SEASON FINALE
Saturday, June 14, “Into the Woods” Story SLAM at Lake Bemidji State Park Amphitheater
You never know what’ll happen when you go “INTO THE WOODS”…the theme for our Story SLAM season finale.
Dave Vance and his partner Becky were visiting Bemidji for the first time this weekend, driving up from the metro to soak in the natural wonders of Lake Bemidji State Park. What they found was an enchanting evening of collaborative, community-building storytelling in Watermark’s final Story Slam of the season! Dave, who had “never done anything like this before,” was inspired to take to the stage, where he won over the audience with his tale of giving a little red squirrel the ride of its life. He took home the first place prize of $200, and a new story to tell the folks back home!
MANY thanks to Lake Bemidji State Park, our LBSP Artist-in-Residence emcee Nicole Rojas-Oltmanns, all of our volunteer judges, our supportive audience and the TEN brave storytellers who performed for this very special evening! And most importantly, thanks to all of you who speak up for and support the arts in Northern Minnesota. We truly believe that these opportunities to share, connect and learn from each other are critical, today and every day. Three cheers to a WILDLY successful season – we will be back with more Spoken Word programming in the fall!
What Is a StorySLAM?
Read this fantastic article from the April 15, 2023 Bemidji Pioneer: “Stories to Share; Watermark’s StorySLAM sparks local interest in storytelling” by Daltyn Lofstrom of the Bemidji Pioneer
LISTEN: This special event brought to you by Watermark & KAXE/KBXE includes highlights from the Stay Human August 1, 2023 Story SLAM “Close to the Edge” performed live at Bemidji Brewing in Bemidji, Minnesota. Originally recorded and produced by Michael Goldberg for Northern Community Radio’s weekly mix of story and song, “Stay Human”, with support from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
We want to hear YOUR story.
Watermark’s StorySLAM Series celebrates community, connection and the transformative art of storytelling. We are pleased to bring you exciting evenings of dynamic live entertainment inspired by nationwide storytelling programs like “The Moth Radio Hour”.
Watermark StorySLAM events feature true personal stories, shared live from memory, in a friendly competition where anyone with a tale to tell is invited to take the stage. Performers are encouraged to consider the THEME of each event when crafting their story.
StorySLAM events are free to attend and perform at, and cash prizes are available! Storytellers are strongly encouraged to pre-register by calling 218-444-7570. Limited same-day signups may be available but are not guaranteed.
Regualr Story SLAMS are generally held at Bemidji Brewing, 211 America Ave NW, Bemidji, MN 56601
All experience levels are welcome and encouraged to perform. Same day sign-ups at 6:30. Call Watermark to pre-register. 218-444-7570.
- Storytellers are strongly encouraged to pre-register to perform. Events will each have 15 performance slots available. Same-day signups will be able to put their name in a hat, to be drawn from IF time allows (no guarantees)
- Stories must be true as remembered by the storyteller, told without notes or props
- All storytellers will be held to a five-minute maximum time limit
- Cash prizes will be awarded depending on availability. Scoring will be based on cumulative points awarded by five judges, selected from the audience.
Thank you to Bemidji Brewing for hosting Watermark’s Story SLAMS and to True North Health Care and Bemidji Area Arts Endowment for their contributions.
