This is gonna be good.
This is gonna be good.

What started as an intimate event in San Francisco's Mission District in 2009 has turned into a sells-out-in-seconds affair at the 2,600-seat Davies Symphony Hall. Now, Pop-Up Magazine is going on a national tour for the very the first time, and will stop in Seattle at Town Hall on October 21.

The concept is simple: Writers, radio producers, photographers, filmmakers, and illustrators present new, mostly reported stories live on stage using a variety of media. The end result is a mixed bag of poignant, funny, and thought-provoking vignettes that stay with you long after you've left the theater. No recording is allowed and each issue is different, which only adds to the specialness of the event.

For the Seattle show, both traveling and local folks will contribute stories. The lineup won't be announced for another week or two, says Pop-Up Magazine senior editor Pat Walters, but that's on purpose. "We like to put the show on sale as a kind of mystery box—but it’s always a fun lineup," he wrote in an email.

Past contributors have included Michael Pollan, Alice Walker, Beck, Mary Roach, Daniel Alarcón, Rebecca Solnit, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yiyun Li, Farhad Manjoo, the Kitchen Sisters, Jon Mooallem, John C. Reilly, Jessica Hopper, Peggy Orenstein, and many many more.

Tickets go on sale today at noon.