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 "Bloom.”
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
Kellie Vinal is a PhD biochemist, science writer, educator, collaborator, and adventure enthusiast based in Atlanta, GA. She's wildly interested in the intersection of science, art, and humanity and generally can't sit still. Her passion for science communication and interdisciplinary conversation has led her to get involved with the Atlanta Science Festival, Ladyfest Atlanta, STE(A)M Truck, Dragon Con Science Track, BioIgnite, Solve for X Variety Show, Blue Streak Science Podcast, and Inman Park Squirrel Census. She is @kellievinal.
C. Brandon Ogbunu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. He is a computational biologist whose research investigates complex problems in epidemiology, evolutionary & population genetics, and evolution. His work utilizes a range of methods, from experimental evolution, to biochemistry, mathematics, and evolutionary computation.
In addition, he runs a parallel research program at the intersection of science, society, and culture. In this capacity, he writes, gives public lectures, and creates media of various kinds. He is currently an Ideas contributor at Wired, and has written for a range of publications including Scientific American, Undark, and the Boston Review all on topics at the intersection of science and society.
He has also performed for Story Collider, and was recently featured in a June, 2020 episode of WNYC’s Radiolab. He was also featured in the Emmy Award winning PBS web series Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings.
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!