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 "Rebirth.”
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 stand-up comedian and storyteller from Brooklyn, NY. He's appeared on Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, Risk! podcast and the Story Collider Podcast. Timeout magazine named him one of your "New Comedy Obsessions." He's been featured on the New York Comedy Festival, The People's Impov Theater's SoloCom and Cinderblock Comedy Festival. His new album, Immigrant Made, was released in March 2019.
OUR COACHES
Jitesh Jaggi is a recent immigrant from India, currently living in Chicago. He ended his career in Finance one day when he lost all his data that he forgot to save on an Excel sheet, and realized that he just didn't care. That tipping point led to him becoming a writer and he is currently working on a book of essays. A two-time Moth StorySlam winner and a producer for the Story Collider, he also coaches individual and corporate clients in telling their stories. He loves writing bios because he can refer to himself in the third person. Jitesh can be easily bribed with books and chocolates.
Dr. Sara Mazrouei is a planetary scientist, an educational developer, and a science communicator with a passion for sharing the wonders of the universe with the public. Her PhD research focused on the recent bombardment history of the Moon and links to future sample-return missions. Her work has been featured in many media such as the New York Times and National Geographic. Sara is also passionate about increasing the status of women in STEM as well as equity, diversity and meaningful inclusion. Sara uses storytelling, examples including the Story Collider and TEDx Downsview Women, as a method for sharing her authentic experiences and making science more accessible. She is currently an Educational Developer at Ryerson University's Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
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!