Saturday, July 18th @ 5:30pm

The Sierra Storytelling Festival will hold the hugely popular Story Slam once more this year. It’s your chance to regale the crowd and compete in the art of storytelling for a prize, by telling your own true story that’s in accord with our Slam Theme. It’s a contest of words by talent both known and undiscovered, and anyone over age 18 can tell.

This year‘s theme is Courage!

You as a slammer will enter the competition by dropping your name in a hat. Twelve names will be drawn.

You’ll have five minutes to tell the tale. Time your tale well. Points are lost if you lapse past the five minutes or go far into the one-minute grace period in wrapping up the story.

There will be a small team of judges, some professional storytellers, some not, made up of audience members.

Judges will make decisions based on these criteria: how well the story is told; how well the story is structured; how well the story explores, connects with, and/or reveals some truth about the theme; and how well the time limit is honored.

True stories are the medium here; poetry is discouraged unless it fits the criteria and tells a story. Folktales, myths or fables are discouraged unless, again, they are worked into the teller’s true story and fit the criteria. Copyright laws apply: Don’t use someone else’s work. Audience and judges expect real life adventures.

Props—including notes—are not to be used.

The winner is the lucky recipient of an All-Festival Pass to next year’s Sierra Storytelling Festival.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

We live in a universe of stories, familiar, heard or hidden. Starting the workshop with a traditional tale as a scaffolding for reflection and learning about how a story functions in its dynamic engagement, we will use images from the tale to jump start a potent personal narrative. The stories of our lives influence how we engage with ourselves and the world. They support and nurture our lives, or become the source of conflict or obstacle. Through the guided process of creating the personal story we can harvest our stories to bring benefit to ourselves and others and turn memory into mythic memoir. Discussion and excavation will illumine the power of telling stories, whether true life or traditional, as a compassionate act that releases us from the burden of opinion or limiting ideas. Everyone is to bring a journal or note paper, and dress casually.

Suggested reading: OUR SECRET TERRITORY: The Essence of Storytelling (sentient books) by Laura Simms. There will be handouts with other readings, a suggested bibliography and worksheets so what we do can be repeated and deepened on one’s own.