Want to tell a story at the next Speak Up?

We have some exciting news for you in regards to our upcoming Speak Up storytelling events.

First, in case you haven’t marked your calendars, our next two events will take place on Saturday, September 28 and Saturday, November 9 at Real Art Ways in Hartford, Connecticut. Both events begin at 7:00 PM.

The format for the upcoming events consists of 8 storytellers who will each have up to 8 minutes to tell their stories on an assigned theme.

The theme for the upcoming shows are as follows:

The theme of the September 28 event is Schooled: Lessons Taught and Lessons Learned.

The theme for the November 9 event is Holidays and Celebrations.

Both events will be curated, meaning that we will be choosing storytellers who we believe are especially suited for each of these events, but we are looking to expand beyond our own circle of storytellers and invite newcomers to the stage for these events as well.

Here’s how it works:

For the next two Speak Up events, we hope to invite 2-4 newcomers to the stage to tell a story. If you would like to be one of these people, you need to send us an email describing the story you would like to tell. Tell us as much about the story as you’d like, but the more information we have, the easier it will be for us to make a decision.

If you have public speaking experience or any other qualities that make you an excellent choice for a Speak Up event, please include this information as well. We are anticipating a large response based upon feedback that we have received so far, so sell your story and yourself to us. Don’t be afraid to brag a bit. 

Please include a telephone number along with the description of your story as well. After we review all of the submissions, we will call back a handful of potential storytellers to discuss your story and ask any questions that we still have before making our final decision.

All we ask from you is a couple things:

1. If you’re not chosen for either of the two next events, please don’t give up. Pitch us a story again for a future event. We may simply not have room for the response that we receive. 
2. Please don’t be mean, rude or cruel to us if you are not chosen for an upcoming event. We have always envisioned Speak Up as a curated show made up of a combination of handpicked storytellers and new voices, but our ultimate goal is to ensure an entertaining night for our audience. Our decisions in terms if who will perform will be made with the audience in mind at all times. We are also not perfect. We may pass over the greatest storyteller of all time. Please excuse our imperfection. 

If you wish to submit your story for consideration, send an email to speakupstory@gmail.com.

The deadline for the September show is Saturday, August 24.

The deadline for the November show is Saturday, October 5.

We look forward to hearing about your stories and seeing you at our upcoming events!