The inaugural Story Slam competition brought together a group of area writers to tell their stories, promising the prize of total glory to whoever brought the highest score from the panel of five judges.
Eight writers had five minutes to tell their tale. Going over the time limit meant a one point reduction. Going over a second limit of eight minutes caused a gong to ring and the story to be halted, though only the final writer ran up against this time limit. In the end, Dion Walker took home the “total glory” promised with his story, Eddie the Paratrooper, printed above.
This was Walker’s first time doing anything like a Story Slam, and he’s honored to have been picked by the panel to have had the best story of the evening.
While honored to get the top prize, Walker says that the best part of the evening was hearing everyone else’s stories and points of view.
“I know what I wrote, what about the other people, how do they see the world?”
The writers ranged from the very young to the elderly, and Walker views the number of kids reading their stories at the event as a positive sign.
“It was neat to see a lot of the young kids, the youth giving their hearts out.”
Walker admits that he hasn’t written much since his university days 20 years ago. The local teacher started to write a bit more over this summer, and the Story Slam might be the encouragement Walker needs to start writing again on a regular basis.
“Maybe I will start getting that creative bug biting, and get going again.”
Walker wants to participate again, and he will have a chance. The plan is to make the Story Slam an annual event.
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