Story Slam Open Call: “Code-Switch”
Presented by Vietnamese Boat People and Think!Chinatown
Do you have a story only you can tell? Vietnamese Boat People is back at the Think!Chinatown Studio for the 7th Annual Story Slam—an evening of live storytelling, community, and connection. Starting as the Mỹ Việt Story Slam, an online performance focusing on stories from the Vietnamese diaspora, this collaboration with Think!Chinatown features in-person live performances welcoming storytellers from any culture.
This year’s theme: “Code-Switch.” Maybe it's the word that only exists in your native language, the one you've never found a real translation for. Maybe it's your name — shortened, softened, anglicized, or swapped out entirely just to make a Tuesday easier — and you're still not sure how you feel about that trade.
This year's Story Slam theme is about living between two languages — the mistranslations, the code-switching, the words that don't survive the crossing, and get lost or found somewhere in between. It's about the moment someone gets something wrong — your name, your meaning, your joke — and you let it slide, or the moment you didn't. It's about the words, names, and phrases that somehow still trigger something in you, no matter which language you're standing in.
If this has happened to you or someone you know, we want to hear it. However you say your name or choose to be called — and whatever it took to get through life code-switching — come tell us the story behind it.
Want to participate? Here are some ideas to get you started:
Is there a joke, saying, or expression that only lands in one language — and falls flat (or means something totally different) in the other?
A name given at birth vs. the name adopted later — what happened in between?
Shortening, anglicizing, or hiding part of your name to make life easier — how did that happen?
Reclaiming a name later in life — going back to the "harder" pronunciation on purpose — how did that feel?
If this has happened to you or someone you know, we want to hear it. However you say your name or choose to be called — and whatever it took to get through life code-switching — come tell us the story behind it. Storytellers of all backgrounds are invited to step up to the mic and share their stories in front of a live audience.
Key Dates
Submissions are OPEN from August 15th - September 30th, 2026. Submit your story HERE.
Story Jam + Open House: September 17 2026, at Think!Chinatown Studio, 1 Pike Street, New York City
Live Story Slam Event: October 21, 2026 (TBC) at Think!Chinatown Studio, 1 Pike Street, New York City
Guidelines for Submissions
Theme: Code-switch – Stories of language, names, translation, belonging, and everything lost or found in between — whether your own, your family’s, or those passed down across generations.
Format: Spoken-word only. No reading from a script. We want to hear your story, live and direct.
Length: 3 minutes max (about 400 words). Keep it tight, focused, and unforgettable.
Style: True, personal stories told from the heart. We welcome every tone and style — heartwarming, humorous, dramatic, suspenseful, or anything in between.
Age: Participants of all generations are welcome. Minimum age requirement is 18 years old.
Attendance: If selected, you must be available to attend the live story slam event in Oct 2026.
Terms & Conditions: Accepting the terms and conditions are required at the time of submission.
How It Works
Submit your story draft (no more than 400 words) and a sample video or audio clip (phone recordings are fine).
Five storytellers will be chosen for the live event and awarded $250 each for their bravery, a gift bag of goodies from our sponsors, and bragging rights!
Selected storytellers will also receive feedback from our team to help polish their delivery and get stage-ready.
The Organizers
Vietnamese Boat People (VBP) is a nonprofit organization based in Montclair NJ. Established in 2018, our mission is to amplify the stories of the Vietnamese diaspora community, educate and inspire, and foster meaningful connections. The organization’s name, Vietnamese Boat People, initially paid tribute to the millions of refugees who fled Vietnam by boat. Since then, the organization has evolved and is dedicated to supporting all stories from the Vietnamese diaspora community. Through our award-winning podcast, innovative storytelling, digital archives, and community-driven programs, we provide accessible platforms for communities to engage with these narratives. Learn more at vietnameseboatpeople.org
Think!Chinatown 心目華埠 is a creative placekeeping non-profit here to create intergenerational spaces of art, joy, belonging and connection in Manhattan’s Chinatown. At the intersection of arts, storytelling and neighborhood engagement, T!C works to grow community agency in our own neighborhood’s built environment as well as the narrative of our own stories. T!C is the team behind Chinatown Nights (fka Chinatown Night Market), Chinatown Arts Festival, Chinatown Block Party, Chinatown Storytelling Festival. Their home is the Think!Chinatown Studio, at 1 Pike Street, where you can find exhibitions, cultural and food workshops, small performances and talks. Learn more at www.thinkchinatown.org.
“Code-Switch” Story Slam is an annual program featuring 5 storytellers selected through an open call process to perform live. This program is presented by Vietnamese Boat People in collaboration with Think!Chinatown and hosted at Think!Chinatown Studio.