On April 9, the ETSU Storytelling Program hosted their final Re-Generation Story Slam of the semester.
With the pandemic, the storytelling event enjoyed by ETSU students and the community has moved onto an online format. This has made it hard to pull the same crowds they used to, according to Wendy Gourley, a graduate assistant to the program.
“While we have not been able to retain much of our community audience, we sometimes have audience members who join us from a greater distance,” said Gourley. “We look forward to moving the venue back out into the community as soon as COVID permits, hopefully in the fall semester.”
On a normal story slam night, participants would be given five minutes to tell a true and personal story based around the night’s theme, which would have been re-imagine. The stories would be followed by an open mic opportunity where you can share a longer eight-minute story with no limitations. Due to the low numbers from the end of the semester and COVID-19, there was only an open mic.
Four students from the storytelling program shared stories: Barbara Bell, Zacharias Smith, Amelia Cantrell and Cassie Selleck. Their stories ranged from personal experiences in the mountains of Japan, to Walmart failures and the highs and lows of familial bonds.
“My story is my own – a selection of incidents from the time my husband and I spent in Japan many years ago,” Bell, a second semester student, said. “I have told it before in different settings and with different themes, but I always hope any of my stories are interesting to other people. They should go away feeling they have heard something that was worth their time.”
Bell also explained that virtual storytelling has presented its own set of challenges, but the students have remained optimistic.
“This year is the first time I have done any formal storytelling online and it’s a whole different environment,” said Bell. “I feel we are all rising well to the challenge, but I would love to meet my professors, fellow-students and fellow-storytellers in person someday.”
Continuing in the fall, the Re-Generation Story Slam will be in its 10th year on campus. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/stories.
