "Oh, let me check this out." So o- my original p- plan was just to show up and listen, but I feel like when you're a true storyteller, sometimes you just can't keep away.

Uh- Yeah ... so when I w- uh, was g- getting ready that night, I was like, "You know, maybe I should sign up. Let's see what h- happens." But yeah, uh, Instagram is how I found out about it.

Michael: Well, I will just shout out Marta Russek, who does our social media stuff. She's doing a great job, so hooray. I'm glad she got into your feed.

That's awesome. And you know what? I'm trying to re- you weren't first that night, were you? Were you first? Do you remember? Um,

Charles: I th- I think I was like fourth or fifth.

Michael: Yeah, the audience definitely was picking up what you were putting down and really enjoying, uh, really enjoying you. I am really interested, like your, so many aspects of who you are from that like LinkedIn summary, including the fact that you are someone who stutters, uh, is a part of who you present, and Also that confidence.

I, well, I'm just wondering, like do you often bring up your stutter in your stories, or do you just show up and be you? And do you feel like you have to help an audience figure themselves out so that they are supportive? Or g- I'm just wondering how you kind of approach that as a storyteller.

Charles: I, so that's a great question.

I think it, for me it depends both on the theme. Mm-hmm. Um, my first ever storytelling show, my story really centered on a relationship where s- stuttering, um, became a challenge. Uh, so I, I was really centered that. Uh, but there's definitely ones where I don't. Um, but I knew with this one I ha- um, wanted to set that up so when we talked about that

s- supervisor, um- Yeah ... people could s- see how big this was. I also, I have found I, in different events I do add it to my bio. Partially because I think it is something, I re- really wanna raise awareness, not just stuttering, but any type of disability. I, I think it's- Mm-hmm ... I, I, I, I wanna be more open and more vocal about, you know, this is a part of me, but this doesn't stop me from doing- Yeah

w- anything. Um, so I, it wasn't till really last year that I s- s- started to add it to like bios. Um, but I definitely in some, in some deep psychological way I'm sure, I think some ways putting it in bios has given me more confidence. Uh, 'cause I do think sometimes w- and just because if someone hasn't been exposed or doesn't really understand stuttering, a person could think I'm really anxious or really n- nervous.

I don't get that nervous. Um, and so I want people to like just understand this is a piece of m- m- me.

Michael: Yeah. Well, and I mean, it was clearly such a central part of your story, and I really like the way that you talked about your experience with speech therapists, and I also like how you're like, "We love speech therapists."

We've worked, at PWP we've done a lot of work with speech language pathologists, so I was kinda like, "Whoof, I'm kinda glad," you know, I like speech therapists too. I wouldn't wanna just throw them all under a bus. But anyway, I just, yeah, I listen, I really- appreciate the, like I said, I never met you. So to have you walk in, show up on our stage, and then just be so fully present and just be so, you know, out about so many things.

Out about being queer, out about being someone who stutters, you know, out with your story about HR that a lot of people might bury. It was a lot of fun. So thank you for, for doing that. But

Charles: I also, I, I, I, uh, thanks, but I also, I think you have created such a welcoming and safe environment. I have definitely, and, you know, I'm not gonna throw sh- sh- sh- shade.

Uh, but I've definitely been at events where I don't necessarily think people who are, have a disabili- lity, people who- Mm-hmm ... are a part of, you know, like the LGBT com- community might not necessarily feel as welcome, even in a place like P- Philly. Um, so I do wanna commend to you and your team. I think you have built such a safe and welcoming space.

I wish I would've known about y'all p- p- prior, but I'm, uh, very excited to come back and, uh, see the November o- o- one. And I think what you're doing is just, it's a very needed thing. Um, I also, I think the part where we can win money for charities, I, I think is something that makes this very different and s- something that really drew me, and I'm sure draws so many others.

Michael: So that brings me to the Mazzoni Center, which, you know, not everybody actually shouts out their charity when they take the stage, and I was, it was great that you did that, and I appreciated your calling attention to the, um, specifically the needs of our trans brothers and sisters right now, and their need to access healthcare along with the queer community.

So thank you for, for doing that. Um- Yes ... and I was very glad to make that donation. So it's not that I make donations I'm not glad about. Um, but- ... sometimes they give me an extra little smile when I'm like, "And donate."

Charles: Yes. Um, and I just wanna m- m- mention and just give them a sh- sh- shout out. Like I- Mm-hmm

moved to Philly in 2020 from very central Pennsylvania, um, which you can imagine, A, it was 2020. B, like, central Pennsylvania even now has a way to go in, uh, really affirming healthcare. So when I moved to Philly, some of my friends really s- suggested, "Reach out to the Mazzoni C- Center." And they, not just for me, I know so many of my close friends have had such positive experiences.

So when I was thinking, like, there are so many great nonprofits, and I loved hearing all the other story- tellers, 'cause there were nonprofits I knew nothing about. Uh, but to m- m- m- m- m- to me, I really wanted to f- focus on one that has had a positive influence both on my life and the l- lives of people that I care about.

Michael: You talked about, you know, you were thinking about a story earlier that night. Like, are you, are you someone who writes a story out verbatim? Are you just someone who kinda thinks about it and has a few bullet points and then goes from there? I'm curious.

Charles: Um, most of the time I, in my phone, I will take a couple bullet points.

Mm-hmm. And I'll, like, t- try to run through something that night of before I go. And then, like, when I was on the SEPTA on the way up, you know, I'm checking out my ph- phone again. Um, and so I, I do try to write out bullets. Um, m- but sometimes I just... I've done a couple where I'm just so know what I'm gonna talk a- about and we'll just see what h- h- h- happens.

Um, but I, I, I think there's so many ways to prepare for s- stories. Uh- Yeah ... but I, I, I prefer to just, like, write a couple bullets, and then, like, if there's a s- something that I think might re- really resonate with the crowd or s- something I truly want to say, like, I m- I might write out that exact s- sentence.

But to me, if I, like, would write things out word for word, I think that's gonna actually make me anxious, uh, that I'm for- Okay ... gonna forget s- something. Um, so y- yes, I, I do generally like to know what I'm about to say, like, when I've done the other story slams. But you know, sometimes it just comes and whatever happens, happens.

Michael: Other story slams. Curious, have you won a story slam before, or is this your first victory?

Charles: This was my first victory. I did The Moth- Ooh ... in DC and came in second, and it was so- Wow ... close. Uh, and DC is just like F- Philly. Very competitive, very amazing- Mm-hmm ... uh, storyt- tellers. Um, I haven't done The Moth here yet.

Uh, and most of my storytelling has not been competitive. Um, and to be honest, when I saw this, I was like, "Oh, there's no way I'm gonna win," but, you know, we'll sh- sh- show up and see what happens. Um, so I think after the event, it wasn't just the excitement of such a great event, but I did feel so empowered.

Um, so, you know, we did something right.

Michael: It's awesome, and I'm glad you won. It's really g- I'm glad to give you that first f- official victory. Where can I learn more about F, uh, and our audience, where can we learn about Philly Queer Storytelling?

Charles: Uh, so right now, only on Instagram, uh, which, you know, as I said, th- that's how I f- found y- y'all.

Uh, we're also going to be a part of the Philly Fringe Festival, which is super ex- Ooh ... citing, uh, 'cause I think, uh, embedding some more storytelling in- into the Fringe, uh, is great. Uh- Yes ... we'll eventually have a web- a website up. Just right now, Insta. Um, and I definitely encourage, uh, people to check th- that out.

Michael: How often are you guys having a slam?

Charles: Um, so we've done... So it's not necessarily a slam. Uh, we have done shows. Uh, we've done three shows so far. Uh, and then we have the show at the Fringe Festival c- coming up. Um, and then we actually... There is a n- national queer storytelling company, Queer to Tell, that reached out and asked us to work with them to bring a show here to Philly.

Uh, they do shows all across the country, and they had saw that there was not one happening here, uh, so that's also c- coming up. But we just started in March, uh, and we've already had three wonderful shows under our belt, uh, and many more to come.

Michael: Since March? It's July. You've done one a month, basically?

Charles: Yeah. It's been, uh... And to be honest, we just thought we would do one and see what happens. Uh, we did a show at Bob and Barbara's that was well-attended, well-received, and it has just allowed us to keep doing more and more.

Michael: Oh, that's so good. Are you sticking at Bob and Barbara's, or are you guys a moveable feast?

Charles: We are a moveable... Uh, we, uh, have done Tattooed M- M- Moms, a- another wonderful fac- s- s- Yeah ... facility. Uh, and then there was a really wonderful art show down at the Cherry Street Pier- Mm-hmm ... uh, this past m- m- month. Uh, and we did a show at the pier, uh, which was a really unique, uh, environment. And that was super well-attended.

They had to go and get more chairs through three different times, which felt so bad for the m- m- maintenance. But, uh, from a show manager standpoint, running out of chairs kind of felt good. Um, but we- Yeah ... um, are re- I'm really pushing that we're just gonna keep doing shows at different places that, um, we find to be safe and wel- Gamim.

Um- Mm-hmm ... our show d- during the Fringe is at a small facility called Hall Pass. Um, so I'm also, I, I, I think there's other just great art places around this, this city that I want to bring us to.

Michael: Did you see the article about Tattooed Moms that went by in The Enquirer where they're having trouble with their...

I'm very sad about that. It's really upsetting.

Charles: Yes.

Michael: Yeah.

Charles: Yes. Uh, it is, uh, any sort of Any sort of attack, if you will, um, on art, on performances, uh, is definitely, I think, w- s- something that should concern us. Um, so I am, uh, really grateful for what Tattooed Mamas d- does, and we know they're- Yeah ... not going to stop fighting.

Michael: Which I appreciate. And the timing right now with everything that's happening on a national scale, to have things like that happening within the city of Philadelphia is just, like, really? Like- Right ... on so many levels I'm upset, so.

Charles: But I do w- wanna also add, like, I think this is why supporting small businesses, especially in Philly, is so, so important.

Michael: Well, and it's one of the reasons why we're so excited to be going to Triple Bottom Brewing. Triple Bottom is a really natural home for, for us 'cause they're a B Corp. Our video production company is a B Corp, so it's a, it's a really nice fit. Wow. Yeah. And I think you could absolutely talk to their team about bringing Philly Queer Storytelling there as well.

Anything else coming up that you're involved with that you want us to know about?

Charles: Um, no. I definitely just encourage, um, both from a storytelling s- standpoint and supporting local art, um, the Philly Fringe will be l- launching all their tickets and programming for the fall here soon. Um, I hate to keep telling people to go to Instagram 'cause I know not everyone is on.

Uh, but, uh, I think our f- our F- Fringe, at the F- Fringe, I think this is just gonna be a beautiful season. There's gonna be shows of all types all around this c- c- city. Uh- Yeah ... and it'll be a good start to the fall.

Michael: We're very lucky to have the Fringe Festival here. What's the Instagram handle for Philly Queer Storytelling?

Charles: Philly Queer Storytellers. Tellers,

Michael: okay. So Philly Queer- Yep ... Storytellers. All right. I will look it up and be giving it a follow when we're done, and I will make sure we put a link in the show notes, and this would be your reason to have an Instagram account if you've somehow dodged it. I hope that you will be back with us on November 17th.

I'm excited to follow your storytelling work, and I'm glad that we've gotten to meet, and I'm just... Yeah, I'm really glad to know you and have this chance to talk.

Charles: Yes. Um, I just wanna end by just thanking your entire- team. Um, as I s- said, I, I think

it is wonderful that there, you've made just a safe and welcoming space, but also the wh- the whole ang- the, I think the whole side of being able to raise money for an important cause is im- important. And also as someone who's made his career out of non-partisan voting, I also love that the audience could v- vote, 'cause I think v- voting, no matter in what form, is a important way to ours- to express ourselves.

So, um, I'm super excited now that I know this is, um, what Mission Story Slam is. You certainly have a fan in m- me, and I will be back.

Michael: All right, Chuck. Well, I will see you on November 17th, if not sooner, and, uh, thanks for coming on the podcast.

Charles: Thank you so much.

Michael: Chuck, or Charles, depending on how you're feeling right now, thanks so much for joining me on the Mission Story Slam podcast.

I'm glad you're gonna put November 17th on your calendar, because we are definitely starting our planning now to return to Triple Bottom Brewing for Mission Story Slam 15, and the theme will be role model. And just like Chuck was talking about, go ahead and play with it. I really am curious to see what people come up with.

I do wanna thank Janice Risch for suggesting that theme. Speaking of, we are always open to ideas from our missionaries. So I love hearing from listeners and people who are just involved with what we're doing. You can easily find me and Mission Story Slam at our website, missionstoryslam.org. We're also all over LinkedIn and Instagram, as we were just talking about.

So I'll see you on the 17th of November at Triple Bottom. Our friends at the Energy Co-op are returning as sponsors. Really grateful for that. And the Philadelphia Citizen still continues to be our media partner. This episode of the Mission Story Slam podcast has been edited by Dave Lamb, and it is brought to you by PWP Video.

We are a video with a mission. You can find us at pwpvideo.com. So until our next episode, I will continue to be Michael Schweisheimer, and I truly do look forward to sharing the next story, behind the story, with you soon.