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Crossing the Streams: #NYCSciTweetUp and The Story Collider Together!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Edit: The Story Collider is a ticketed event. The cost to attend is $8.00 and tickets can be purchased at The Story Collider website. At the door, the price to attend will be $10.00. There is no fee to attend the #NYCSciTweetUp.

 

Like science? Like stories? Well, hold on to your beakers and field notebooks: Next month the #NYCSciTweetUp and The Story Collider will be hosted together on September 27th at Union Hall in Brooklyn!


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For those of you who don’t know, The Story Collider invites people to share the roles that science has played in their lives. From humble beginnings like the #NYCSciTweetUp, The Story Collider has grown immensely, attracting a diverse showing that highlights the broad, and sometimes unexpected, reach of science.

To learn more, you may want to read “What is: The Story Collider” at The Network Central blog here on SciAm. The theme will be “The Science of Wrting.” Featured storytellers include blogger Amanda Marcotte, novelist Anna North, and science writer Carl Zimmer, and three others. And if you’re so inclined, you may want to consider proposing a story for the event. The “rules” as shared by one of the founders Ben Lillie are as follows:

  • 8-10 minutes (In rehearsal. They almost always run longer in the performance.)

  • It should be told largely without notes, but we frequently allow props that make sense. (e.g. when someone is reciting an e-mail someone sent them, they can read that off a page.) We also use slides if it really helps the story.

  • The story should be largely on theme, but it is more important that it adheres to the general mission of "Stories about science". That is, people talking about how they've experience science, or how it's affected their life.

  • We work with people to develop their story, and there is a non-mandatory (but highly recommended) group rehearsal offered.

  • We like stories both from working scientists, and people with no science background, and everything in between.)

A couple good examples from the podcast, from opposite ends of that spectrum:

  • David Carmel, a neuroscientist who's father has a stroke

  • Aaron Wolfe, a video editor who's depression is lifted after editing a film about the Hubble ST. NSFW

The Story Collider event will be downstairs at Union Hall at 8 pm. The #NYCSciTweetUp will begin at 6:30 pm and run until about 10 pm in the bar area on the ground level—you’re free to move between events.

As always, for more information about #NYCSciTweetUp, you can:

We hope to see you there!

Details:

#NYCSciTweetUp and The Story Collider

September 27th, 2011

6:30 pm – 10 pm

Union Hall

702 Union Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215