Last Friday, the monthly Story Slam put on by ETSU’s Storytelling program was held at JRH Brewing to a packed house. The theme of the Story Slam was “Scars,” which focused on a thread of storytelling about personal, physical or psychological scars that one might have.
“This was a really good turnout for us,” said Isaac Price, graduate assistant and Story Slam emcee. “We had trouble in the past of getting people to come, and especially participate, but tonight it was to the point where there was no seating and might have to change venues because of the rapid growth over the last few months.”
Price picked out six names, and they each told stories about scars that they have obtained in some way. Each story was judged to be scored to win the cash prize.
ETSU Storytelling Program Coordinator Nancy Donoval said the judges are volunteers from the audience who score each story. The highest score is the winner, and donations at the door are split between the winner and the host location of the Slam.
Of the storytellers that participated in the slam, a young man named Kelton, who heard about the event that day, won a $55 cash prize. His story of how he got a scar from cutting into a happy meal received the highest scores from the three volunteer judges.
“Storytelling, like most if not all art forms, is best learned by doing,” Donoval said. “The Slam is a fun, experiential lab of sorts that also welcomes storytellers from the community.”
Those that participated in the slam were of differing ages, as were their scars from physical to mental. An open mic was held afterward, where others not competing in the slam could tell any story for up to 10 minutes.
“The Story Slam serves a variety of purposes,” Donoval said. “It connects the Storytelling Program to the wider community, gives students a chance to tell stories without worrying about grades, to listen and learn from others’ stories, and the faculty get a chance to mentor students outside the classroom.”
Donoval explained the rules of the Story Slam. The event is open to the public. Storytellers enter their names to be drawn. Stories need to be true from the storyteller’s perspective and approximately five minutes long. People are welcome to listen without entering their names.
The next Story Slam in the series is scheduled for March 27 with the theme “Growth Spurt.” The location of the slam is still to be determined.
