What is Story Con?
Join Duke Story Lab on Friday, April 20th in Bay 4 of Smith Warehouse for Story Con, a 12-hour overnight storytelling festival!
Starting at 8:00 PM, we’ll have talks, panels, workshops, film screenings, interactive art installations, games, performances, workshops, cosplay contests, and more! The stories don’t stop until the sun comes up at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning.
Kick off the festivities by hearing award-winning journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy discuss the role storytelling plays in activist work. Then grab a quick bite from our on-site food truck, Baozi, before checking out local artist Chris Vitiello‘s reprisal of his 2017 ArtPrize installation “The Language Is Asleep.” (But you don’t have to be in a hurry; Vitiello will be performing in his poetry installation for a full 10+ hours over the course of the night!)
Other things you won’t want to miss at Story Con include:
• Two panels by Triangle-area group Color of Fandom
• The Haiku Slam
• Reading along with Madeleine L’engle’s sci-fi classic A Wrinkle in Time (sign up to read here!)
• Performances by UNC Chapel Hill’s slam poetry team The Wordsmiths
• Back-to-back showings of Mary and the Witch’s Flower and Your Name. starting at 1:00 am
• Roleplaying gaming sessions tailored to every level of experience
• Our hallway cosplay contest (come in costume and you could win a prize!)
• Presentations from the lab’s Graphic Asia class, including an interactive comic and short film
Check out our full schedule below!
Who can come?
Story Con is free and open to the public. Anybody can come and bring their friends! We don’t recommend bringing children under age 13 due to the possible content of some events.
This sounds fun, but I hate parking at Duke.
Who doesn’t? In all seriousness, you don’t need to worry about it. Starting at 7:00 PM on Friday, you can park in the Smith Warehouse South parking lot. An attendant will swipe you in at the gate and give you a one-day pass which you can swipe again to exit any time you want.
Do you have any rules about costumes/cosplay?
Yes! For the safety of all our staff and guests, we have guidelines on what kinds of costumes can be worn to Story Con. Check out our sidebar for the full costume policy.
What kind of food will there be?
• We will have two food trucks on site over the course of the event. First, Baozi will be serving starting at 9:30 pm. Then Route Bistro will be serving starting at 1:00 am. You will need to bring cash or card to pay for food ordered from the food trucks. $5 Baozi vouchers will be provided to guests until supplies run out.
• There will also be free snacks starting at 1:00 am and a light breakfast served at 7:00 am.
• Alcohol and other substances are not allowed at this event. Bags and water bottles may be inspected at the door. Visibly intoxicated persons will be denied entry.
Do I have to stay the whole time?
Nope! You are free to come and go as you please. We do ask that you refrain from interrupting talks in progress, though, so be sure to get to your room on time.
Anything else?
Follow the Story Lab at Duke Facebook page for all the latest announcements about who’s coming and what’s happening at StoryCon!
Quick Info
Date: Friday, April 20th, 2018
Start Time: 8:00 PM
Ends: 8:00 AM Saturday morning
• Parking
Did we forget something? Email us at storylabduke@gmail.com with further questions.