Storytelling is a time-honored way of building community and strengthening people’s connections to one another. When you tell a story from your own experience, you make yourself both vulnerable and strong. The goal of the Stories@First story slam event is just that—to invite people to come together, listen, and find connection.
Stories@First Volume 5: Failure
Sunday, April 12 | Stories at 2:00 p.m. | Snacks & Conversation at 3:00 p.m.
Volume 5 will take place on Sunday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. The theme of the event is “Failure,” but how you interpret that theme is all up to you. Perhaps you’ll talk about a failure you learned from, one you overcame, one you’re in the middle of, one you regret, or even one you realize wasn’t actually a failure in hindsight.
If you would like to participate by sharing a story, please email the First Church office, preferably by April 8. Be aware that we will only have time for 7 or 8 storytellers; if more than 8 people sign up, we will draw names, so it’s possible you will not get a chance to tell your story (at least, not this time). Please don’t let that deter you from signing up!
You do not need to be associated with First Church to participate. All are welcome!
General Guidelines
If you do plan to tell a story, please review the following guidelines:
- The story must be true and it must be your own story, not someone else’s. Don’t tell a story about something that happened to your sister or your grandmother or your best friend. Tell a story about something that happened to you. This also means no retellings of myths or folk tales.
- Your story should be no longer than 6-7 minutes long (about 600-800 words).
- The Moth story hour requires its storytellers to tell their stories from memory, but we’re not The Moth. You can memorize or read from a script—whatever is more comfortable for you. No matter which option you choose, the key is to be prepared. Don’t make it up as you go along.
- This is a family event. Stories should be family-appropriate in terms of both content and language.
Looking for tips about how to tell an effective story? You might find inspiration from one of the following resources: