THINKING OUTSIDE THE VOX: FAU LAUNCHES STORYTELLING SLAMS

Get involved and have fun!

One of the hottest tickets in New York City has taken on a Florida flavor: the storytelling slam. VOX, a new offering from Florida Atlantic University's School of the Arts, is based on the more familiar concept of the poetry slam, a friendly competition of non-professionals who have something--often quite eloquent and entertaining--to say.

The first monthly event takes place Sunday, October 23, 8:30 p.m., at Dada Restaurant, 52 N. Swinton Avenue, one block north of Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. Future slams are scheduled at venues throughout South Florida, including nightclubs, shops, bookstores, private homes, and other locations. In addition, a young people's version will take place in libraries and community centers.

At a VOX event, anyone can sign up for a five-to-seven-minute performance slot. Judges from the audience rank the stories on a scale from 1 to 10. At the end of the evening, the winning storyteller and first-runner-up win $50 and $25 respectively in cash, gift certificates or other prizes.

VOX is modeled on storytelling slams held by the Moth, a highly successful New York City venture that is spawning similar events throughout the country. In the FAU approach, the emphasis is on participation from a diverse range of communities. VOX stands for vox populi, Latin for "voice of the people."

"VOX is great entertainment," says Susan Reilly, chair of the Department of Communication. "Everybody loves a good story. But equally important, it's about community engagement. It makes the point that everybody's story is valuable, that in a democracy, every voice must be heard."

Adds George Sparks, director of the School of the Arts, "I see VOX taking its place among the finest offerings of the School of the Arts. We value the contributions not only of professional performers, but also of the artists all around us: our neighbors, family and friends."

VOX is a program of The South Florida Storytelling Project, directed by Caren S. Neile, in the Department of Communication at FAU's College of Arts & Letters. Admission is free of charge. For more information, including slam rules and requests to host a VOX event in your location, call 561-297-3850 or e-mail cneile@fau.edu.

BACKGROUND

VOX: The Storytelling Slam as Creative Strategy
for Social Action

It is no accident of etymology that communication and community share a common root. After all, for Aristotle, a state is a community bonded by the communication of the various perspectives of its members.

As one of the oldest forms of communication, storytelling holds a privileged position in the maintenance and regeneration of community. This is due to at least three factors: (1) Since earliest times, the storyteller has been the community's sacred repository of history, genealogy, and the primary tools of acculturation, (2) narrative thought is a reflection and expression of ethos, and (3) folklore represents the confluence of communal tradition and individual innovation.

With this in mind, VOX takes its place as a new storytelling initiative of the Department of Communication and School of the Arts at Florida Atlantic University. It is the latest offering in a growing movement in storytelling, the public slam, or friendly performance competition. The storytelling slam was brought to national prominence by the Moth, a highly successful New York City-based organization now in its seventh year.

Unlike the Moth, however, which tends to showcase young, middle class artists and performers, VOX, short for Vox Populi, is based not only on the concept of personal artistic expression, but also on community engagement and participatory democracy. By sharing the stories of their lives, a broad spectrum of the public will take a creative role in the life of the community, whether by maintaining the status quo or through the expression of subversive ideas. In either case, VOX underscores the notion that speaking truth to power begins, ultimately, not only with the discovery of one's voice, but also with the recognition that we all have something to say.



VOX STORYTELLING SLAM RULES

1) Know your time. Stories must be five-to-seven minutes long. You will get a six-minute warning. After seven minutes, you will be asked to leave the stage.

2) Know your audience. In the adult slams, we welcome G, PG, and R-rated stories, as long as they are told with some measure of taste and dignity. Think primetime network TV (except more entertaining).

3) Arrive early. But don't worry: If you miss your chance to sign up for a slot one night, you will have more opportunities in the future.

4) Practice your story in front of others. We want our performers to be comfortable on stage and well-rehearsed.

5) Do not memorize your story. Storytelling is not like theater. Know your story well, but don't learn it word-for-word.

6) Make sure it's a story. A story has a beginning, middle and end. It takes place at a particular time and place, with specific characters, dialogue and plot. Your story can be humorous, sad, exciting, poignant or something in between. But it must be (more or less) true.

7) Consider taking a storytelling class or workshop. This is not mandatory for participation, but will give you valuable insights and experience.

8) Ask us. If you have any questions about your story, storytelling classes or VOX in general, e-mail cneile@fau.edu or call 561-297-0042.

******9) Register. Please let us know ahead of time that you wish to participate. E-mail cneile@fau.edu or call 561-297-0042.