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2026 Story Slam
7th Annual Story Slam
Do you have a story only you can tell? Vietnamese Boat People is back at the Think!Chinatown Studio for their 7th Annual Story Slam—an evening of live storytelling, community, and connection. Starting as the Mỹ Việt Story Slam, an online performance focusing on stories from the Vietnamese diaspora, this collaboration with Think!Chinatown features in-person live performances
welcoming storytellers from any culture.
This year’s theme: Code-Switch
Maybe it's the word that only exists in your native language, the one you've never found a real translation for. Maybe it's your name — shortened, softened, anglicized, or swapped out entirely just to make a Tuesday easier — and you're still not sure how you feel about that trade.
This year's Story Slam theme is about living between two languages — the mistranslations, the code-switching, the words that don't survive the crossing, and get lost or found somewhere in between. It's about the moment someone gets something wrong — your name, your meaning, your joke — and you let it slide, or the moment you didn't. It's about the words, names, and phrases that somehow still trigger something in you, no matter which language you're standing in.
If this has happened to you or someone you know, we want to hear it. However you say your name or choose to be called — and whatever it took to get through life code-switching — come tell us the story behind it.
Storytellers of all backgrounds are invited to step up to the mic and share their stories in front of a live audience.
Want to participate? Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Is there a joke, saying, or expression that only lands in one language — and falls flat (or means something totally different) in the other?
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A name given at birth vs. the name adopted later — what happened in between?
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Shortening, anglicizing, or hiding part of your name to make life easier — how did that happen?
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Reclaiming a name later in life — going back to the "harder" pronunciation on purpose — how did that feel?
Key Dates
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Submissions are OPEN from August 15th - September 30th, 2026. Submit your story HERE.
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Story Jam + Open House: TBD September 2026, hosted by Think!Chinatown, 1 Pike Street, New York City
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Live Story Slam Event: TBD October 2026, hosted by Think!Chinatown
Guidelines for Submissions
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Theme: Code-switch – Stories of language, names, translation, belonging, and everything lost or found in between — whether your own, your family’s, or those passed down across generations.
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Format: Spoken-word only. No reading from a script. We want to hear your story, live and direct.
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Length: 3 minutes max (about 400 words). Keep it tight, focused, and unforgettable.
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Style: True, personal stories told from the heart. We welcome every tone and style — heartwarming, humorous, dramatic, suspenseful, or anything in between.
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Age: Participants of all generations are welcome. Minimum age requirement is 18 years old.
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Attendance: If selected, you must be available to attend the live story slam event in Oct 2026.
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Terms & Conditions: Accepting the terms and conditions are required at the time of submission.
How It Works
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Submit your story draft (no more than 400 words) and a sample video or audio clip (phone recordings are fine).
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Five storytellers will be chosen for the live event and awarded $250 each for their bravery, a gift bag of goodies from our sponsors, and bragging rights!
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Selected storytellers will also receive feedback from our team to help polish their delivery and get stage-ready.
How can I help support the event?
This is a community-driven storytelling event and we would love your help to promote awareness! Please feel free to repost any of the annoucements on our social media accounts. The success of this event depends on the support of sponsors and community partners. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact us for details. VBP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.
Thank you to our Story Slam Supporters
Want to support the story slam? Currently seeking sponsors for this year's Story Slam.
Contact us to learn more sponsorship opportunities.
Presenting Sponsor
Story Slam Sponsor
