Join Springboard for the Arts for an exploration of Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Kickstarter’s own Stephanie Pereira will be in Minneapolis to lead off the evening with a presentation on how to bring your project to life. Learn how to structure a project, what kind of rewards work best, and other helpful tips and valuable stats. Stephanie welcomes questions as we take a more detailed look at the anatomy of a successful project.

Free. Open admission. No pre-registration required.

http://www.mrac.org/grants/nextstepGrant.asp

The Next Step Fund for individual artists, through generous support from The McKnight Foundation, provides project grants up to $5,000 to professional artists in any discipline for the purpose of career development and artistic achievement. Applicants can be at any stage of their career, but must demonstrate achievement in their artistic field and have a history of public presentation or community contribution. The deadline for 2012 Next Step Fund applications is March 5, 2012. The guidelines are currently posted on the Next Step Fund program page and you may start the online application at any time. Applicants must have resided in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington County during the entire year prior to the deadline (March 5, 2011 – March 5, 2012). Applicants who were awarded Next Step Grant funding in FY 2011 are NOT eligible to apply in FY 2012.

MRAC offers workshops to help individual artists prepare Next Step Fund grant applications. Participants will become familiar with the program and online application. For more info and to register:
http://www.mrac.org/grants/nextstepGrant.asp

Come to tell, listen and learn with other tellers who enjoy sharing stories of faith, freedom and frivolity. SALT is a safe and welcoming place to grow in the art of sharing biblical and personal faith stories. We always meet on third Sunday of each month. All denominations are welcome. For more information, contact Pati Kachel 651-483-5804 or Lynn Dosch at 612-729-1865.

The Children’s Storytelling guild’s schedule for winter and spring is listed below, mark your calendars. We usually meet the 4th Thursday of the month at a member’s house. We welcome anyone interested in telling stories to children. Feel free to come to share a story you are working on, any point in the development of your story is fine. Meetings usually run two hours, from 7-9pm. Please feel free to email questions to Pam Schweitzer pls2009@live.com. Schedule: Feb. 23, March 22, April 26, May 24

www.thecoffeegrounds.net

Nothando Zulu is a master storyteller who has told stories to many different audiences for over 30 years. Her stories entertain, educate, inspire, and motivate. As a nationally and internationally celebrated storyteller, she tells stories which draw from an extensive group of colorful characters who are often funny and whose antics leave audiences pondering their own life’s lessons. As director of the Black Storyteller’s Alliance, she, along with her husband and board produce a yearly three day storytelling festival called “Signifyin’ and Testifyin’.” You will not want to miss this evening with one of Minnesota’s best storytellers!

P.J Stories is a story time just like a peanut butter sandwich–a story on both sides and lots of fun squished in-between. Each first Thursday of the month a different storyteller is featured. P.J.’s has been presenting stories for school aged students for over 5 years. For directions call the Coffee Grounds at 651-644-9959 or visit www.thecoffeegrounds.net. Sponsored by Northstar Storytelling League and the Coffee Grounds Coffee Shop. Free. Donations gratefully accepted.

www.thecoffeegrounds.net

March 1st – I Wish I Were Irish! Wear your green pajamas and be transported to Ireland for an evening of leprechauns and magic. The Rainbow Lady, Vickijoan, will enchant the audience with her lively stories and songs from Ireland. Come join the mischief and mirth.

P.J Stories is a story time just like a peanut butter sandwich–a story on both sides and lots of fun squished in-between. Each first Thursday of the month a different storyteller is featured. P.J.’s has been presenting stories for school aged students for over 5 years. For directions call the Coffee Grounds at 651-644-9959 or visit www.thecoffeegrounds.net. Sponsored by Northstar Storytelling League and the Coffee Grounds Coffee Shop. Free. Donations gratefully accepted.

www.thecoffeegrounds.net

Northstar’s own Children’s Storytelling guild will present: A Story, A Story. Members will share tales from the world over. Come take a trip around the world with us. We will travel to Japan, China, Eastern Europe, Ireland and the United States.

P.J Stories is a story time just like a peanut butter sandwich–a story on both sides and lots of fun squished in-between. Each first Thursday of the month a different storyteller is featured. P.J.’s has been presenting stories for school aged students for over 5 years. For directions call the Coffee Grounds at 651-644-9959 or visit www.thecoffeegrounds.net. Sponsored by Northstar Storytelling League and the Coffee Grounds Coffee Shop. Free. Donations gratefully accepted.

www.iowaee.org

A weekend conference sponsored by Iowa Conservation Education Coalition where Thea Nicholas is serving as a Keynote speaker/storyteller as well as conducting a workshop on using storytelling in science classes.

Price: $175, plus room and meals

www.slammn.org

Story SlamMN! is the first regular Story Slam series in Minnesota, started by Poetry Slam Master and Rockstar Storyteller, Allison Broeren.

THEMES:
February 7: The Ex-Files
March 6: Sister Act: Sibling Stories
April 3: Almost Famous
May 1: Armageddon: Good vs. Evil
June 5: Superman: Hero Stories

WHAT IS STORY SLAM?
Story slams are open to anybody. Each night 12 Storytellers will have the chance to vie for medals, cash, and eternal glory by telling their 5-minute story as it relates to the theme for the night. Five random audience judges will be selected to determine the storytellers’ fates as the audience gets rowdy trying to influence the scores. The top three winners at each regular slam qualify for the Big Money Grand Slam in July.

RULES
Anybody can sign-up to tell a tale FACT OR FICTION (but with original words by the storyteller) as it relates to the theme of the evening. We will pull 12 contestants names out of a hat that get to compete. Storytellers have 5 minutes to tell their stories, with a 30 second grace period before point deductions start. After 5:30 you will lose a half point for every 10 seconds you are over the limit. If you go too much over time you may get walked off the stage-so practice your story! 5 randomly selected audience members will be given the power to judge your stories from 0-10. We drop the high and low score, and add the 3 in the middle for your final score. The highest score wins! No props, costumes, or musical accompaniments. Notes are permitted, but remember part of scoring is based off of performance too!

www.slammn.org

What: Poetry SlamMN’s 17th Annual Erotica Slam
When: Saturday, February 11th and Tuesday February 14th 8:00 pm
Where: Kieran’s Irish Pub – 601 1st Ave N (Block E) Minneapolis, MN 55403
Cost: $7.00
Make Reservations: 612-339-4499

The Twin Cities sexiest spoken word event is back for it’s 17th year. Named 2010 City Pages Best Of Spoken Word event, SlamMN’s Erotica Slam is one not to miss. Due to popular demand, and the day of love being a Tuesday, we’ve added a second night of sass. Join us on either Saturday, February 11th for a hot weekend night on the town, or on Tuesday, February 14th, to celebrate Valentine’s Day proper. Make sure to make reservations by calling Kieran’s Irish Pub at 612-339-4499 because the show always sells out. Come early for dinner, stay for drinks, sexy time raffles, and poetry that will make your squirm, squish, and simmer. Bring your own 3 minute long poems if you’d like to compete. Open sign-up starts at 7:00, so you never know who will take the stage. You could be one of the judges that helps crown the most erotic poet in the Cities, or you could cuddle up in a corner and sit back and enjoy. www.slammn.org for more details.

SlamMN! is turning the hot up to 10 with the featured poet of the evening, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz. Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is the author of five books of poetry (including Dear Future Boyfriend and Hot Teen Slut – written about her time as an “adult” editor for websites) as well as the author of the nonfiction book, Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, which Billy Collins wrote “leaves no doubt that the slam poetry scene has achieved legitimacy and taken its rightful place on the map of contemporary literature.” At age 19, she founded the three-time National Poetry Slam championship poetry series NYC-Urbana, which is still held weekly at the NYC’s famed Bowery Poetry Club. Aptowicz just finished serving as the 2010-2011 ArtsEdge Writer-In-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania and was recently awarded a 2011 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Poetry.