By Zack Downing, Staff Writer
Do you have a crazy story that you love telling people, but you’ve already told all your friends about it and you want it to reach new ears? Do you want to hear other people’s crazy stories that they’ve wanted to tell people? Fishbowl, an up-and-coming club at UMass Dartmouth, might be the club you’re looking for.
Founded in the ripe old year of early 2017 by Johnny Perreira, who is also Vice President of 20 Cent Fiction, Fishbowl is a club where a group of any students from anywhere get to come together and share funny stories and anecdotes.
“I got the idea from an event in Providence where people pull names out of a fishbowl, and then tell true stories,” said Perreira, “So I was like, hey, there should be something like that nearby instead of all the way in Providence, so after 6 months, I worked on it, and we figured everything out.”
The club gathers every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in room 352 in the CVPA, the room that most resembles a fishbowl, appropriately.
Every week is a different topic, decided by the attendees the week before.
They can be any topic, from work, to firsts, and even – don’t tell your mom – drugs.
Your story can be anything in the topic, whether funny, moving, or weird.
As long as you stay within the 10 minute time limit, all bets are off for what people might talk about.
Some highlights from the past include Hickory RA Trevor Faria’s story about sleepwalking and denouncing the Holy Bible, as well as Sawyer Pollitt’s story about a pile of corn.
It doesn’t even have to be a long, detailed speech. Some of the biggest laughs have come from stories that lasted only two sentences.
It’s not just about the content of your story, it’s about how you spice it up.
If you want to see some tales that have already been told, Fishbowl has its own YouTube channel, where you can see uploads of past stories and, if you want, your own story can be filmed and uploaded.
The club has a loyal following from some members, but new faces drop by every week.
“I like coming to them because every week there’s always at least one person that tells a story that’s so funny that I want to go and tell other people about their story, like, a second-hand story,” said Brendan Finegan, economics major.
Another Fishbowler, Pine Dale RA Tess Maley, said, “Now when something weird or really funny happens to me, I think to myself, ‘Hey, I can talk about this in Fishbowl!’”
You don’t need to sign up to attend, you don’t need to know anyone in the club, all you need to do is come to the Fishbowl room on Wednesday evening and say hello.
“You can come in early, you can come in late, it’s totally fine, we’re really chill,” attests Michael Kilbride, Vice President of the club.
“Not only is it a great place to come out and practice public speaking, and practice a story you might just wanna tell,” Johnny Perreira said, “but it’s also very entertaining, very funny, very informative, it’s a good place to listen to stories and grow, learn, laugh. There’s only positives, really.”
So, if you have a funny moment or tale you want to share with new people, don’t hesitate to come to the top floor of the CVPA in room 352 on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. to share your stories and to hear what people want to share with you.