Open mic story night invites locals to share the moments that shaped them

Sunshine Coast locals will be invited to step up to the microphone, or simply sit back and listen, when a new monthly open mic storytelling night launches at Diddillibah this month.

StoryJam, created by Bobbi Barrington, is designed as a warm and supportive night for real people to share true personal stories about the moments that have made them laugh, broken their hearts, changed their lives or taught them something important.

The inaugural event will be held at Diddillibah Community Hall on Tuesday, July 14, from 7pm to 9pm, with the first theme: “It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time.”

Bobbi said the idea was built on a simple belief that everyone had a story worth telling.

“Just like Chef Gusteau said in Ratatouille, ‘Anyone can cook,’ I believe ‘Anyone can tell a story’. So let’s hear them,” she said.

“Every one of us has stories that have made us laugh, broken our hearts, changed our lives, or taught us something important. Yet so many of those stories never get told.”

Bobbi said StoryJam had grown from her work bringing people together through Sunny Coast Screamers, a community gathering where people release bottled-up emotions on the beach.

“I see StoryJam as another kind of community pressure release valve, but I see it as connection, community, turning strangers into friends even, allowing us to witness life from someone else’s perspective, to walk in their shoes just a bit,” she said.

She said the night would be open to those who wanted to share, as well as those who preferred to listen, reflect and connect.

“Stories help us make sense of our lives. When someone has the courage to share their story, and someone else truly listens, something shifts. We realise we’re not alone. We laugh together, we cry together, and we leave feeling just a little more human,” she said.

• StoryJam will be held at Diddillibah Community Hall, 658 Diddillibah Road, Diddillibah. Tickets are $27 and bookings are essential via events.humanitix.com/storyjam.

Organiser Bobbi Barrington said the idea was built on a simple belief that everyone had a story worth telling.