Storytelling is a timeless art that allows us to understand how much insects have to offer us. We tell stories to spread awareness, share laughs, spark creativity, and stretch our imagination. Our stories about insects allow us to open our eyes to their countless contributions that oftentimes go unnoticed.

Tell Your Story
What’s your story? Come out and share your best story about insects! From playing with insects to preventing those insects, how do insects inspire you to think about our interdependence with other species? We invite stories of getting dirty in the garden, finding an unexpected surprise in your food, or organizing around pesticide policy. There’s so much we can learn about biodiversity and pollination is pretty sexy, no? Together, let’s undermine their bad rep as “creepy crawlies” and show some love for the beauty of every one of their multiple eyes and legs. Any and all stories which explain how insects make you “bug out” are welcome! So why not perform your story for excellent cash and prizes?

Rules and Guidelines
Storytellers will sign-up at the beginning of the night and 10 names will be drawn at random from a box to tell a 5 minute story on the theme of the evening.

• Each of the 5 minute stories is judged by 5 judges on a scale of 1-10 on how well it is told, how well it is constructed, and how well the story (not just the title or punchline) explores, connects, and/or reveals something meaningful about the theme, as well as how well it honors the time limit. The bottom and top scores are discarded and the remaining three are averaged to get the final score.
• Conflict. Real stories have conflict. Stories at Def Story Slam must have conflict.
• Real stories have a beginning, middle, and end. And they have a point. You should be clear about why the story is important to you and why you want to tell it. Practice again and again to build confidence and focus. Make your story worth listening to!
• Five minutes means 5 minutes! A full point will be deducted if you use the entire 1 minute grace period to wrap up your story.
• Each story must be of the storyteller’s own construction. The judges and audiences are expecting personal narratives of your real life adventures.
• Poetry is not encouraged – unless the poem is original, 5 minutes long, and tells a story.
• The storyteller may not use props (including notes), costumes, or musical instruments. Your voice and body are instruments of your art. Use your voice, gesture, and movement to the best of your ability in the service of your story.
• Feel free to use the storytelling technique that gets your creative juices flowing. From monologue to dialogue, prequel to sequel, explore twists and turns that will excite, enlighten, and empower your audience.

For more information:
http://massmouth.ning.com/forum/topics/story-slam-rules-pr-what-is
http://www.snapfileshare.com/share/SteFoogle/Storytelling%20101.pdf