The Bahamas has a history of open mic nights and poetry slams inviting Bahamians to express themselves, but a new event starting this month has one request: Stories only, please.
For the Illiterati Story Slam—a monthly event starting this Friday, January 31st—storytellers will take to the stage to share tales under a chosen theme for the top prize. Monthly winners will face off in a final slam in November, with the ultimate winner walking away with a book deal.
Though the story slam is a competition, creator of the event, Orchid Burnside, points out that the event allows Bahamians to gather and pay tribute to the Bahamian cultural tradition of storytelling.
“People have often said again and again that Bahamians are storytellers,” says Burnside. “One of the great things about coming from the oral tradition is that it was such a powerful tool for community-building and I think if we already innately have this gift, we should be honing it and connecting with each other through our stories.” "The timing is perfect—people want to share their stories, they want their stories to be heard, and we are just providing the platform for this to take place,” she adds.
Burnside, along with co-organizer Sonia Farmer, used to attend story slams by a not-for-profit organization called The Moth in New York City. The evenings paid tribute to the age-old craft of storytelling and allowed people to share and connect with one another based on their embellished life experiences.
Though open mic nights have popped up round Nassau, the pair yearned for a space specifically carved out for stories, something that would jumpstart a literary revolution for contemporary Bahamian writers and performers.
“The unique thing about a story slam, specifically one with a theme, is that you can focus it much more,” says Burnside. “People know exactly what it is that they are coming to do and hear and experience. I think that even for writers, the story is more universally accepted than poetry because it is easier for people to approach it, understand it, connect with it and appreciate it.”
Often working together on projects under Farmer’s printing press, Poinciana Paper Press, the pair decided to name the story slam after a running joke based on their occasional printing typos. “These days it seems people have forgotten how to write in full, grammatically correct sentences, so the Illiterati is a joke that pays tribute to the few proud people who do things like spell out complete words in their informal text message exchanges, and take a red pen to most emails,” says Farmer.
“We’re in the minority—so we joke that it’s like a semi-secret society, always aware of the power of language and how it is being misused everyday.” Just like its name suggests, the Illiterati Story Slam hopes to bring language and Bahamian literature back into the spotlight. The event, which will take place on the last Friday of every month, will present a new theme for the stories.
Kicking it off under the spell of a new year, January’s theme is “Metamorphosis: Stories About Change”. Participants who wish to sign up can do so when they arrive at 6pm at Doongalik Studios on Village Road. Drinks will be available for purchase and DJ Ampero will be providing live music to compliment the storytellers.
The best pieces of advice the pair can give prospective performers for the event is to be prepared, to keep it under the ten-minute limit (they will play you off the stage and you will be disqualified) and to write from experience in a way that cleverly speaks to the chosen theme of change. “A good story is something that changes the writer and listener at the same time—so much so that they carry a piece of the story with them long after the event is over and return to it occasionally, and upon every return, can take away something new,” says Farmer.
For Burnside, one of the most memorable stories she ever heard came from a comedian who told the tale of a man leading two lives: one where he made people laugh in his comedic profession, and one where he struggles to come to terms with his daughter’s cancer. The resolve transformed her and the audience.
“Don’t be afraid to share and get raw,” adds Burnside. “We aren’t saying you need to cry to make the story powerful, but don’t tell a story that wastes “We’re in a time where we absorb so much content in social media from around the world, and we want to know powerful stories about other people, so why aren’t we doing it for each other?”
The first Illiterati Story Slam under the theme “Metamorphosis: Stories About Change” takes place Friday January 31 at 6pm at Doongalik Studios on Village Road. There are twelve spots at ten minutes each given on a first-come basis to the event. It is open and free to the public. For more information, find the story slam on Facebook at www.facebook.com/illiteratibs or email illiteratibahamas@gmail.com.
Story by: Sonia Farmer
Originally Published by:
The Nassau Guardian
