January Story Slam Canceled

Photo by Randy Flaum

Due to the snow, ice, and cold temperatures, we are canceling our January story slam. Refunds are being processed by Ticketleap and should be complete in the next few business days.

Tickets will be on sale Wednesday morning for our February 24 story slam. The theme is Close Call, but we will also take stories with January's theme, I Meant to Do That, and will name two winners at the end of the night. Our MC for the evening will be longtime LSS sponsor Alex King.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What kind of stories fit the theme Close Call?

The choices we make daily create our lives. A different decision here or there would have meant a different life—better maybe, or worse. Perhaps only different. We may hear stories of disasters avoided, opportunities missed, dangers survived, or life-changing outcomes that so easily might have been different.

However you interpret these themes we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Our 2026 Season Kicks Off January 27

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on January 27 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is I Meant to Do That.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What kind of stories fit the theme I Meant to Do That?

Maybe you did mean to do that or maybe not and you just wanted to avoid the embarrassment of unintended consequences by framing them as intended. Or maybe there was something you meant to do but never got around to it. We may hear stories detailing embarrassing outcomes covered by a veneer of intention, or we may hear of deeds not done that are regretted or celebrated. If you’ve meant to tell a story at Story Slam, tonight’s theme would be a good place to start.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Quinn Forlini Named Best Storyteller in Lancaster at Our 2025 Grand Slam

Congratulations to Quinn Forlini, who was named Best Storyteller in Lancaster at our 2025 Grand Slam at West Art last night! Quinn is pictured here with our Grand Slam emcee, Lancaster Story Slam founder and producer emeritus, Carla Wilson!

We are grateful to everyone who told stories this year, showed up to listen, or volunteered (or got "volun-told") to be a judge.

Special thanks to our season sponsor, Alex King of Caring Transitions of Lancaster, for his continuing partnership.

The Grand Slam concludes our 11th season. We’ll be taking a break for December, but we’ll be back at Zoetropolis on the fourth Tuesday of the month throughout 2026.

Click here for our 2026 dates and themes.

Our 11th Annual Grand Slam: What Now?

It’s time for our 2025 Grand Slam! It will take place on Tuesday, December 2 at 7 pm at West Art Community Center.

Tickets are on sale now. They’re limited, so get yours while the gettin’s good.

The theme of the evening will be What Now?, and our emcee will be Lancaster Story Slam founder and producer emeritus, Carla Wilson!

Our Grand Slam is the culminating event of the year where we bring back our monthly winners from this year to compete for the the title of "Best Storyteller in Lancaster," their name engraved on the Storytellers’ Cup, and a trophy to take home. Our finalists this year include:

David Welden - January/First Impressions
Swapna Deshpande - February/There’s No App for That
Doc Yoder - March/All in Our Head
Cliff Lewis - April/Read the Manual
John Heinley - May/Auto Renewal
Phoebe Gilman - June/Bad Advice
Quinn Forlini - July/Pick One
Beth McLaughlin - August/Lessons Learned
Marianne Sheely - September/Only Human
Nina Groop - October/BYOT (open theme)

Here’s a playlist of all the winning stories from this season!

Nina Groop Wins Our Final Open Mic Slam of the Year

Congratulations to Nina Groop, who won our October story slam. It was an open-theme slam.

Nina (right) is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Phoebe Gilman.

Nina won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and the last spot in our 2025 Grand Slam.

Save the date for our Grand Slam on December 2 at West Art Community Center. We announced the theme at the end of the October event: What Now? Tickets are on sale now.

Bring Your Own Theme

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on October 28 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

Tickets are still available. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

We hear it all the time. “I’ve got a story I’d tell, but it never seems to fit the theme of the month.” Not in October—it’s Bring Your Own Theme night at LSS, all bets are off, the sky’s the limit, no holds barred, it’s a free-for-all, whatever all-inclusive cliché you want to employ is fine with us. Any story will do, even that one. This is the night you’ve been waiting for, your chance to tell THAT great story. To share THAT moment. We’ve asked you upon arrival at our monthly slams, “Are you telling a story tonight?,” Aand many of you have said, “Maybe some night, but not tonight.” Tonight’s your night. Go for it.

We look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

This is the last open mic event of the season, so it’s the last chance to earn a spot in our 2025 Grand Slam. And speaking of the Grand Slam, we’ll announce this year’s theme at the end of this event.

Marianne Sheely Wins Our Only Human Story Slam

Congratulations to Marianne Sheely, who won our September story slam. The theme was Only Human.

Marianne (lright) is pictured here with this month’s emcee, Luanne Sims.

Marianne won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is October 28. It is an open-theme slam, and the final regular-season event before our 2025 Grand Slam. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Only Human

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on September 23 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Only Human.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Only Human?

The phrase only human implies a frailty, a flaw, a rank somewhere below perfection. We can all cop to that. But with the advent of AI, does it mean something else, something more? Perhaps genuine understanding, compassion, love? We want to hear your non-AI assisted stories about how doing one’s best as a human, imperfect as that may be, has its own nobility.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Beth McLaughlin Wins Our Lesson Learned Story Slam

Congratulations to Beth McLaughlin, who won our August story slam. The theme was Lesson Learned.

Beth (lright) is pictured here with this month’s emcee, Sam Schindler.

Beth won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is September 23 and the theme is Only Human. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Lesson Learned

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on August 26 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Lesson Learned.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Lesson Learned?

Whether experience is the best teacher is debatable; that it can teach is undeniable. Tell us the stories of important lessons you have learned and how you learned them. Did you learn more from a mistake or a success? Was there an easier way to pick up that knowledge, should you have known better?

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Quinn Forlini Wins Our Pick One Story Slam

Congratulations to Quinn Forlini, who won our July story slam. The theme was Pick One.

Quinn (left) is pictured here with this month’s emcee, Ashley Harbinson.

Quinn won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is August 26 and the theme is Lesson Learned. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Pick One

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on July 22 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Pick One.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Pick One?

Decisions, decisions. They are unavoidable, since not deciding is a decision. Prepare to hear stories about choices that had to be made, or choices made anyway—and how those choices have a habit of leading to unexpected consequences. We want to hear your stories of gratitude for choices made, or regret for options selected. Let’s hear stories exploring what might have changed your choices: time, experience, mere chance—pick one.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Phoebe Gilman Wins Our Bad Advice Story Slam

Congratulations to Phoebe Gilman, who won our June story slam. The theme was Bad Advice, and as usual, we had a full house and 10 storytellers.

Phoebe is pictured here with with Lancaster Story Slam Co-Producer Tony Crocamo.

Phoebe won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is July 22 and the theme is Pick One. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Bad Advice

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on June 24 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Bad Advice.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Bad Advice?

Who hasn’t received or given bad advice? The effects of ill-conceived but ardently followed advice can have minor or monumental cascading consequences. Do you have stories of advice taken that should have been ignored, or advice given that should have remained unsaid? Is your story about the consequences of bad advice followed or ignored?

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Jon Heinly Wins Our Auto Renewal Story Slam

Congratulations to Jon Heinly, who won our May story slam. The theme was Auto Renewal, and as usual, we had a full house and 10 storytellers.

Jon (left) is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Cliff Lewis.

Jon won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is June 24 and the theme is Bad Advice. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Auto Renewal

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on May 27 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Auto Renewal.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Auto Renewal?

It’s not just that maze of streaming channels you signed up for to avoid the high price of cable—auto renewal controls most of our daily activities-where we work, our relationships, the media, food, culture, and politics we consume. Tell us your stories about the benefits of auto renewal when you were able to reflect on and appreciative the who, what, and why of renewing. Share your stories of how auto renewal, taking important aspects of our lives for granted, can obscure the value of people, places, and ideas we love and need.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Cliff Lewis Wins Our Read the Manual Story Slam

Congratulations to Cliff Lewis, who won our April story slam. The theme was Read the Manual, and we had another full house and 10 storytellers.

Cliff is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, LSS co-producer JJ Sheffer.

Cliff won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is May 27 and the theme is Auto Renewal. Tickets are on sale now. Our events tend to sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Read the Manual

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on April 22 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Read the Manual.

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme Read the Manual?

There are three types of people: those who read the manual before assembling or using the subject of the manual; those who read the manual after assembly or use to determine what went awry; and those who, despite repeated misadventures in assembly and usage, have yet to open a manual. Some people may think that the overwhelming majority of the latter two examples are men. LSS shuns such stereotypes. Share your stories of assembly disasters, or problems avoided by men and women who did or did not read the manual.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.

Doc Yoder Wins Our All In Our Heads Story Slam

Congratulations to Doc Yoder, who won our March story slam. The theme was All In Our Heads, and we had another full house and 12 storytellers.

Doc is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Marianne Sheely.

Doc won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2025 Grand Slam on December 2.

Our next story slam is April 22 and the theme is Read the Manual. Tickets are on sale now. Our events tend to sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

All in Our Head

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on March 25 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is All in Our Head

Tickets are on sale now. Please visit our Tickets page to get yours.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm that evening, and we start telling stories at 7 pm.

What type of stories fit the theme All in Our Head?

Commonly, things that are all in one’s head are thought to be unreal. But then every manufactured item in our lives, from applesauce to xylophones, began in someone’s head. Every part of our lives--our impressions of our surroundings, our jobs, our relationships, likes and dislikes, values, beliefs are all in our head. Tell us your stories about false impressions, mistaken ideas, of insight and inspiration—the unreal and yet-to-be-real ideas that are all in your head and make up your world.

However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories. If you have a story, sign in at the table in the back of the theater when you arrive.