What is a Story Jam, you ask?
Participants come with a story to share around a particular theme, typically humorous in nature, which they present to the group in under 5 minutes, with no notes.
What’s the theme?
The theme for this Jam is “death.”
That’s interesting, why that theme?
Because the two blokes who cooked up this idea, Nick Kupsey and Ryan Derfler, met for the first time on a day when Nick’s good friend had died. Our first conversation ever was mostly about death and dying, and how people often feel uncomfortable talking about death. We also discovered that we both like to ruffle feathers a bit, and so approaching the topic of death from a comedic angle felt appropriate. Plus, a lot of people who live in Chadds Ford die.
Who are Nick Kupsey and Ryan Derfler?
Both are Chadds Ford residents.
One is a hilarious comedian and professional storyteller who has been featured on NPR, WHYY, and published the book “The Five People You Meet in Wawa” (buy it here, seriously, it’s good). That person is Nick.
Ryan is the guy who founded Chadds Ford JunXion. You can read more about him here. He’s glad you’re on this page, because, well, it’s me, Ryan, who wrote this.
Do I need to RSVP?
Yes, you do. We want an intimate event where everyone has a chance to interact, so we’ve selected a small venue with a max of about 25 people, which we expect to fill pretty quickly, and those on the list will be let in. You should probably RSVP right now (if it’s not too late).