Our August 23rd Story Slam is "Panic Switch!"

Don't Panic!

August 23rd is your next opportunity to win a slot in our Grand Slam! The theme for August is "Panic Switch!" Our Story Slam is held at Tellus360 and we start telling stories promptly at 8pm. Grab your ticket now for quick entry.

What are some ideas around the theme Panic Switch?

Tell us a story about a time you panicked - whether your reactions were warranted or turned out to be a panic for no reason at all. Perhaps you were in a situation where a friend or stranger panicked and you had to be the voice of reason and talk them down from the ledge. Stories could be about worldwide panic - war, 9/11, a plague, or other tragedies - or your panic could be of a more personal variety - dealing with a personal or family issues. When we reflect on life, some of our greatest accomplishments were preceded by anxious moments of self doubt. It's often said, "all conflict is internal." Maybe you or a loved one suffers from panic attacks, which has led to an insightful story about human nature.

Take a few moments and think of some of your moments of panic, how they came to pass, and how you resolved them. And then, overcome your fear and hop on stage Tuesday night, August 23rd at 8pm and tell your story! Order your tickets today!

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Our "Career Opportunities" Story Slam ends in a tie!

Jamie Beth and Bryan Caine pose with emcee Donna Talarico

Congratulations to Jamie Beth and Bryan Caine, co-winners of our "Career Opportunities" Story Slam! Jamie Beth told about her tough time adjusting to first-time motherhood while teaching high school. Bryan Caine told the story of being the only white person in his workplace and the bond he and his co-workers shared. Both Jamie and Bryan won prized pint glasses and earned slots in our Grand Slam, which will take place in November.

We heard a wide variety of stories about workplace situations that were both inspiring and traumatic at times. Tony told about his unsuccessful attempt to unionize a newsroom. Joe talked about the inspiration he garnered from a West Chester University professor. Burton told how he came to be a successful painter. Meg talked about her passion for marketing and her current job search. We heard about being a radio deejay, a television producer, and a designer. Interesting stories all around.

Thanks to all our storytellers, the judges and the audience for coming out and telling stories. Thanks to our emcee Donna Talarico. If you want to learn more about Donna's 2016 HippoCamp Writing Conference, which takes place right in Lancaster August 12-14th, click HERE.

Our next Lancaster Story Slam will be August 23rd and the theme is "Panic Switch!" Order your tickets off our Tickets page!

You can watch the two winning stories below. To watch more stories, click over to the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube page.

Our July 26th Story Slam is "Career Opportunities!"

Our July 26th Story Slam is themed "Career Opportunities!" We start telling stories at Tellus360 at 8pm, so order your tickets now and arrive early to get a pint and find the best seats.

What type of stories fit "Career Opportunities?"

We want to hear about the best job you had! We want to hear about the worst job you ever had! Tell us about the magic moment where you decided what your career would be. Tell us about the job you had when you were just working for beer money. How did you stumble into your career opportunity? We want to know about that mentor who helped you discover your potential. We want to hear about the asshole boss who broke your spirit. We want to hear about the best of times, and the worst of times! Career Opportunities!

Join us on July 26th at 8pm at Tellus360 for "Career Opportunities!" Order your tickets now for quick entry!

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Audrey Lopez Wins our "Foreign Soil" Story Slam!

Emcee Michael Sirianni poses with Story Slam winner Audrey Lopez!

Congratulations to Audrey Lopez! She won tonight's "Foreign Soil" Story Slam with her touching story of moving to the USA from Peru as a child and slowly adjusting to life in America. Audrey won the prized pint glass and has earned a slot in the November Grand Slam!

We heard an array of stories celebrating diversity tonight, tales of Americans in foreign lands and stories of immigrants adjusting to America.

We heard about the strangeness of arriving in America on Halloween, about crossing the border solo as a nine-year-old, and about adjusting to American school lunches. We listened to a tale of craving Ovaltine while traversing the mountains of Vietnam and a story about hiking in the misty countryside of England. We heard about meeting one's father during a mournful trip to Germany and getting arrested in Bosnia. We heard a hilarious story of traveling in southern Italy, and a touching story of learning the culture of Bahrain. Thanks to all our storytellers tonight!

Our next Lancaster Story Slam will be July 26th and the theme is "Career Opportunities!" To order your tickets, click HERE!

Check out Audrey's winning story below! To see all the stories told at our Story Slams, check out the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube channel!

Our June 28th Story Slam is "Foreign Soil!"

Summertime means travel, so let's hear stories that have happened on "Foreign Soil." That's the theme of our June 28th Story Slam at Tellus360! We start telling stories at 8pm, so order your tickets now and arrive early to get a pint and find the best seats.

What do we mean by "Foreign Soil" stories? We're looking for stories about travel! Tell us about your near death hallucinatory experience in Tijuana. We want to hear about your epic pub crawl in London or that time you were carried home from Oktoberfest. Explain how you survived that ski disaster in the Swiss Alps, that love affair in Madrid, or that safari in South Africa. Have you taken part in an Indian wedding? An Irish wake? We want to hear about the awkward cultural exchanges, the customary faux paus, that time you came across as the ugly American. In fact, "foreign soil" insinuates a foreign country, but perhaps you had a sudden realization about the diversity of the USA during a trip down south or out west that made you feel liked you stepped onto foreign soil.

Join us on June 28th, 8pm, at Tellus360 for "Foreign Soil." Order your tickets now for quick entry!

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Tony Crocamo wins "Brush with Fame" Slam!

Tony Crocamo (R) poses with emcee Matt Kabik.

Our "Brush with Fame" Story Slam set a record - fourteen storytellers put their name in the hat - and throughout the course of the night we heard about many celebrities - but in the end, Tony Crocamo won the prized pint glass with his nearly perfect story of making plans to become a celebrity among his grade school classmates. Tony has earned a slot in the November Grand Slam!

We heard so many remarkable stories about embarrassing and funny interactions with celebrities such as the Dalai Lama, Jake Gyllenhall, John C. Reilly, Mickey Rooney, and more. We also heard other fun stories about storytellers who strived to claim their fifteen minutes of fame. So much fun that was actually included all fourteen storytellers.

Thanks so much to all those who put their name in the hat, our judges, and everyone who came out to cheer the storytellers on. Our next Story Slam is Tuesday, June 28th and the theme is "Foreign Soil!" Think about your best story from traveling to a foreign country and come on out!

Watch Tony's winning story below. To see the other stories told at the May Story Slam, click on through you the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube channel.

"Brush with Fame" is May 24th!

Our May 24th Story Slam is themed "Brush with Fame!" We start hearing stories promptly at 8pm at Tellus360, so arrive early to get a pint and a good seat. Order your tickets by clicking HERE.

What stories are we looking for with "Brush with Fame?"

We want to hear about your most famous moment or when you had an interesting incident with someone famous. Perhaps you achieved a bit of notoriety after something went wrong - maybe you were featured in the newspaper or on the local news. Did you have "fifteen minutes of fame" for something you accidentally did? Were you rewarded with meeting someone famous? Maybe you happened to spot a celebrity doing something rather silly or had a rather awkward run-in with a celebrity. Tell us about your Brush with Fame - whether it was drinking with a movie star, getting stoned with rock star, dining with a famous author, etc. or tell us about what led to that moment in your life where you were the rock star!

Join us at Tellus360 for "Brush with Fame" on May 24th at 8pm!

Here is a story from Kyle Hudson about his celebrity sighting.

Aaron Spangler wins our "Respect" Story Slam!

Winner Aaron Spangler (center) poses with John Strogus (left), and David Lasky (right)

A shout of "Respect" goes out to all our storytellers from the April Story Slam! What a night of thought-provoking stories on the the theme of "respect." At the end of the Story Slam, we had a three-way tie and our judges were pulled to the side of the stage and forced to make a difficult decision - this was our version of a brokered convention!

After much deliberation, Aaron Spangler emerged as the winner of the night's Story Slam. Aaron told the story of taking a trip to Ireland when he was sixteen and seeing a sorrowful woman singing "Danny Boy." Aaron won the prized pint glass and earned a slot in the Lancaster Story Slam Grand Slam, which is coming this November.

Carter Grimm at the mic.

We have to mention some other stories from this remarkable night. Runner-up John Strogus told the story of being tutored by a remarkable woman after breaking both his legs as a child. David Lasky told about landing on an island on Christmas Eve and being very afraid about the locals. Beth Horenkamp, who has already earned a slot in the Grand Slam, told about joy and the hardship of her profession in oncology. Matthew Kabik, another storyteller who will be in the Grand Slam, told a tale of his short-lived glory days as a baseball player. We heard two stories about learning to respect mom - from Donna Talarico and also from Bill Speakman. Emily Meola told about her frustrating day canvassing neighborhoods in Lancaster. Aaron Lewis told of a surprising visitor to an open mic night and Carter Grimm discussed his love of funions!

We had a blast hearing these tremendous stories in April. Thanks to all our storytellers, our emcee Luanne Sims, and those who judged the stories.

Save the date! Our next Story Slam will be Tuesday, May 24th and is themed "Brush With Fame!" You can reserve your tickets by clicking HERE. 

Check out Aaron's story below. Our other stories are available on the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube Channel.

Our April 26th Story Slam is themed "Respect!"

Lancaster Story Slam returns to Tellus360 on Tuesday, April 26th with the theme "Respect!" The storytelling begins promptly at 8pm, so we recommend arriving early to grab some food and a pint before securing a good seat. Grab your tickets now for quick entry. Click HERE.

Lancaster Story Slam is a live event where people take the stage with no notes or props and tell a 5 minute true story in front of a rowdy live audience. Some stories are hilarious, others are sad, but they all share aspects of the human experience. You can take the stage to tell your story, or simply hang out and watch with friends. If you want to tell a story, simply sign up upon arrival and we'll put your name in the hat.

What does the theme “Respect” mean?

We want to hear stories about earning respect and losing respect. How hard have you worked to earn the respect of someone you love? Maybe you respected a mentor who turned out to be a fraud. Perhaps you once had a job where you didn’t feel respected. A lack of respect is often a disastrous road that leads to messy divorces, quitting jobs, getting fired or even violence. Let's hear your story on "Respect!"

The winner of our "Respect" Story Slam will return in November to compete in the Lancaster Story Slam Grand Slam for the title of Best Storyteller in Lancaster!

If you missed our last Story Slam, be sure to listen to the podcast which features three of our favorite stories from the "Caught" Story Slam. Click on Podcasts at the top of the page or download through iTunes!

Beth Horenkamp Wins our "Caught" Slam!

Congratulations to Beth Horenkamp! She won our "Caught" Story Slam with her hilarious tale of being caught making a U-turn on the highway by the police. Beth took home the prized pint glass and has earned a slot in the Lancaster Story Slam Grand Slam, which will be held in November.

It was a magical night of stories tonight. We heard about a mother catching her son having sex, and another story of a mom who will finally realize her son called a sex hotline from her home. We listened to one story about a trip to Italy where the tension was all in the traveler's head, and a tale about a night in a Paris prison cell. We heard about a teen taking a two-hour road trip to see a comedian and arriving at the theater a month early, only to have the comedian make fun of him on social media. We heard about an Amish Chippendale, and being bullied in school, and crying in the back of a police car after a desperate attempt to score a Coca Cola.

Thanks to all our storytellers tonight! Also thanks to our judges and everyone who came out to cheer on the competitors. A fun night of stories!

Tickets for the April 26th Story Slam, which is themed "Respect," are on sale now. Start thinking of your story!

You can watch Beth's winning story below. All the "Caught" stories are available on the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube channel.

Our "Caught" Story Slam is March 22!

Our March 22nd Story Slam has one of our favorite themes ever - CAUGHT! We start telling stories promptly at 8pm, so arrive early and grab some food and a pint at Tellus360. Order your tickets by clicking HERE.

What do we mean by CAUGHT?

Have you ever been caught red handed? Have you ever been caught in a compromising position? Perhaps you once caught someone you trusted - a spouse, a significant other, a boss, a parent - and your world was shaken to the core. Have you ever played whistleblower - been considered a "snitch?" Did you ever catch someone who had left the scene of an accident? Let's hear embarrassing, funny, dramatic, entertaining stories about the theme of Caught. 

Need some inspiration? Here is a story about being caught in a very awkward situation!

Douglas Wins Late Night Story Slam!

We heard so many fun stories at the debut of Late Night Story Slam! The theme was "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll" and we heard plenty of all three throughout the night. Congratulations to our winner Douglas, who won the Late Night "Sex, Drugs, and "Rock 'n Roll" Prize Pack, which included a Barry White Greatest Hits album, a Late Night Munchies gift card for Spyro Gyros and a growler of Panic Room Double IPA from Levante Brewing Company.

We did not record videos of last night's stories, because what happens at Late Night, stays at Late Night! Thanks to emcee Frank Melvin for sharing several hilarious stories throughout the night.

Our next Lancaster Story Slam will be Tuesday, March 22nd and the theme is "Caught!" Grab your tickets and come out to Tellus360 to tell your story or just listen.

"Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll!" at Late Night Story Slam!

What happens at Late Night stays Late Night!

Our Late Night Story Slam debuts on Thursday, March 10th, 10 pm, with the theme "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll!" At Late Night Story Slam, we want to hear raucous stories – the stories you don't want recorded for YouTube or podcast. You know, those stories you don’t want your kids to hear. The stories you don’t want your mom to hear. These stories will not be recorded for YouTube or podcast, the only way to catch them is to attend the live event!

 The theme for March 10th is "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll!" Need we say more? Tell us about your high point or your low point. We want to know about the best/worst night of partying you ever had, your sexual escapades, or the time you quit your job to follow Phish or the Grateful Dead. Stories don't need to contain sex, drugs AND rock 'n roll but can contain any one, two or three of the three elements. We only hold Late Night Story Slam - Lancaster once a year, so don't miss it.

Storyteller Frank Melvin, known for telling some of the most raucous stories we've heard, is our emcee for Late Night Story Slam. Get your tickets now! This event is 21 and over only.

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Liz Yocom wins our "Social Media" Story Slam!

Liz Yocom won our "Social Media" Story Slam with her tale of a date that didn't go as planned and how she subsquently stumbled onto the date's Facebook page and saw his perspective on the date was a bit different than hers. Liz took home the prized pint glass and has earned a spot in our Grand Slam this coming November!

We heard fun stories about connecting with old flames on Facebook and stumbling on awful posts from so called friends. We heard about connections made through Friendster, MySpace, Twitter and Snapchat. We heard about how political debate on social media can lead to movements in Lancaster, and how there is a bit of humanity in our posts.

A reminder - our two-hour Storytelling Workshop is being held on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 pm. If you would like to attend, please register so we can send you videos to watch this weekend before the class. Learn more and register by clicking HERE.

Our Late Night Story Slam is being held on Thursday, March 10th at 10pm. The theme is "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll." At Late Night Story Slam we do not record the stories so it is your chance to tell that story you don't want your mom to hear. Stories may include sex, drugs, or rock 'n roll - or hopefully all three! 21 and over. Tickets can be ordered HERE.

Thanks to all our storytellers, our judges and the audience who came out to cheer. Below is Liz's winning story. To watch other stories told on the night, check out the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube channel.

Our February Slam is themed "Social Media!"

Our February 23rd Story Slam is themed "Social Media!" We want to hear stories about how your fifth grade nemesis friended you on Facebook or why your old boss was outed on LinkedIn. We want to know about how you arranged to meet your Twitter crush or were "ghosted" or "catfished." What happened when your mother friended you on Facebook? Have you met the love of your life on Tinder? Have you been grossed out on SnapChat?

Our "Social Media" Story Slam will be Tuesday, February 23rd at Tellus360. We start hearing stories at 8pm. If you have a story, read our rules page and then sign up upon arrival. Order your tickets for the February 23rd Story Slam below.

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Announcing Story Slams and Workshop!

Lancaster Story Slam has a busy winter season! Our regular February Story Slam is closely followed by two other fun events. Consider joining us for our Storytelling Workshop or the once-a-year Late Night Story Slam. Learn more about all three of our upcoming events!

"SOCIAL MEDIA" STORY SLAM - February 23

Our February 23rd Story Slam is themed "Social Media!" We want to hear stories about how your fifth grade nemesis friended you on Facebook or your old boss was outed on LinkedIn. We want to know about how you arranged to meet your Twitter crush or were "ghosted" or "catfished." What happened when your mother friended you on Facebook?

Our "Social Media" Story Slam will be Tuesday, February 23rd at Tellus360. We start hearing stories at 8pm. If you have a story, read our rules page and then sign up upon arrival. Order your tickets for the February 23rd Story Slam by clicking HERE.

STORYTELLING WORKSHOP - March 1

Our Storytelling Workshop returns to Lancaster for one night on March 1st. Join us at Tellus360 for a two-hour class that will help you develop your stories. We'll run through exercises to help you think about what makes a good story, story structure, and creative language. Participants need to register to receive videos of three stories to watch before the night of class. To register for the March 1 Storytelling Workshop, click HERE.

LATE NIGHT STORY SLAM - March 10

At the Late Night Story Slam, we want to hear raucous stories – the stories you don't want recorded for YouTube or podcast. You know, those stories you don’t want your kids to hear. The stories you don’t want your mom to hear. The winner of Late Night Story Slam does not earn a slot in the Grand Slam but will win a special prize. What happens at Late Night stays Late Night! The theme for March 10th is "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll!" Need we say more? Tell us about your high point or your low point. We want to know about the best/worst night of partying you ever had, your sexual escapades, or the time you quit your job to follow Phish or the Grateful Dead. Stories don't need to contain sex, drugs AND rock 'n roll but can contain any one, two or three of the three elements.

Theme: Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n Roll

Thursday, March 10th at 10pm at Tellus360.

For tickets to Late Night Story Slam, click HERE.

Matthew Kabik Wins our January Slam!

Matthew Kabik took home the prized pint glass after winning the Lancaster Story Slam in January. Matthew is a repeat January winner - he also happened to win the January 2015 Story Slam also. Matt told a touching story about trying to befriend a neighborhood kid.  In addition to the prized pint glass, Matthew has earned his slot in the 2016 Lancaster Story Slam Grand Slam, which will be held in November. 

Our theme for the night was Resolutions, and we heard tales about ugly couches, going vegetarian, breaking up, rehab, aging gracefully, basketball mishaps, moving furniture, and more. 

Our next Lancaster Story Slam will be Tuesday, February 23rd and the theme is "Social Media." You can purchase tickets on our Tickets page. 

Here is Matthew's winning story. To check out the other stories told that night, check out the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube Channel. 

Our January 26 Story Slam is "Resolutions!"

We're excited to start our 2016 Story Slam season with the theme of "Resolutions!" Join us at Tellus360 on Tuesday, January 26th, 8pm, for stories. What types of stories are we looking for?

We have all made Resolutions of some sort, whether when we begin the new year or start over at some point during our lives. Did you resolve to be a better person after a tragic break up? Did you resolve to find a new job or lose weight or try a new dating app? Did you make a resolution to move to a new country or to break out of your shell and make your life more adventurous? We want to hear stories about Resolutions that worked and Resolutions that failed!

Make a resolution to tell your story this year! Order your tickets for the January 26th "Resolutions" Story Slam by clicking HERE. Arrive at Tellus360 early for dinner and drinks and be ready for stories at 8pm!

2016 Themes and Dates Announced

We're thrilled to announce the themes and dates for the 2016 season of Lancaster Story Slam. This will be our second season of telling stories and we hope you will join us to either tell your story or cheer on the other storytellers. If you want to tell a story, buy a ticket, and then sign up with Carla once you arrive!

Our Story Slams will continue to take place on the fourth Tuesday of the month at Tellus360, which is located at 24 E. King St., Lancaster, PA. All events begin at 8pm. Tickets for the January 26th Story Slam - themed Resolutions - are on sale now. Order your tickets by clicking HERE!

January 26 - Resolutions

February 23 - Social Media

March 22 - Caught

April 26 - Respect

May 24 - Brush with Fame

June 28 - Foreign Soil

July 26 - Career Opportunities

August 23 - Panic Switch

September 27 - Chaos

October 25 - Trick or Treat

November 22 (Grand Slam 2016)

Cliff Lewis wins the 2015 Grand Slam!

Cliff Lewis won the 2015 GRAND SLAM! Cliff earned the title of Best Storyteller in Lancaster with his story of winning an epic high school rap battle. The winning storytellers from throughout the season entertained the audience with some hilarious and touching stories on the theme of "Heroes." We heard stories about a nasty friend, an epic outdoorsmen, a shunned family member, and an educator willing to sacrifice her own life for children. There was a tale of a Lancaster artist who lived a simple and happy life, and about an ill man who jumped off a Philadelphia bridge and survived. We heard about surviving a marathon, winning a soccer game thanks to an oddly named teammate,  and removing a curse inflicted from a playground boyfriend.

Thanks to all our storytellers, our judges, and the awesome audience who cheered our storytellers on throughout the night. Our first season was full of amazing stories and we are thankful to have met so many wonderful new friends.

Cliff's winning story is posted below. All the stories will be posted on the Lancaster Story Slam YouTube channel on Wednesday, so check back soon. And save the date of Tuesday, January 26th when we kick off the 2016 season. Themes will be announced in early December!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S59UiVCzRL8