May brings out the morbid at the Haven Social Club

By Mathew White

EDMONTON — A small but intimate crowd filled the Haven Social Club Wednesday night for May’s session of the Edmonton Story Slam Society.

Seven writers faced off in a literary battle in what turned out to be an especially gruesome story slam.  The night included tales of murder, cannibalism, dead-river bodies and a zombie apocalypse.

But in the end, a story of love with a twist was all it took.

“I feel awesome,” said Alyssa Hudson after accepting her $165 first-place prize.  “I’m really stoked.”

Without giving too much away, Hudson’s story focused on an older woman who is jealous of her neighbours’ flowers.  She said she got the inspiration from a friend after they exchanged story ideas.

Listen to Hudon’s story here:

MayStorySlam by westedmontonlocal

By day Hudson works at an insurance adjuster firm as an administrative assistant, but says she’s been an avid writer ever since going to theatre school.

“I write a lot, so more than I would consider just for fun, but probably enough to consider it a very solid hobby.”

“I do not do it professionally if that means getting paid for it,” said Hudson with a laugh.

Deana Kent took second place for the evening with her murderous tale while Rick Snider came in a close third with a hilarious poem about being hungover.

The Edmonton story slam society is an organization that gives local writers a chance to share their work with a live audience.  The rules of the competition are as follows:

• Each writer has five minutes
• For every ten seconds over the limit, 0.5 points is deducted
• Story must be original and unpublished
• Five judges each give a score out of 10 and an average is taken from the middle three scores
• Contestants must be present when their name is called or they’re disqualified
• Audience members are asked to donate towards the first-place prize

The next story slam is scheduled for June 15.