ALAMOSA — Attention storytellers! Whether you’re an “old hand” at telling a story from your past or longing to finally get in touch with your inner storyteller yearning to be set free, Spadefoot Story Slam is the perfect opportunity to tell a tale, and it’s happening this Saturday at its regularly scheduled time and place – 6 p.m. at Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative in Alamosa. 

For first timers, know this. The setting is relaxed and comfortable; the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and “how it’s done” is as simple as it can be. 

Everyone is given the same topic in advance and then those who choose to do so tell a story related to that topic from their own life. Stories must be true as the storyteller remembers. And they must be “told from the heart”, as Spadefoot Story Slam founder Al Stone puts it. No reading it from a page, just a person telling a story from their life. 

This month’s topic is “Deadlines”. 

“Prepare a story about a time when it was down to the wire,” Stone writes in an email reminder of the upcoming event. “Submitting an assignment a minute before midnight or pulling into the gas station right as the needle dipped below E. Confessions of love before the last day of summer camp. Ignoring your editor's call (again!) while staring at a blank page. There's always tomorrow--or is there? Tell us about a time you shouldn't have hit snooze. A time you almost made it. A time you missed the mark. How you got there in the nick of time.” 

If Stone sounds enthusiastic, that’s because she is.  

“Stories hold great importance in people’s lives,” she told the Valley Courier in January of this year. “Stories are what connect us. Things are really divided in the country right now, and stories break down those divisions and help people find common ground.  The more you can share your story, the more you find commonalities with other people.” 

As is the case every month, those who just come to listen to good stories are always welcome, whether they have a story to tell or not.  

And the “group norms” remain the same, as well.  

“At the Spadefoot Story Slam, we are here to share stories and listen to each other,” she says. “We are in practice sharing our experiences and receiving experiences without commentary. When you're not the storyteller, you are receiving and practicing deep listening. It takes courage to speak in front of a group, and I want folks to get comfortable with the silence that might arise while they are finding the courage to speak. We hope to see you brave souls there!” 

Spadefoot Story Slam will be held at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, in the Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative, 602 Main St., Alamosa.