Vancouver Story Slam

Vancouver Story Slam An entertaining, inspiring evening of storytelling! Thousands of dollars in prizes awarded annually Second Thursday every month, 8 p.m. Since 2004 * * * * * *

Ten storytellers share their original work onstage in an exciting competition for cash prizes and a shot at the annual trophy. From the action-packed to the awe-inspiring, from the silly to the sublime -- every show is an unpredictable medley of mixed styles of taletelling. Founded in 2004, Vancouver Story Slam is the longest-running monthly storytelling competition in Canada. Venue: The Pleasant,

2434 Main at Broadway, Vancouver
$10 cash cover includes a voting ballot to select the night’s first, second, and third place winners. Competing storytellers get in FREE! Prizes:
-First place: $100 cash
-Second and third places: $60 and $40 cash
-“Secret word”: Each month, the organizers choose one common word. First story that night to include that word receives a rolling prize that starts at thirty dollars; if it is not won, the prize increases by ten dollars per month, and has been known to reach $100.
-“Best time”: The story closest to five minutes receives the prize of a lunchbox packed by the emcee. It could be a well-balanced meal and a toy, but maybe it's just nothing but onions.
-“Line of the night”: An exceptionally clever, funny, well-written, or thought-provoking line that catches the host’s ear receives a book prize

Stories must be original pieces between 4 and 6 minutes and told by the person who wrote them. All styles and genres of stories are welcome. No props, costumes, or musical accompaniment. Tellers are not permitted to time themselves onstage, but they are welcome to bring onstage a notebook, paper, or other reading material if their story is written down. Produced by Susan Cormier and emceed by Bryant Ross.

* * * * * Short Stories and Tall Tales.

06/05/2026

Coming up next month: the famous Galiano Island Literary Festival! Are you coming out to listen, to participate in the open mic segments, or just to enjoy such notable writers as Kate Braid, bill bissett, Hilary Peach, and Michael Turner? https://www.facebook.com/events/4386254138283527

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The Delta Literary Arts Society invites the community to the FREE three-day COMPOSED FESTIVAL OF WRITING AND FILM, June ...
06/05/2026

The Delta Literary Arts Society invites the community to the FREE three-day COMPOSED FESTIVAL OF WRITING AND FILM, June 11–13, featuring an open mic, workshops, a slam, exhibitors, creative activities, and community celebration.
Details, performer sign-up, and festival information:
www.DLAS.ca - click on "calendar of events' for more info

Promoting the literary arts in Ladner, Tsawwassen, & North Delta on the the ancestral lands of the Tsawwassen, Musqueam, & Kwantlen First Nations

If you enjoyed Suzanne Steele's story in the May show, feast your eyes upon the deliciously high-energy trailer for her ...
06/04/2026

If you enjoyed Suzanne Steele's story in the May show, feast your eyes upon the deliciously high-energy trailer for her libretto:
Li Keur: Riel's Heart of the North

This is "Li Keur: Riel's Heart of the North Trailer" by Manitoba Opera on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

05/17/2026

Slam fans and talented tellers of tales, you're invited to story slam producer Susan Cormier's book launch! We'll have stories, cheeky bookmarks, a Q&A, laughter, a book signing...and more stories! This is a FREE event at The Pleasant.

https://www.facebook.com/events/34268114179471231

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05/16/2026

MAY 14 RECAP

The beautiful and slightly rainy spring day lead up to yet another gathering of storytellers and literary fans in the charming Pleasant…we must have been very well hydrated, because several of the storytellers all had to go p*e at once in their stories. We played with new puppies, rode in a bicycle race, imagined a long life of love, and revisited a father’s life. We fought with a bus seat partner, interviewed a muppet…and desperately tried to find a washroom.

First prize by audience vote was Kelly Podlubny, whose story about a bullying nun resulted in a prize of $100. Second and $60 was won by Colin Mylie for his tale about a tangled relationship. Third and $40 went to Leah Erdos for a story about chasing trains in Europe.

Kelly Podlubny also won the Best Time Prize; his story came in closest to five minutes with a time of five minutes and eight seconds. Nate Nate Nainers took home the Line of the Night prize for, “His googly eyes bounced between Tony Robbins, the camera, and the plate of cookies.” The secret word, “ketchup”, was not used in any stories, so next month’s secret word prize goes up to $80.

The evening began with Storytelling Championship bronze medallist Zed Payne sharing a story about a surprisingly friendly neighbour.

Many thanks to the staff of The Pleasant: owners Ray and Kate; backline staff David, Lyn, and Carlos; and frontline staff James, Raven, Ting, and Selena. Thank you also to door volunteers Pam Martin and Lisa Casagrande and prize donors JQ Clothing and Rewind Beer Co. Vancouver Story Slam is produced by Susan Cormier and emceed by Bryant Ross.

Our next show is June 11 at The Pleasant; the lineup of storytellers will be announced soon.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1541298273686931

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05/16/2026

-LEADERBOARD UPDATE-

1. Kelly Podlubny - 42 points
2. Sam Belville - 33 points
3. Gabriel Martz - 21 points
4. Angela Chiasson - 16 points
5. (tie) Colin Miley, Gr’Annie Rose - 13 points
6. Abby Crispo - 10 points
7. (tie) Aidan Eric, Leah Erdos, Linda Lawson - 7 points
8. (tie) Jim Lumsden, Salman Zafar, Shaan Aroeste - 6 points
9. (tie) Clark Antonich, Fergus Allen, Jon Bernemann, Marylee Stephenson, Steve Miller - 5 points
10. (tie) Caroline Lewko, Erin Reddekopp, Mark Lebourdais - 4 points

Our leaderboard is a list of the top-ranked storytellers of the season-to-date; it is updated after each show, and can change radically from one month to the next. Storytellers not named here: keep in mind that you might very well be #11 or #12 on the list, thus a single story could easily move your name up onto the charts. After the November show, the top ten storytellers are invited to participate in our annual championship finals event.
Storytellers are encouraged to keep track of their points throughout the season. You are welcome to contact producer Susan Cormier to doublecheck your point tally.

updated 16 May 2026

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