Other stories are poignant.
Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, an actress on The Wire, told the Stoop audience about her experiences in prison, and that she was born addicted to crack cocaine in 1980. Shortly after birth, she was placed for adoption.
"I used to wonder if my mom was going to come back and knock on our front door," she said Nov. 5, during a program called "My Theme Song."
FOR THE RECORD - An article in Sunday's Arts & Life Today section about The Stoop Storytelling Series misquoted one of the speakers. Karen Weeks spoke about her tumultuous relationship with a ring she had picked up at a Stoop show. She was not referring to her personal relationships.
THE SUN REGRETS THE ERROR
"I used to dream about her face. I used to wonder what she smelled like."
And some stories could have only happened in Baltimore.
One audience member, whose name was never recorded, got up in early 2006 and told the audience about learning that her boyfriend had been unfaithful.
She jumped out of his car, ran across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - and into a backyard barbecue. Though startled, the family listened to the stranger's tale of woe, welcomed her warmly and gave her something to eat.
Charm City certainly comes by its moniker honestly.
And so does the Stoop, whose name evokes the quintessential Baltimore image of neighbors chatting on a fine summer's day, while sitting on the marble steps fronting their rowhouses.
Laura Wexler and Jessica Henkin, the two longtime friends who founded the Stoop, intended their title to be an homage to their series' predecessors nationwide: the Moth in New York, and the Porchlight in San Francisco.
"The moth is drawn to the porch light, which shines on the stoop," says Wexler, 36, a senior editor at Style magazine and writing instructor.
The series' popularity, their organizers say, refutes the myth that the proliferation of large and small screens is resulting in an exclusively visual culture.
"Laura and I are both into This American Life," Henkin says, referring to the public radio show created by Baltimore native Ira Glass. "I think aural storytelling will always have an audience. Because we have a dearth of visuals, someone could literally close their eyes for the whole show and still get the full experience."
The Stoop started life in the 250-seat Patterson Theater at the Creative Alliance. But the demand for tickets was so great that the series moved this fall to Center Stage's 540-seat Pearlstone Theater.
The Stoop has put on 12 shows to date; 11 have sold out. The exception was last year's Nov. 5 show, which conflicted with the nationally televised Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
