While the era of big bookstore chains dominating the business of reading is slowly coming to a close, the scrappy, independent booksellers who stood in defiance for so long seem to be hitting their stride.

I like stories. I like storytelling. Someday I hope to be a storyteller. Every month at McNally Jackson, they hold a FREE storytelling and performance show called “Real Characters.” Here you can see (or hear as it were) New York’s best storytellers and some pretty funny comedians and writers. Past