Story Club Pittsburgh

STORY CLUB PITTSBURGH

Shows

✦

UPCOMING

Story Slam

BOTTLEROCKET SOCIAL HALL

1226 Arlington Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Sudden Shift

Share a six-minute story about a time the whole direction of your life pivoted without warning. Maybe you walked into a room one person and walked out another. Maybe something you trusted collapsed, something you feared actually happened, or something you never expected landed right in front of you. It could be a chance encounter, a betrayal, a windfall, a disaster, or a single piece of information that rearranged everything you thought you knew. Tell us what was steady, what shattered or shifted it, and how you navigated a life that suddenly didn't match the one you'd been living five minutes earlier.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7:30pm

Admission: $10

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Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Double Life

Share a six-minute story about a time you were living as two different people at once. Maybe it was a secret you kept, a version of yourself you only showed in certain rooms, or a job, relationship, or belief you hid from the people closest to you. It could be the gap between who you were online and who you were at home, or the quiet exhaustion of performing one life while aching to live another. Tell us what it cost to keep both halves separate, what finally collided, and who you became when you could no longer keep them apart.

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

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Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Things Left Unsaid

Share a six-minute story about the words you never got to say. Maybe it was an apology you swallowed, a confession you rehearsed but never delivered, or a truth you kept behind your teeth because the moment never felt right. It could be the goodbye you didn't get, the love you assumed was obvious, or the anger you decided wasn't worth the fight. Maybe it was something small—a thank you, a question—that somehow got harder to say the longer you waited. Tell us what you held back, why you stayed quiet, and what that silence cost you or spared you in the end.

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

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Story Slam

BOTTLEROCKET SOCIAL HALL

1226 Arlington Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

When the Lights Came On

Share a six-minute story about the moment everything suddenly became visible. Maybe it was a truth you couldn't unsee, a secret dragged into the open, or a realization that lit up a room you thought you knew. It could be the literal end of the party, the house lights rising while you stood there exposed, or the second you finally understood what had been in front of you all along. Maybe it was quiet—a slow dawning no one else even noticed. Tell us what the darkness had been hiding, what the light revealed, and how you looked at things once you could no longer pretend not to see.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7:30pm

Admission: $10

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Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Ties That Bind

Share a six-minute story about the bonds that hold you to other people, whether you want them to or not. Maybe it was family, a promise, a shared history, or a name you couldn't put down. It could be a loyalty that carried you through something hard, or an obligation that kept you somewhere long after you wanted to leave. Maybe it was quieter—a small habit or ritual that quietly tethered you to someone across years or distance. Tell us who or what you were bound to, what that connection cost or gave you, and how it held, stretched, or finally loosened.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Slipped Through My Fingers

Share a six-minute story about something you couldn't hold onto no matter how hard you tried. Maybe it was a relationship that unraveled slowly, a chance you didn't take, or a version of the future you'd already started living inside your head. It could be a person, a job, a home, or just a feeling you assumed would stay. Maybe it was quieter—a moment you didn't realize was the last one until it was already gone. Tell us what you were reaching for, how it got away from you, and who you became once your hands came up empty.

Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

BOTTLEROCKET SOCIAL HALL

1226 Arlington Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

End of the Line

Share a six-minute story about reaching the end of the line. Maybe it was a relationship, a job, or a version of yourself you'd been dragging along long past its expiration. Maybe it was a literal ending—a final stop, a last visit, a door closing behind you for good. It could be quieter than that: the slow realization that there was nowhere left to go, no more excuses to make, no next thing to try. Tell us how you knew you'd arrived at the end, what you had to let go of, and what waited for you once there was no more track ahead.

Tuesday, December 15, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7:30pm

Admission: $10

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PAST SHOWS

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

No Turning Back

Share a six-minute story about a moment you crossed a line you couldn't uncross. Maybe it was a decision you made out loud, a door you shut behind you, or a truth you said that could never be unsaid. It could be a leap you took without a safety net, or a small, ordinary choice that quietly sealed everything that came after. Maybe it was the second you realized the old version of your life was already gone, even if no one else noticed. Tell us what you left behind, what you stepped toward, and who you became once going back stopped being an option.

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Breaking Point

Share a six-minute story about a time you hit your limit. Maybe it was the end of your patience, your silence, your willingness to pretend, or your ability to hold it all together. It could be a moment you finally spoke up, walked out, broke down, or stopped tolerating something you'd been absorbing for years. Maybe it was quiet—a small, unremarkable moment that just happened to be the last one you could take. Tell us what you'd been carrying, what finally broke, and what you did—or became—once you couldn't go back to how things were before.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Doors 6:30pm · Show 7pm

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Behind Closed Doors

Share a six-minute story about something that happened out of sight, after the door shut, or beneath the version everyone else saw. Maybe it was a family secret, a private argument, a hidden habit, a forbidden romance, a quiet act of kindness, or a moment when the public story and the private truth did not match. It could be funny, painful, embarrassing, mysterious, or surprisingly tender. Tell us about what happened behind closed doors—what was being hidden, who knew the truth, and what changed when the door finally opened.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:00 PM

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Unraveled

Share a six-minute story about a time you almost left, pulled away, or were headed one direction and then turned back. Maybe you literally went back for something, returned to a person or place you thought you were done with, reversed a big decision, or found yourself circling back to something unresolved. It could be about regret, second chances, unfinished business, or realizing you weren’t quite ready to let go. Tell us about a time you turned back—what made you do it, what you found when you returned, and what that moment revealed about who you were then or who you’ve become since.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:00 PM

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

BOTTLEROCKET SOCIAL HALL

1226 Arlington Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Sh*t Happens

Share a six-minute story about a time when everything went sideways. Maybe it was chaos you couldn’t control, a plan that unraveled spectacularly, or a moment when life reminded you that you are not, in fact, in charge. It could be hilarious, heartbreaking, absurd, or unexpectedly meaningful—a missed flight that led to something better, a disaster dinner party, a public fail, an accident, a mess you made, or a mess you inherited. Tell us about a time when things didn’t go according to plan—at all. What broke, burned, flooded, flopped, or fell apart? And in the aftermath, what did you learn, lose, fix, or find? When have you had to shrug, adapt, clean it up, or simply say: well… sh*t happens?

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:30 PM

Admission: $10

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Turning Back

Share a six-minute story about a time you turned back. Maybe you were halfway to somewhere new—a relationship, a career move, a road trip, a big decision—and something made you stop. It could have been fear, instinct, doubt, a red flag, a sudden realization, or a literal U-turn. Maybe turning back saved you. Maybe it cost you. Maybe you still wonder what would have happened if you’d kept going. Tell us about a moment when retreat wasn’t weakness but choice—or when it felt like failure. What made you change course? What did you leave behind? And what did turning back teach you about pride, courage, timing, or yourself?

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:00 PM

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Special Event

AT

ATTACK THEATER

212 45th Street Main Theater · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Wrong Crowd

Share a six-minute story about a moment that almost went differently. Maybe you narrowly avoided disaster—or nearly missed something wonderful. It could be a split-second decision, a coincidence that changed the outcome, a warning you almost ignored, or a risk that nearly didn’t pay off. Tell us about a time when you were closer than you realized to loss, luck, danger, or change—and what that close call revealed, altered, or left you wondering what might have happened if things had tipped the other way.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Doors · Show 7:30 PM

Admission: $10

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →

Story Slam

CITY OF ASYLUM

40 W. North Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA

Against My Better Judgement

Share a six-minute story about a time you did something you knew you probably shouldn’t. Maybe it was a small, quiet decision—or a spectacularly bad idea. Maybe you ignored a warning, followed an impulse, trusted the wrong person, or said yes when every instinct said no. It could have led to trouble, surprise, regret, or something unexpectedly meaningful. Tell us about a moment when you went against your own better judgment—and what the consequences, lessons, or lingering questions turned out to be.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:00 PM

Admission: Free

Featuring music of Derek Johnson

MORE INFO →GET TICKETS →