Our Tenth Annual Grand Slam: Misunderstood

It’s time for our 2024 Grand Slam! It will take place on Tuesday, December 3 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 Misunderstood, 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:

Kelsey Kman and Kate Prisby - January/Great Escapes
Cliff Lewis - February/Lost in Translation
Tim McGuinness and Jamie Beth - March/Truth Be Told
Swapna Deshpande - April/If Only
John Heinley - May/Thrill Rides
Rebekah Jewel - June/Out of Reach
Becky - July/Did I Do That?
Ashley Harbinson - August/Tangled Web
Phoebe Gilman - September/Surprisingly Strong
Corey Wolfe - October/BYOT (open theme)

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

Corey Wolfe Wins Our Final Open Mic Slam of the Year

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

Corey (right) is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, David Smith.

Corey won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and the last spot in our 2024 Grand Slam.

Save the date for our Grand Slam on December 3 at West Art Community Center. We announced the theme at the end of the October event: Misunderstood. Tickets are on sale now.

BYOT

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on October 22 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.

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?” And 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.

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

Phoebe Gilman Wins Our Surprisingly Strong Story Slam

Congratulations to Phoebe Gilman, who won our September story slam. The theme was Surprisingly Strong.

Phoebe is pictured here with with Lancaster Story Slam producer JJ Sheffer.

Phoebe won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our October 15 event is an open-theme slam, meaning there is no theme. So if you’ve had a story in mind you want to tell, but couldn’t figure out how to make it fit one of the themes this year, now’s your chance!.

This is the last open mic event of the season, so it’s the last chance to earn a spot in our 2024 Grand Slam. And speaking of the Grand Slam, we’ll announce this year’s theme at the end of the October event.

Tickets are on sale now. Our events tend to sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Surprisingly Strong

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on September 24 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Surprisingly Strong

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 Surprisingly Strong?

There are many surprisingly strong things in life—opinions, reactions, capabilities, attractions, hot sauce, dislikes, drinks, drugs, odors—and all of them have causes. And when we explain those causes, we are telling stories which are often Surprisingly Strong stories. And that’s exactly what we are looking for during this month’s story slam. Maybe we’ll hear about a weightlifter’s personal best heft. Or how a rookie cook learned the difference between a bulb and a clove of garlic. The permutations are, if not endless, Surprisingly Strong. So, pick one, tell your Surprisingly Strong story this month.

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.

Ashley Harbinson Wins Our Tangled Web Story Slam

Congratulations to Ashley Harbinson, who won our August story slam. The theme was Tangled Web.

Ashley is pictured here with with Lancaster Story Slam producer Tony Crocamo

Ashley won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is September 24 and the theme is Surprisingly Strong. Tickets are on sale now. Our events tend to sell out well in advance, so get your tickets now!

Oh, What A Tangled Web We Weave

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on August 27 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Tangled Web, and Swapna Deshpande will be our emcee for the evening.

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 Tangled Web?

Our tangled webs aren’t limited to lies. Sometimes our plans can become overly complicated. Personalities can make families quite complicated even without the complicating accelerant of divorces, separations, remarriages, or realization of gender identity and sexual preferences. Business deals, friendships, career plans, today’s to-do list can all get tangled. And of course there are lies. Lies told out of kindness, lies told to create/preserve a veneer of civility, lies meant to be self-serving, lies of pure deceit. What Tangled Web(s) have you spun or entangled you? Did you escape or are you still struggling to get free? Are entanglements all bad?

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.

Becky Wins Our Did I Do That? Story Slam

Congratulations to Nurse Becky, who won our July story slam. The theme was Did I Do That?

Becky is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Tim McGuinness.

Becky won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is August 27 and the theme is Tangled Web. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out weeks in advance, so get your tickets now before they’re gone!

Did I Do That?

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on July 23 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Did I 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 type of stories fit the theme Did I Do That?

This month’s theme is more than a mashup Steve Urkel’s catch phrase from the 1990s Family Matters sitcom and the hidden effects our life has on others, à la Jimmy Stewart’s revelation in the classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. We want to hear about an accomplishment of yours that still surprises you. Have you ever learned that what you thought was an ordinary conversation changed someone’s life? Have you raised children? Ever successfully champion a process or decision at work, risk an investment of time, talent, or money that created a new reality for you? Inactions also have ripple effects; perhaps something you decided not to do or say tipped the first of a series of dominoes?

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.

Rebekah Jewel Wins our Out of Reach Story Slam

Congratulations to Rebekah Jewel, who won our June story slam. The theme was Out of Reach.

Rebekah is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Cliff Lewis.

Rebekah won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is July 23 and the theme is Did I Do That? Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out weeks in advance, so get your tickets now before they’re gone!

Out of Reach

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on June 25 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Out of Reach.

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 Out of Reach?

The traffic light isn’t always green for us. We all have wants, needs, desires, hopes, wishes, goals that have been, and remain, Out of Reach. Was it our failure, or an unreasonable expectation that kept it Out of Reach? What was Out of Reach for you: a toy your parents couldn’t afford, someone you loved who loved another? Was it an athletic contest you didn’t win? A personal goal you were unable to achieve? Is coming close worth the effort, can losing be more instructive than wining? When do we stop reaching for the unreachable? Are some things best left Out of Reach?

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 Thrill Rides Story Slam

Congratulations to Jon Heinly, who won our May story slam. The theme was Thrill Rides.

Jon (left) is pictured here with with Lancaster Story Slam Producer Tony Crocamo.

Jon won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is June 25 and the theme is Out of Reach. Tickets are on sale now. Our events sell out weeks in advance, so get your tickets now before they’re gone!

Thrill Rides

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on May 28 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Thrill Rides.

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 Thrill Rides?

Do Thrill Rides attract or repel you? Thrill Rides aren’t restricted to amusement parks or carnivals—life itself provides thrills. Dangers dared, chances taken, risks risked, the unexpected leaping towards us. How about winning that award, getting into your dream school dreams, landing the job you had to have? Have you seen the pyramids from atop a camel or leapt from a cliff into a lake far below? Experiences may thrill us as may possessions—tell us about the car, bike, motorcycle, plane of your dreams. Were you, or are you a BMX champ, an accomplished skateboarder, a pilot? Maybe an expected thrill ended in disappointment. Perhaps thrills are not your style for a reason; tell us why you welcome or avoid Thrill Rides.

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.

Swapna Deshpande Wins our If Only... Story Slam

Congratulations to Swapna Deshpande, who won our April story slam. The theme was If Only…

Swapna (left) is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, Jamie Beth Cohen.

Swapna won a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is May 28 and the theme is Thrill Rides. Tickets are on sale now. We have been selling out every month, so get your tickets in advance before they’re gone.

If Only...

Photo by Randy Flaum

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

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 If Only?

You were so close, so close, but then…If Only what happened then hadn’t happened right then, things would have been so different. Maybe in a good way, perhaps in not such a good way. Wistful dreams, thwarted ambition--If Only opens a new reality of what-ifs. How would your life, your career, your country, the world be different If Only… Maybe you would have laid down the most amazing Scrabble word ever If Only you had that one letter. Perhaps your life would have changed If Only you said yes, or If Only you had said no that one time. We don’t know where this theme will take Lancaster Story Slam storytellers and audience in April, but we do know it will reveal a palette of might-have-beens. Whether they are what-should-have-beens, we’ll have to consider. 

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.

Two Winners at our March Slam

Congratulations to Tim McGuinness and Jamie Beth, who tied to win our March story slam. The theme was Truth Be Told.

Tim (right) and Jamie Beth (left) are pictured here with LSS co-producer Tony Crocamo.

Our winners each took home a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is April 23 and the theme is If Only... Tickets are on sale now. Our events have been selling out weeks in advance, so if you want to attend, get your tickets now.

Registration Open for Upcoming Storytelling Workshops

Over the years, Lancaster Story Slam audience members and storytellers have asked us if we’d consider presenting a storytelling workshop, one that would help them get a story ready for the Story Slam stage. Well, we’re doing it—Lancaster  Story Slam is offering its storytelling workshop: Stories - Where to Find Them, How to Tell Them.

We will host two sessions - May 7 and June 4, from 7-9 pm at West Art.

Conducted by JJ Sheffer and Tony Crocamo, producers of LSS, the workshop offers a proven and easy process for finding and preparing your stories as well as tips on how to deliver your stories for the greatest impact.

Registration is limited to 20 participants per class. The $20 ticket covers the cost of the room rental and supplies, with the remainder going to York and Lancaster Story Slams.

Click here to register.

Truth Be Told

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on March 26 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Truth Be Told.

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 Truth Be Told?

Truth be Told, honesty may be the best policy, but it isn’t always the first option taken. Misdirection, given or received, may lead to stories of surprise parties, anger, betrayal, practical jokes. And every so often revelations sneak up on us, we are surprised to find opinions once voiced are now silenced, beliefs once held, abandoned, understandings now misunderstood. Truth be told, we want to hear your stories of misdirection, revelations, reconsiderations involving thoughts, actions, events, with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, pets, or wildlife.

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 Lost in Translation Story Slam

Congratulations to Cliff Lewis, who won our February story slam. The theme was Lost in Translation.

Cliff (right) is pictured here with with this month’s emcee, David Smith.

Cliff took home a prized Lancaster Story Slam pint glass and will compete in our 2024 Grand Slam on December 3.

Our next story slam is March 26 and the theme is Truth Be Told. Tickets are on sale now. We have been selling out every month, so get your tickets in advance before they’re gone.

Lost in Translation

Photo by Randy Flaum

We hope to see you on February 27 at 7 pm at Zoetropolis for this month’s story slam. The theme is Lost in Translation and David Smith will be our emcee for the evening.

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 Lost in Translation?

Misinterpretations can be the source of embarrassments, happy accidents, pain, suffering, confusion, and humor, in our relationships, at work, and during all our varied interactions with others throughout the day. What did you say or think you heard, that created a moment, a comment, a response that was Lost in Translation? Did you say yes to a question you didn’t fully understand and are now committed to a project, relationship, or responsibility you wanted out of? Were romantic expectations raised unintentionally by you, by another? Did you report to a job you hadn’t been hired for? Share the confusion, the humanity of what happens when what we say and hear are Lost in Translation at our February story slam.

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.