Our theme for July is Fighting for Second Chances: stories of a community's effort to end death by incarceration for children. Our featured tellers will share their experiences of fighting for family members incarcerated as youth.
If you have a story about fighting for second chances that you would like to share, we invite you to put your name in to tell a 5-minute open mic story. Send your name to info@stoytellersofNewMexico, and a brief description of your story. You can also put your name in at the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Use this link to join, beginning at 6:45 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81375134847
Please note: July Stories at a Distance will be our last Zoom event. We're grateful to all of our storytellers and listeners who have joined us to connect and relate during quarantine. It has been a powerful and life-confirming event, and we are so happy that you were there to share it with us. We hold you in our hearts, forever.
And with social distancing coming to a slow end, we are excited to return to in-person events! Duke City Story Slam will return to Canteen Brewhouse in ABQ with a slightly new format on Tuesday, October 26th. We look forward to seeing all of our friends there, old and new! Please, keep an eye here on the STNM website and newsletter for more information.
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GUIDELINES FOR TELLERS
1. True Story
Names can be changed, but the story you tell needs to have actually happened.
2. Your Story
Not only did it happen, it happened to YOU! If your friend has a great story, it’s not yours to tell. You can encourage them to tell it, though, and what better way than to tell your story first!
3. No notes, props, or music
Stories are told, not read! So, no notes. And stories should speak for themselves without props or music ‐ if there’s a song that’s an important part of the story, sing/hum a bit of it or tell us the name if we’d recognize it, but don’t bust out your phone and put the actual song on.
4. No ‐isms will be tolerated
We strive to create a safe, inclusive and affirming community space to share our life experiences with one another. If a storyteller expresses oppressive views or derogatory language (racist, sexist, cissexist, heterosexist, classist, ableist, etc.) on the mic, they will be cut off mid‐story and not permitted to tell again in the future. Story is one of the most powerful tools available for building empathy and understanding across difference, so we hope that we are able to do just that.
5. Storytelling, not stand‐up
“It’s funny because it’s true” ‐ true stories can, and often are, funny! But don’t force the laughs using setups and punch lines ‐ just tell your story and the laughs will come organically.
6. Storytelling, not therapy
Telling a story can definitely be therapeutic, but the audience is not your therapist. A story has an arc (beginning, middle, and end) and is not a rambling list of experiences. Also, Tellers should check in with themselves about whether they have enough distance from what happened to be able to tell the story without being triggered or breaking down.
7. Stay within the time limit
Featured Tellers have 10 minutes and Open Mic Tellers have 5 minutes to tell their story. Our Timekeeper will periodically let Tellers know how much time they have left. We want to be sure we get to hear from all of our Tellers, so please be respectful of the time limit.
BASIC ZOOM ETIQUETTE TIPS!
• Try to avoid sitting in a place with strong light behind you
• Position your camera so it is stationary and shows your full face
• Eliminate/minimize background noise
• Mute yourself when you are not speaking
• You may rename yourself using your name and pronouns on the participant drop down list
• Sit close to the microphone on your device so you can be heard clearly – maybe prop a pillow behind you to reduce body movement
• Speak more slowly and clearly than when face-to-face in person
• Turn off video if you are leaving the room or need to move around
• Zoom participation can be tiring. Please be mindful of length of sharing time when giving feedback.
STORY CREATION TIPS*
Are you nervous about creating a personal tale? Here are a few simple “tips to help you tell the story you want to tell.”
• STORY OPENING: The story opening gives us the setting, the time, place & characters.
• PROBLEM/CONFLICT: What is the central problem or conflict in the story? What is the Most Important Thing?
• CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: What makes your character tick? Thoughts/feelings and motivations of your character(s)
• STORY EVENTS: Events lead up to the high point – the climax or high point of the story.
• PLOT RESOLUTION: How does the story unfold? The character(s) gain new insights from the events – show how they change and grow.
• THE END! Craft a last sentence that ties it all together – it may wrap back to the beginning – but brings the listener to a new place as well.
*Tips drawn from a workshop with former STNM board member and storyteller extraordinaire, Margaret Edmundson.