Interviewing the Audience: Sliding Scale Storytelling Night at Social Good Place

Image from Leif Olsen.

A night of unexpected conversations is coming to Southeast Portland. Interviewing the Audience, a live storytelling event at Social Good Place, invites strangers to share their stories and discover what they can learn from one another.

On Friday, October 16, interviewer Leif Olsen will turn the spotlight on a few audience members, asking questions about their lives, experiences and perspectives. Instead of listening to a scheduled lineup of performers, guests will hear stories from the people sitting alongside them.

Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $0 to $20, making this an affordable way to spend a Friday evening in Portland.

Interviewing the Audience at Social Good Place

Part of the monthly Life Recording — Live! series, Interviewing the Audience takes a different approach to live entertainment. There are no featured speakers or predetermined stories. Instead, Olsen selects audience members and guides conversations with curiosity, humor and open-ended questions.

Some participants will share their experiences while the rest of the audience listens. The idea is simple: Everyone has a story worth hearing, and sometimes the most interesting conversations happen with people we wouldn’t otherwise meet.

Olsen is the founder of The Life Recording Company and has been documenting people’s life stories since 2019. With a background in multimedia journalism and audio production, they bring their interviewing experience to this live, community-centered format.

The event is hosted at Social Good Place, a Southeast Portland coworking and community event space.

Date, Time and Location

• Date: Friday, October 16, 2026

• Time: 7-9 p.m.

• Location: Social Good Place, 4511 SE Main St., Portland, OR

• Parking: Street parking is available, along with a parking lot across SE 45th Avenue.

Sliding Scale Ticket Prices

Tickets are general admission and available at the door on a sliding scale:

• $0: Social Good Place members and NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds).

• $10: Standard admission (fair share).

• $20: Supporter admission (share from abundance).

The sliding scale makes it possible to attend for free if cost would otherwise prevent you from participating.

For more information, visit the official event page.

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