On the third Wednesday of every month: Edmonton Story Slam hosts an open mic storytelling competition open to anyone age 18+ with a five-minute story to share. Up to 10 storytellers compete; and the winner gets the cash collected from passing the hat around the audience at intermission. Events take place at the 9910 bar, below The Common.

Come tell a story or just enjoy the show

The storytellers are everyone. They are you. They are accountants who want to write a sci-fi thriller. They are aspiring novelists who want to test their material. They are potential playwrights. They are oil field workers, retirees, writers and frontline workers. The organizers welcome one and all to be part of this community.

5 minutes, 10 storytellers, total glory

You may be familiar with poetry slams, but story slams are different in that stories should have a beginning, middle and end. This is a friendly competition and storytellers can tell any sort of story, but they ask that stories do not contain hateful content and are respectful. Stories can be read or memorized – it can be non-fiction or fiction, or a bit of both. Winners are selected by a panel of five judges selected at random from the audience. The events often have a theme – you can check out the upcoming month’s theme here.

“We try to be an inviting environment for everyone to be here, whether you are a corporate lawyer that wants to write on the side or whether you’re a professional writer that would like to get more practice writing. We do have professional writers that come. But it could be someone else that wins. We don’t know. So, it’s all very exciting.”

– Alison Hagan, Edmonton Story Slam Board Chair, from an interview with go! Edmonton

There are no tickets required to attend, and they’ll never ask you for money prior to the event. When you come that evening, they’ll ask for a C$5.00 registration fee from the storytellers for administration purposes and then pass the hat to audience members during intermission for the winner (suggested donation C$5.00). You can also expect beverages, great atmosphere, language and content warnings, and a menu from The Common.

 

Want to read all the fine print? Here are the rules:

• Five-minute story. After 5 minutes, there will be a penalty. After 7 minutes, there will be a gong.
• Sign up in person the evening of the event with the host table.
• No props.
• Story must be original, unpublished and not a repeat.
• You can read from a script or tell a story.
• Names are drawn for order of storytelling.
• If more than 10 people sign up, the first 10 storytellers drawn from the hat will be able to compete. This is a lottery draw and there is no guarantee you’ll be able to tell your story if more than 10 people sign up.
• No registrations are allowed after the show starts at 7:30 PM MT, even if less than 10 storytellers.
• There are five random audience judges. Organizers pick them at the beginning of the evening.
• Judges score 1 to 10, with one decimal point. The highest score and the lowest score are eliminated, and the three middle numbers are added up. Judges give their scores after each storyteller.
• Hat is passed at intermission. All donated money goes to the winner.
• The highest score of the evening wins the pot.

See the full rules & FAQs here.

 

About Edmonton Story Slam

Launched in February 2006, and officially becoming a not-for-profit organization in 2008, Edmonton Story Slam is a grassroots organization run by volunteers who love stories. Their mandate is to provide a welcoming environment for writers to share their creative work.

(Photo credits: Edmonton Story Slam.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Edmonton Story Slam 

Type of event: open mic storytelling competition

Event host: TBA (each session will have a different host, selected by the Board) – Event hosts are seasoned storytellers selected by the Story Slam Board. If you’re interested in hosting, please contact the Board: edmontonstoryslam@gmail.com.

Date: Third Wednesday of every month (e.g., the next events for this winter will be December 17, 2025 & January 21, 2026)

Start time: Stories start at 7:30 PM MT, with storyteller sign-up from 7:00 – 7:30 PM (come to the table at the front to sign up)

Duration: TBA (recurring event)

Cost: Cash, paid on the night of the event.

• Storytellers: C$5.00 registration fee
• Audience: Suggested donation C$5.00 (no admission fee – they’ll pass the hat during intermission to collect prize money for the winner)

Location: 9910, 9910B 109 Street, Edmonton, AB, T5K 1H5, Canada (located below The Common)

Video: Scroll down to watch the go! Edmonton piece about Edmonton Story Slam, including storytelling excerpts, and interviews with storytellers, Story Slam Board Chair Alison Hagan and audience members.

Contact details: Edmonton Story Slam; edmontonstoryslam@gmail.com, edmontonstoryslam.com

 

Content warning: For those age 18+, no minors allowed. Adult language and content – details TBA at each event.

Accessibility: Please contact the organizer (see email above).