Conundrum Chronicles: A Story Slam

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Please join us at our next Conundrum Chronicles StorySlam (Where Stories are Told, Moral Dilemmas Unfold and Judgements are Bold!). This will be our first BIPOC led StorySlam where the stage will be held for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Of course, this event is open to all individuals interested in experiencing live storytelling at The Marsh, June 10, 7:00pm (1062 Valencia Street).

Theme: A Way Out of No Way.   Historically, storytelling has been a powerful medium of intimate human contact and connection.  The act of telling a story is and has been an act of resistance. Stories led our ancestors through the Underground Railroad, the Frontera, The Long March, Life in Underground cities. At this special event, storytellers will describe situations in which they were “stuck,” and describe their unique journey in finding A Way Out of No Way.

Producer: Shondaland Author Yvonne Martinez: “A must-read to learn more about this titan.”  Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland said of Yvonne Martinez memoir in essays:  “SOMEDAY MIJA YOU’LL LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WHORE AND A WORKING WOMAN,” Yvonne Martinez is a retired labor negotiator/organizer.  Her book covers her childhood in Salt Lake City/South Central/Boyle Heights, LA and her work as a labor negotiator/organizer in California and the Pacific Northwest.  She is a graduate from the University of Washington, UMass Amherst, and the Harvard Trade Union Program.  Her Fall 2025 Release Book “SCABMUGGERS” is based on her experience as a National Fellow of the Harvard Trade Union Program in 1994. Yvonne lives in Berkeley, CA.

Host: Thomas Laymon:  At his core, Thomas Laymon is an amateur* linguistic and photographic storyteller who believes in the power of stories to capture the beauty of everyday life. A lifelong learner and educator, Thomas is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experiences while inspiring others to explore their own creative expressions. Thomas took first place in the September 2024 Conundrum Chronicles (Obligations), the December 2024 Detroit Moth StorySlam (Yes Chef), and the March 2025 Berkeley Moth StorySlam (Beef).

Featured Storyteller, Abdul Kenyatta has been the executive director of THE SPEAKEASY STORYTELLER SERIES since 2012. He is an actor, poet and jazz and blues musician.  He has administered programs for the African American Historical and Cultural Society and produced and performed in productions of the SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ART FESTIVAL. He has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR) -SNAP JUDGMENT and numerous stages around the country. He has won a number of Bay Area Storytelling competitions including THE MOTH. He has appeared in productions of Beyond Borders, Stage Werx and Marsh Theaters in Berkeley and San Francisco and in New York with excerpts from his two one-person shows BACK IN THE DAY and STRICTLY HARLEM.

Featured Storyteller, Lyn (Brittney) Patterson is a deeply invigorated language worker, visual artist, and educator who currently lives in Oakland, CA. As a storyteller, many of her poems begin with silence, the kind that holds history in its breath. Her poems are built to carry ancestral stories forward, bridging what has been with what could be. Through the work of carrying words, healing emerges and illuminates the paths. Paths we walk together which span generations and connect many disparate voices, across time and space. Her work has been published in Popshot Magazine, the Berkeley Poetry Review and has been featured on KQED.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.