2020 Series Begins January 21

We had a great evening at our Grand Slam in November, and now we're excited to kick off our fifth season of live storytelling.

We've gotten the green light from Holy Hound Taproom to take over their back room again on the third Tuesday of the month in 2020 and we've selected our themes for the year. 

Our first Story Slam of the year is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21. The theme is BEST DAY EVER and Philip Given will be our MC. We want to hear your stories of monumental occasions, times when everything has gone your way, or your most epic unexpected positive experiences. However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories.

We are also pleased to announce that tickets for our January event will be FREE once again this year, thanks to the Cultural Alliance of York County. The Cultural Alliance will host their fourth annual CelebrateARTS week of free cultural events January 19-25 to show the importance and impact that high quality arts experiences have on the health and vibrancy of our community. As part of this weeklong celebration, the Cultural Alliance will foot the bill for tickets to the January 21 York Story Slam.

You still have to reserve your tickets, but they are FREE. We often sell out when tickets are NOT free, so we expect them to go fast. Get yours now before they're gone.

No Regrets

Maddie Crocenzi

Congratulations to Mina Edmondson, who won our 2019 Grand Slam. Mina competed with the other winners from this year's monthly open mic story slams and earned the title of Best Storyteller in York. The theme for the evening was NO REGRETS.

Mina is pictured here with our Master of Ceremonies, 2016 Grand Slam champion Brad Jennings.

Watch all the videos from the Grand Slam here.

In the meantime, we'd like to extend huge thanks to KBG Injury Law for sponsoring this year's Grand Slam. We are also grateful to work with an excellent team of vendors throughout the year to produce our events and archive the stories: our photographers - most frequently, Maddie Crocenzi; sound guy/audio engineer extraordinaire Logan Summey of Rock Mill Industries; videographer Randy Flaum; and Carla at Wilson Media Services, who produces our monthly podcast (subscribe for free in iTunes!). We also thank Holy Hound Taproom for giving us a home throughout the year and Appell Center for the Performing Arts for making it possible for us to host our Grand Slam in such a beautiful space.

Thank you to everyone who showed up this year to listen, and everyone who bravely put their names into the hat to share stories. As we shared at the Grand Slam, there were more than 100 names in the hat this year, and nearly 500 since we began in 2016. We are honored to provide a space for people to share true, personal stories.

We won’t have a story slam event in December – we'll be busy planning for next year. We'll continue to host our monthly events on the third Tuesday of the month at Holy Hound in 2020.

Maddie Crocenzi

Tricks and Treats

Maddie Crocenzi

Our theme this month was TRICK OR TREAT. We heard 11 stories - stories of Halloween pranks, non-Halloween pranks, ghosts, and delightful treats. Randy Parker won with his story about trying to scare a high school date with a ghost story.

Randy is pictured here with this month's host, William Whitney. Randy won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned the final spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

We announced the theme for our 2019 Grand Slam: NO REGRETS.  We're excited to once again host it in the beautiful Capitol Theatre on November 19. Our MC for the evening will be our 2016 Grand Slam champion, Brad Jennings. We are grateful for generous support from our sponsor, KBG Injury Law, as well as the Appell Center for Performing Arts. 

Tickets are on sale now.

Survey Says...

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our September story slam was FAMILY FEUD. We heard stories of grudges, divorces, and deaths in the family, and even one about punching a rabbi. Ted Elicker won with his story about the time he accidentally auditioned for a gameshow.

Ted, our reigning Grand Slam champion, is pictured here with this month's host, Rita Whitney. He won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November, where he’ll defend his title of Best Storyteller in York.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our October story slam are on sale now.  The theme is TRICK OR TREAT. At the end of the evening, we'll be announcing the theme for our Grand Slam in November. Our events typically sell out in advance, and October is always packed, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Wild and Precious Life

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our August story slam was INTO THE WILD. We heard stories of hiking, biking, and swimming in the wilderness, facing fears, and navigating dangerous situations in remote locations. Ash DeVoe won with her story about an unusual outdoor portrait session.

Ash is pictured here with this month's host, Randy Bucksner. She won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our September story slam are on sale now.  The theme is FAMILY FEUD. Our events typically sell out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Come On and Work It On Out

Ty Lohr

The theme for our July story slam was WORK IT OUT. We heard stories of riding out changes in the workplace, facing adversity, conflict resolution, and perseverance.

Randy Bucksner won with his story about the unexpected horrors of caring for young grandchildren.

Randy is pictured here with this month's host, Christina Kauffman. Randy won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our August story slam are on sale now.  The theme is INTO THE WILD. Our events typically sell out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

We Are What We Remember

Ty Lohr

The theme for our June story slam was MEMORY LANE. We heard stories of a grandmother with Alzheimer’s losing her memory, an oral history project that connected one of our storytellers with his great-grandfather, and memories of working for a family business.

Mark Lentz won with his story of his favorite high school teacher, who left a lasting impression on him.

Mark is pictured here with this month's host, Carter Grimm. Mark won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our July story slam are on sale now.  The theme is WORK IT OUT. All our events so far in 2019 have sold out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Finders, Keepers

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our May story slam was LOST AND FOUND. We heard stories of losing track of people, losing track of animals, lost items, and getting lost in the wilderness.

Christina Kauffman won with her story about changes to her diet and changes to her preferences and life.

Christina is pictured here with this month's host, Frank Melvin. Chris won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our June story slam are on sale now.  The theme is MEMORY LANE. All our events so far in 2019 have sold out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Racing and Pacing and Plotting the Course

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our April story slam was GOING THE DISTANCE. We heard stories of great physical distances traveled, geographic distances that felt hopelessly far, and two pregnancy and delivery stories.

Ty Lohr won with his story about the first road trip he and his friend took as adults.

Ty is pictured here with this month's host, Meagan Given. Ty won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our May story slam are on sale now.  The theme is LOST AND FOUND. Our first four events in 2019 have sold out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

And Then the Clouds Parted...

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our March story slam was SILVER LININGS. We heard stories of falling short then seeing the light, positive takeaways from hardships and major life events, and even one story about a pie contest. Angela Marick won with her story about a turning point in her formerly "vanilla" life.

Angela is pictured here with this month's host, David Smith. Angela won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here. (We recommend having a box of tissues within reach; the stories this month were a bit heavier than usual, and it was an emotional ride.)

Tickets for our April story slam are on sale now.  The theme is GOING THE DISTANCE. Our first three events in 2019 have sold out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Of Algorithms and Gut Feelings

Maddie Crocenzi

The theme for our February story slam was BAD DATES. We heard stories of bad matches, bad behavior, and meeting the parents (sometimes way too soon), and Mina Edmondson won with her story about the life lesson she took away from several dates with a man she met on Match.com.

Mina is pictured here with this month's host, Matt McDunnell. Mina won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our March story slam are on sale now and going fast. The theme is SILVER LININGS. Our last few events have sold out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

Determined and Resolute

Caleb Robertson

The theme for our first story slam of 2019 was RESOLUTIONS. We heard a lot of stories about promises people have made to themselves, and Matt McDunnell won with his story about his college scriptwriting class.

Matt is pictured here with this month's host, Philip Given. Matt won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned the first spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Thanks again to the Cultural Alliance of York County for making the January event free to attendees as part of this year’s CelebrateARTS Week.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our February story slam are on sale now. The theme is BAD DATES. Our events often sell out in advance, so we recommend getting your tickets now!

2019 Series Begins January 15

Maddie Crocenzi

We had a great evening at our Grand Slam in November, and now we're excited to kick off our fourth season of live storytelling.

We've gotten the green light from Holy Hound Taproom to take over their back room again on the third Tuesday of the month in 2019 and we've selected our themes for the year. 

Our first Story Slam of the year is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, and the theme is RESOLUTIONS. We want to hear your stories of New Year’s promises to yourself, goals, decisions, solutions, and determination. However you interpret this month's theme, we look forward to hearing your true stories.

We are also pleased to announce that tickets for our January event will be FREE once again this year, thanks to the Cultural Alliance of York County. The Cultural Alliance will host their second annual “CelebrateARTS” week of free cultural events January 13-19 to show the importance and impact that high quality arts experiences have on the health and vibrancy of our community. As part of this weeklong celebration, the Cultural Alliance will foot the bill for tickets to the January 15 York Story Slam.

You still have to reserve your tickets, but they are FREE. We often sell out when tickets are NOT free, so we expect them to go fast. Get yours now before they're gone.

A Satisfying End to Another Season of Stories

Maddie Crocenzi

Congratulations to Ted Elicker, winner of our 2018 Grand Slam. Ted competed with the other winners from this year's monthly open mic story slams and earned the title of Best Storyteller in York. The theme for the evening was SATISFACTION.

Ted is pictured here with our Master of Ceremonies, 2016 Grand Slam champion Brad Jennings.

Watch all the videos from the Grand Slam here.

We are grateful to work with an excellent team of vendors to produce our events and archive the stories: our photographers - most recently, Maddie Crocenzi; sound guy/audio engineer extraordinaire Logan Summey of Third Leg Audio; videographer Randy Flaum; and Carla at Wilson Media Services, who produces our monthly podcast (subscribe for free in iTunes!). We also thank Holy Hound Taproom for giving us a home throughout the year and Appell Center for the Performing Arts for making it possible for us to host our Grand Slam in such a beautiful space.

Thank you to everyone who showed up this year to listen, and everyone who bravely put their names into the hat to share stories. Storytelling is a wonderful way to get to know others in your community; to uncover things you have in common with your neighbors, and to recognize and understand our differences.

We won’t have a story slam event in December – we'll be busy planning for next year. We'll continue to host our monthly events on the third Tuesday of the month at Holy Hound in 2019. Please block it out on your calendar and make sure you’re on our email list (click on the Contact tab above to subscribe) and following us on social media so we can keep you in the loop when we announce the themes for next year.

Maddie Crocenzi

That's Gonna Leave A Mark

Maddie Crocenzi

Our theme this month was SCARS. We heard 12 stories - stories of actual physical scars, emotional scars, and even one very recent injury that promises to be a future scar. Kevin Reinmiller won with his story about waking up the morning after a party.

Kevin is pictured here with this month's host, AJ Myers. Kevin won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned the final spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

We announced the theme for our 2018 Grand Slam: SATISFACTION.  We're excited to once again host it in the beautiful Capitol Theatre on November 20. Our MC for the evening will be our 2016 Grand Slam champion, Brad Jennings. Tickets are on sale now.

I Guess This is Growing Up

Maddie Crocenzi

This month's theme was #adulting. We heard stories about having to act like a grownup for the first time, figuring out a career path, and learning to shop like an adult. In the end we had a tie - Susan Crawford, with her story about how her perspective on her father shifted, and Ted Elicker, who talked about what it means to be the adult in a relationship.

Susan and Ted are pictured here with this month's host, Matt McDunnell. They each won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our October story slam are on sale now. The theme is SCARS, and it will be our last regular-season event of 2018. We’ll announce the theme for our Grand Slam that evening. Our events often sell out in advance, so get your tickets now! 

Brush with Fame

Jeff Lautenberger

This month's theme was I'm Your Biggest Fan. We heard stories about trying to keep calm while meeting lifelong idols, family heroes, and getting recognized as a local celebrity. In the end we had a tie - Eileen Joyce, with her story about getting to know and love a new hometown, and Melissa Snavely, who shared a story about auditioning for the lead in her high school musical.

Eileen and Melissa are pictured here with this month's host, Carter Grimm. They each won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our September story slam are on sale now. Our events often sell out in advance, so get your tickets now! The theme is #adulting, and Matt McDunnell will be our host for the evening.

Hot Mess

Jeff Lautenberger

Our theme this month was Hot Mess. We heard stories about gastrointestinal distress, school dances, demoralizing jobs, and an oven catching on fire. Brian Spence won with his story about a day when he doubted himself. 

Brian is pictured here with this month's host, Jason Plotkin. He won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our August story slam are on sale now. Our events often sell out in advance, so get your tickets now! The theme is I'm Your Biggest Fan, and Carter Grimm will be our host for the evening.

Red-Handed, Down and Out

Paul Chaplin

Our theme this month was Busted. We heard stories about being found out, things getting broken, and even two stories about getting caught urinating in public by the police. Sarah Doherty won with her story about her brother getting away with things throughout high school.

Sarah is pictured here with this month's host, Sarah Chain. She won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our July story slam are on sale now. Our events often sell out in advance, so get your tickets now! The theme is Hot Mess, and Jason Plotkin will be our host for the evening.

Taking the Scenic Route

Jeff Lautenberger

Our theme this month was Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. We heard stories about travel, transportation, and the lessons learned from both. Sarah Chain won with her story about becoming a pro at handling car accidents.

Sarah is pictured here with this month's host, Phil Broder. Sarah won an exclusive York Story Slam journal from our friends at Story Supply Co. and earned a spot in our Grand Slam in November.

Watch videos of all the stories from that night here.

Tickets for our June story slam are on sale now. Our events usually sell out in advance, so get your tickets now! The theme is Busted.