Our storytelling friend in Phoenix, Mark Goldman, is launching a new event, The Great Arizona Story Slam, on Friday the 13th at the Doubletree Suites, Atrium Lounge at 44th and Van Buren.

For those of you who many not know, a story slam is a contest where people tell short personal stories on a theme in hopes of winning a prize.  The fun takes place in a public venue with an audience and the tellers sign up at the door for a chance to compete.  Story slams are all over the country, from coast to coast.  Be on the lookout, Tucson will have a story slam soon!

The website describes a slam:

• A story slam is a contest where people tell real stories from their lives.
• No notes, no costumes, no props, no music…just the STORY.
• There is a “theme” for each show.
• Names are drawn from a hat at the begining of the show.
• There are a maximum of ten tellers.
• Each story is five minutes or less in length.
• A prize is awarded to the Judges’ Choice of Best Teller.
• A prize is awarded to the People’s Choice of the remaining tellers.

and tells the rules:

• Real Stories – All stories must be true, personal stories. 

  • Retelling any folktale, myth or fable is not permitted.
  • Retelling of literary works or someone else’s tale is not permitted.
  • Copyright laws apply.
• No Additional Aids – The storyteller may not use written notes, props, costumes, or musical instruments.
• No Poems - unless the poem is original and tells a story.
• Theme – Your story (not just the title or “punch line”) should connect in a meaningful way to the theme.
• Time – 5 minutes means…5 minutes. There is a 60 second grace period to wind up.Going over 6 minutes disqualifies the teller.
• Judging – Each story is judged on: 

  • How well it is crafted.
  • How well it is told.
  • How well the story explores, connects and/or reveals some truth about the theme.
• Disregard for any of the rules disqualifies the teller

For more information contact Info@AZStorySlam.com, 602-390-3858.

Performance artist Laura Milkins and writer Anne Greenawalt are both hitting the road to collect stories.

Laura’s project, Walking Home Stories, is a 2000 mile trek from her home in Tucson, Arizona to her mother’s house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She’s leaving on May 1. She says, “I plan to walk the entire distance, inviting people to walk with me and share a story as I make my way across the country. Each night I will stay in someone’s home and cook dinner and breakfast for them, in exchange for their hospitality.” You can follow her on her Facebook page Walking Home.

Anne and her mother are traveling across the country in The Daughter Project. She says, “I want to discover the stories of mother-daughter duos across the nation as well as explore my relationship with my own mother. My mom and I will traverse the nation via Amtrak to meet with other mother-daughter duos and conduct in-depth interviews with these women.” Anne and her mom will be in Tucson on May 19-20.

You can contact the artists through their websites if you would like to be involved in their projects.  Following are their impressive bios:

Laura Milkins co-organized a cross-cultural art festival called Arizona Between Nosotros: artists from Mexico respond in video and performance. In 2009 she completed a Fulbright scholarship for her performance Walking Stories: Mexico. She received her MFA at the University of Arizona in 2008, a Post Baccalaureate Certification in 1996 and a Diploma in 2000 from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1993 with Bachelors of Arts in Fine Art. Since 1993, she has shown her work in Boston, Portland, ME, Grand Rapids, MI, Tucson, Phoenix, Oaxaca, Mexico and Mexico City. Prior to settling in Arizona, Laura traveled to Europe, Asia, and South America, documenting the experience through email with text and drawings. Laura has worked in a variety of mediums from traditional painting and drawing to sculpted mattresses and online performance art. Her current work seeks to create community and engagement by involving the viewer in the art making process.

Anne Greenawalt is a writer specializing in literary fiction and nonfiction with an emphasis on feminism and women’s sports and cultures.  Her collection of short stories called Growing Up Girl won runner-up in a national competition that resulted in its publication.  The Daughter Project is one of her current writing endeavors.