Join us for our science story slam! Our community of storytellers offers a warm, supportive environment in which storytellers of all backgrounds and levels of experience can experiment (pun not intended!) with personal narrative.
If you’re interested in telling a story, you’ll have the opportunity to put your name in the virtual hat at the start of the show. Five lucky storytellers will get the opportunity to share their stories on screen. (For more guidance on telling a story at one of our slams, see our advice at the bottom of this page.) If you would prefer just to be a part of the audience, that’s fine too! The theme this month will be "Gratitude.”
Our two coaches -- representing expertise in both story performance and science communication -- will offer each storyteller advice and encouragement to help them bring out the best in their stories.
Tickets are $10 and are on sale now at the link below! Our slams are limited to only sixty spots, in order to preserve a sense of community, so reserve your spot while you can!
Our Host
Gastor Almonte is a standup comedian, storyteller and writer. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s This is Not Happening, PBS and Vice. He’s debut special, Immigrant Made, can be seen on Amazon Prime. His debut album of the same name debuted at #1 on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. His appearance on World Channel’s Stories From The Stage was a 2020 Webby Award winner.
Our Coaches
Maryam Zaringhalam is a molecular biologist who traded in her pipettes for the world of science policy and advocacy. She comes to D.C. from the concrete jungles of New York, where she received her PhD from The Rockefeller University. She co-hosts the science policy podcast Science Soapbox, and her words have appeared in Slate, Scientific American, and Quartz. Her cat is named Tesla, after Nikola and not Elon Musk's car. For insights like this and more, follow her on Twitter @webmz_
Emma Yarbrough is a theater artist, writer, and story enthusiast based in Atlanta, GA. A graduate of Emory University, she just couldn't let go of that liberal arts lifestyle and now serves as the communications manager for the Arts at Emory. When she's not performing or cooking up a new piece of theater, you can find her wandering the tree-lined streets of Atlanta. It shouldn't be hard to spot her. She's quite tall. @emmayarbs
GUIDANCE FOR STORYTELLERS
Stories should be five to six minutes long. (You’ll see a warning flash on screen when you have one minute left.)
Stories should have a beginning, middle, and end, and should involve some kind of personal change, whether it’s big or small.
Your story must be a first-person narrative -- in other words, it must be about you!
Because this is Story Collider, your story should be connected to, or inspired by, science in some way.
TECH GUIDANCE
Try to have a pair of headphones handy, in case we experience feedback.
If you can, test out your camera and microphone ahead of time, here: https://www.crowdcast.io/setup
If possible, try to make sure you’re in a low-traffic area with minimal ambient noise.
If you’d like to be really thorough, you can find our full setup guide for storytellers here!