Story Slam! | Ojai Story Fest

Rules for Entry: Ojai Story Fest’s Fourth Annual Story Slam!
Deadline 11:59pm September 15th!

Anyone age 16 and over can enter – all you need is a little bit of courage and a TRUE, ten-minute story that suits this year’s theme, ADVENTURE.

To enter, call (805)NOW-TELL (805-669-8355)* and record up to 2-minutes of your story. Do not play a recording into the phone. You must tell your story to the voicemail. Please include your email address, phone number and full name in the voicemail. All entries will be judged by a panel and six will be selected to perform at the Ojai Storytelling Festival on Thursday, October 22. Those selected to perform will receive a weekend pass to the Ojai Storytelling Festival!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your story must connect to the theme ADVENTURE in some way. You do not need to say the word ‘ADVENTURE’ in your story, but you do need to connect your story to the idea. Use your imagination in how to interpret the theme.
True, original stories only. Names can be changed but the story must have happened to you.
Contestants must be at least 16 years old.
Stories must be told, not read. No notes, props, or music. This means your story must be memorized.
Stories must adhere to a 10 minute limit.
Content must be suitable for a general audience, ages 13 and up.
Professional storytellers who have been Featured at past Ojai Storytelling Festivals are not eligible to enter.
Be sure it’s a story with a beginning, middle and end, and not a joke or anecdote.
No “isms” will be tolerated-The Ojai Storytelling Festival strives to create a safe, inclusive and affirming community space to share our life experiences with one another. If a storyteller expresses oppressive views or derogatory language (racist, sexist, cissexist, heterosexist, classist, ableist, etc.) on the OSF mic, they will be cut off mid‐story and not permitted to tell again in the future. Story is one of the most powerful tools available for building empathy and understanding across differences, so we hope that OSF is able to do just that.
You’ll be notified if you’ve been chosen for the Slam by October 1.

PRIZES
First place: $200
Second place: $100
Third place: $50

TO ENTER
You can enter by calling (805)NOW-TELL (805-669-8355)* and leaving a 2 minute excerpt of your story on the voicemail. Do not play a recording into the phone! Stories must be spoken live into the voicemail. Make sure the excerpt conveys how your story will relate to the theme “ADVENTURE.”

Please include your full name, email address, and phone number in the voicemail.

Deadline to enter is 11:59PM September 15th.

You’ll be notified by October 1st by email if you’re in the top six.

REMEMBER!
It is a competition – and if you are selected to tell your story at the Festival, you’ll only have ten minutes at the mic to wow the judges. You will be judged on your performance, how well the story is crafted, its connection to the theme, and adherence to the 10-minute time limit. Please remember you do not have to say the theme “ADVENTURE” in your story; it only needs to be implied. Be creative!

*The audition line will only be used for audition entries.

For questions please call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org

We can't wait to hear your stories!

Last Year's Finalists

Miyo Yamauchi

Miyo is a mischievous storyteller and comic who finds humor in life’s cultural collisions. Born and raised in Japan, she brings a sharp, cross-cultural perspective to stages across Los Angeles and beyond. A Moth StorySLAM Champion, she also co-produces ESL Comedy, a showcase of immigrant storytellers and comedians. Her solo show, How To Be Japanese: Your Normal Is Not My Normal, has delighted audiences around the world. Whether poking fun at awkward misunderstandings or reflecting on deeper truths, Miyo’s stories leave audiences laughing, thinking, and reimagining what “normal” really means.

Zoot Velasco

Zoot Velasco was severely burned as a newborn and overcame the loss of his right foot, childhood trauma, and homelessness to work for a dozen years as a professional dancer, screen actor, internationally touring artist, arts educator, published poet, and storyteller. Since 1994, Zoot has led award-winning cultural programs throughout Southern California and in state prisons that grew exponentially during his tenure. His success led to an MBA, authoring three books, a podcast, and teaching business and leadership courses at three colleges and universities. Currently, he serves as the Interim Executive Director for Pasadena Heritage, is a member of the Altadena Rotary Club, and holds the position of Membership Chair for Rotary District 5300. Additionally, he is a leadership trainer at Cal Poly Pomona and Jericho Road Pasadena, and leads a prison art program at Avenal and SATF Corcoran prisons.

Megan Dolan

Megan Dolan is a Long Beach based writer/ actor/ storyteller who has performed at the Moth, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Expressing Motherhood, and TEDx Pasadena (to name a few). Her written work has been published in L.A. Parent Magazine and the anthology, Becoming Brave Together: heroic, extraordinary caregiving stories from mothers hidden in plain sight. She will be showcasing at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference January 9-13, 2026 in NYC and is currently touring her award-winning solo show, Not the Right Mom: one mother's misadventures in autism. Visit nottherightmom.com for info on upcoming shows. Follow her@megan_tells_stories.

Derrick C. Brown is the poet laureate of Los Feliz CA and is a former paratrooper based in Los Angeles, California. He writes and swims in Ojai. His books of poetry include Love Ends in a Tandem Kayak (2023) and Strange Light (2013), both published by Write Bloody. Strange Light won the Texas’s Book Award for Poetry.

Derrick Brown

Nick Ullett

Nick Ullett. Has been on six Ed Sullivan Shows and has done everything from “Golden Girls” to “Call Me Kat”. In the 70s, he went into advertising and ended up as Creative Director of J. Walter Thompson in LA. In the theatre he created the Hon. Gerald Bolinbroke on Broadway in the musical “Me and My Girl” and was also in “Loot” by Joe Orton. His show “The Birthday Party - a theatrical catastrophe” has garnered rave reviews in LA and also at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Colleen O'Mara-Diamond

Colleen, a Writer, lives and works in beautiful and emerging Ojai, California. She manages an international communications agency, and writes short stories, essays and poetry. Colleen’s book projects include debut memoir “Raw Diamond,” short story & poetry collections “Carob Tree Blues” and “Moon of a Star.” Her work has been published in the “Los Angeles Times,” “Urban Howl,” and the “Northridge Review,” as well as short-listed by Fish Publishing for short memoir.