Story Slam! | Ojai Story Fest

Third Annual Story Slam!

Theme:

Heritage

Story Slam Rules

Rules for Entry: Ojai Story Fest’s Third Annual Story Slam!
Deadline 11:59pm September 15th!

Theme: HERITAGE

Anyone age 16 and over can enter – all you need is a little bit of courage and a TRUE, ten-minute story that suits this year’s theme, HERITAGE.

To enter, call 805.669.6842* and record up to 2-minutes of your story. Do not play a recording into the phone. You must tell your story to the voicemail. Please include your email address, phone number and full name in the voicemail. All entries will be judged by a panel and six will be selected to perform at the Ojai Storytelling Festival on Thursday, October 23. Those selected to perform will receive a weekend pass to the Ojai Storytelling Festival!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your story must connect to the theme HERITAGE in some way. You do not need to say the word ‘HERITAGE’ in your story, but you do need to connect your story to the idea. Use your imagination in how to interpret the theme.
True, original stories only. Names can be changed but the story must have happened to you.
Contestants must be at least 16 years old.
Stories must be told, not read. No notes, props, or music. This means your story must be memorized.
Stories must adhere to a 10 minute limit.
Content must be suitable for a general audience, ages 13 and up.
Professional storytellers who have been Featured at past Ojai Storytelling Festivals are not eligible to enter.
Be sure it’s a story with a beginning, middle and end, and not a joke or anecdote.
No “isms” will be tolerated-The Ojai Storytelling Festival strives 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 OSF 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 differences, so we hope that OSF is able to do just that.
You’ll be notified if you’ve been chosen for the Slam by October 1st.

PRIZES
First place: $200
Second place: $100
Third place: $50

TO ENTER
You can enter by calling 805.613.7654* and leaving a 2 minute excerpt of your story on the voicemail. Do not play a recording into the phone! Stories must be spoken live into the voicemail. Make sure the excerpt conveys how your story will relate to the theme “COMMUNITY.”

Please include your full name, email address, and phone number in the voicemail.

Deadline to enter is 11:59PM September 15th. You’ll be notified by October 1st by email if you’re in the top six.

REMEMBER!
It is a competition – and if you are selected to tell your story at the Festival, you’ll only have ten minutes at the mic to wow the judges. You will be judged on your performance, how well the story is crafted, its connection to the theme, and adherence to the 10-minute time limit. Please remember you do not have to say the theme “HERITAGE” in your story; it only needs to be implied. Be creative!

*This line will only be used for story slam entries. For questions please call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org

We can't wait to hear your stories!

Last Year's Finalists

AJ Millard is a native Texan turned Angelino dramedy and genre writer who brings heart and oddity into everything she writes. Her writing involves not only film but also video games and animation. She recently wrote on the dating sim video game Maelstrom Masquerade available to play for free now on itch.io. Her short film Pappy Hour is available on Omeleto, and her new sci-fi short, Fractal, just premiered at Laemmle Theaters in Glendale.

AJ Millard

1968, what a year it was to arrive here! Nurtured by two mothers, India and America, a citizen of the Atlantic. Two imperfect mothers, blessing an imperfect son. From the corporate corridors after 36 years to run schools for children sentenced to slums. I was them, once. Suffer the children to come unto you; they will create the kingdom of heaven for themselves and you. They have, for me, in India and here, since 2004. Transforming themselves, making an unjust world, slightly less so. I write in three languages - plays, poetry, memoir, stories; I act, I try to make people laugh; laughter is like love, only with less pain, and we can do it together"

GK Jayaram

Daniel Wilson

Daniel Wilson was born 22 blue moons ago in Yosemite National Park and began collecting adventures at a very young age. He enrolled in his first storytelling class just two years ago as a gift to himself after eight years of caregiving for his parents. Since then he has told stories about cowboy boots, circus elephants, slow boats in China & being a street harm reductionist in San Francisco. He has served on civil grand juries, supports the Southern Sierra Miwuk nation & can be found monthly at "the Alley" in Mariposa sharing new stories with the local storytelling committee story swaps.

Blue ribbon with stars_edited_edited.png

2024

3rd Place
Winner

Jonathan Tipton Meyers

Jonathan Tipton Meyers is a native New Yorker and self-proclaimed "Pizza Rat." He’s performed on various-sized stages in NYC anmd LA and various-sized screens for ABC, NBC, FOX, Lifetime. His solo show "We Are Traffic: an UBER Adventure" was featured on KPCC and hailed by "The Scotsman," "The Guardian" and "The Times of London" at last year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

2024
2nd Place
Winner

Kona Morris

Kona Morris is a writer, storyteller, comedian, and educator. She has won The Moth StorySLAM in both New York City and Los Angeles, and she has been featured on national podcasts such as RISK!, AITApod, and It's Funny Now. Kona starred in Denver's Live Drunk History Comedy Troupe, and she was Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fast Forward Press. Her stories, articles, and prose poems have appeared in a variety of publications, and she has performed at literary readings, writing conferences, storytelling events, and comedy shows around the world. Kona is currently working on a solo show about the five years she spent living in a remote native village north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. She runs storytelling mics and workshops in L.A. and online. Visit KonaMorris.com for more info!

2024
1st Place
Winner

Jon Cotham

Jon’s been telling stories since he learned to talk, some of them true, some not.

Born in Hollywood, he grew up a “Valley Boy”, getting into all sorts of mischief across Los Angeles county.

He loves to travel, and in his younger days, that included hitch hiking the west coast from California to Washington State and down throughout Mexico.

As an avid surfer he’s always looking to surf new locations while traveling.

Currently he’s in love with exploring Europe.

These days he likes to tell true stories, based on family, friends, and the many adventures he’s had. He believes every day is an opportunity to have a new adventure and create a new story!