Four ever more …
This June 10, 2024, The Story Collider will host its fourth annual Proton Prom! A night of light fare, drinks, and festivities celebrating our favorite stories and storytellers. Join us – in person or virtually – at Caveat in Manhattan, NY at 7:30 pm for a night to remember. This event will be hosted by comedian Gastor Almonte (Comedy Central, Peacock’s True Story).
Can’t come to Prom? Donate here!
This event is made possible by our sponsor, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Special thanks to our Host Committee:
Ken Haller, Eric Jankowski, Sandy Mitchell, Leslie & Andy Schultz, Amy Segal, Doug Barker, Ross Heinemeyer, Latasha Wright, Gastor Almonte, Erin Barker, Barbara Lom, Fred Lonsdale, Krishna Pakala, and Ana Maria Porras.
STORYTELLERS
DEVAN SANDIFORD is a published writer, award-winning storyteller, and community activist. His stories have been featured in The Washington Post, NPR, The Moth Podcast, Story Collider, Simple Families Podcast, Speak Up Storytelling, and elsewhere. He is an alumni of and former writer-in-residence at the Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), a finalist for The Kenyon Review Developmental Editing Fellowship for Emerging Writers, and a recipient of the Corporeal Writing Scholarship for Writing Trauma Toward Healing and Joy with Terese Maria Mailhot. He has a poem in the anthology Excitement and Talisman (2023) and an essay in the anthology Bodies of Stories (2022). Devan has contributed his opinions on race, identity, grief, parenting, and storytelling for articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate Magazine. He has received acclaim from multiple New York Times bestselling authors, including Roxane Gay, who called him "an excellent writer who will be endlessly interesting to his readers." Devan lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and their two sons and works as a story developer at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He loves brunch, biking in a morning chill, bookstore crawls, and being roasted on his birthday.
PAMELA TOH is an aspiring writer and graduate student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she conducts research on how the brain and body coordinate to elicit the symptoms of PTSD. Originally from Singapore, Pamela moved to NYC after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (because the proximity to sun and surf was simply too much to bear). When not hunched over a lab bench, Pamela can be found coveting the latest LEGO sets, or in a yoga studio trying to correct her bad posture.
MATTHEW DICKS is the internationally bestselling author of six novels and two nonfiction titles, including Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Art of Storytelling. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. When not hunched over a computer screen, he fills his days as an elementary school teacher, storyteller, comedian, blogger, wedding DJ, minister, and communications consultant. He’s been teaching for 25 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year and a Connecticut Teacher of the Year finalist. Matthew is a record 60-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 9-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour. Matthew is the founder of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking worldwide to individuals, corporations, school districts, hospitals, universities, and more.
BRYON BACKENSON is an epidemiologist with the New York State Department of Health, and an Assistant Professor in the University at Albany School of Public Health. He has been studying and working with infectious diseases for more than 30 years.
FAQ
Proton Prom? What is this? Proton Prom is The Story Collider’s annual fundraiser, and we use the event to raise money that we spend throughout the year to support our staff salaries, storytelling programs, and workshops. Your support enables us to serve thousands of audience members, 250 storytellers, and our team of 40 producers! Because we love storytelling, the event is designed just like a Story Collider live show, with four storytellers sharing amazing, hilarious, heartbreaking stories about science. You’ll also hear from our staff and board, and have time to mingle and chat with your fellow guests.
Will there be food and drinks? Yes! There will be light snacks for you to enjoy throughout the night, and a cash bar.
Can I attend virtually? Yes! A livestream of the event will begin shortly after 7:30 pm, and you will be able to experience everything that happens on stage.
What are your COVID protocols at the venue? Caveat does everything they can to keep you safe. Their staff keeps Caveat clean and disinfected between shows, and they recently installed a powerful air filtration system. Right now, they no longer requiring proof of vaccination for all shows, but masks are welcome and encouraged. If you are exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, are feeling unwell, or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 within 5 days of your visit, we ask that you stay home and contact us to discuss refund or ticket transfer options.
How do I get there? Caveat is located at 21A Clinton Street, Manhattan, 10002. Caveat is fully accessible. Access their elevator by calling (212)-228-2100 (also posted on the door).
What should I wear? It’s Prom, but it’s also a Monday, so wear what makes you happy and comfortable! Some of us will be in ties and long dresses, some of us in jeans and flannel shirts, and you are welcome to come as you are.
What is a proton? A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol p , H⁺, or ¹H⁺ with a positive electric charge of +1e elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1854 times the mass of an electron.
