2024 STORY SLAM


Theme: “Count Your Blessings"

ABOUT STORY SLAMS

STORY SLAM: 
THE INS & OUTS OF SLAMMING A STORY

Story Slams have become popular with tellers all over the country whose ambition is to tell original, true-to-life tales and vie for a coveted Best Teller title.

The NJ Storytelling Festival slam welcomes outrageous, thought-provoking, and adventurous personal  tales.  We believe "to each his own;" story selection is a matter of personal preference. However, keep in mind that content and expression should be family-friendly, and the story must connect with the overall theme of the event.

This is how a slam works:

For the purpose of regulating the event, hopeful participants enter a drawing where names are randomly selected to tell a story. Tellers are limited to a rigid time-frame – here 5 minutes, and props and notes are strictly forbidden.

Judges evaluate tellers’ performances and stories – a process that can occur in several ways. For instance, three judges might be randomly chosen to score contestants, or the entire audience might score and select the winner or winners. Moreover, multiple categories might be created and filled when it comes to winner-selection.

For our slam, each storyteller is given a score on a scale of 1-10 for two different criteria: content and presentation. Needless to say, the participant with the highest score wins the title for a job well done, a tale well told.

Timing is monitored, and signal cards are presented at designated intervals during each telling.  For a five-minute story limit, a green card will be displayed to begin, a yellow card will be displayed at the three minute thirty second mark, and a red card will be displayed at the four minute thirty second mark.  Beware anyone who dares to cross the five minute mark!

—based on an excerpt by Denise McCormack, editor of Story Art: A Magazine for Storytellers. Issue: April, May, June 2014

 

Rules & Scoring:

  • Maximum 5 minute personal story — must be a true or it doesn’t count — related to theme

  • Scoring:

    • Content (10 points)

    • Presentation (10 points)

    • Bonus, TBD (1 point)

2017 CONTESTANTS

Pictured 2017 Contestants, from left to right, Jared Flesher, Judy England-McCarthy, Robin Reichert, Mike Agranoff, Joey Novick, Ken Karnas, Elizabeth, and Farmer Rob, with MC Denise McCormack

Pictured previous Contestants, from left to right, Jared Flesher, Judy England-McCarthy, Robin Reichert, Mike Agranoff, Joey Novick, Ken Karnas, Elizabeth, and Farmer Rob, with MC Denise McCormack

Previous SLAM WINNER FARMER ROB

Many thanks to our esteemed judges Carol Titus, Helen Wise, and Oni Lasana with MC Denise McCormack2017 Theme: The Last Straw!

Many thanks to our esteemed judges Carol Titus, Helen Wise, and Oni Lasana with MC Denise McCormack

Previous Theme: The Last Straw!

The Annual NJ Storytelling Festival is a hallmark of the NJ Storytelling Network.