🌧️ DATE CHANGE! POSSESS MOVES TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16!

Mother Nature had other plans, so for everyone’s safety, we’re moving POSSESS: A Cabinet of Obsessions + Story Slam to next Friday!

The stories are in. The judges have made their decisions. Prizes are up for grabs, and a spot in the Grand Slam is on the line!

Come explore our pop-up art exhibit and join us for a night of storytelling, art, and community.

Already have tickets? They’ll be honored on October 16. If you can’t make the new date, contact us for a refund.

Same fabulous gathering, one week later. Help us spread the word, invite a friend, and we’ll see you next Friday! ❤️

OUR THEME

POSSESS

What has a hold on you?

That thing you absolutely do not need but absolutely CANNOT throw away.

The person you can’t let go of. The obsession you can’t shake. The desire you couldn’t resist. The memory that refuses to leave. Something you fought to keep. Something you thought you owned until you realized it owned you.

For October’s Story Slam, we’re inviting storytellers to take the stage with a true story inspired by POSSESS.

It may be funny, unsettling, tender, seductive, strange, or all of the above.

You have 5 minutes to tell us your story.

Take the stage. Consider yourself possessed.

THE AUDIENCE DECIDES

The audience doesn’t just listen. You vote.

At the end of the evening, you’ll help choose the winning storyteller. Come ready to listen, feel, laugh, be surprised, and choose.

STORYTELLER PRIZES

🎁 First Place: A $50 gift certificate to Castaways Vintage to Modern, a favorite local destination for antiques, records, art, furniture, gifts, and other treasures.

✨ Second Place: A $20 gift certificate to a favorite local Jacksonville spot.

AUDIENCE CAPTURES: WHAT THEY SAID

You heard the stories. Now tell us what stuck.
Listen for the line that stays with you. A phrase. A sentence. A moment you can’t shake.

Write it down. Hand it in. Play along.

Last year, the lines our audiences collected became our first-ever BABS’LAB zine:

What They Said: A Record of Listening

Curated by Barbara Colaciello
Published by Happy Tapir Press

$8 | All proceeds support improvements and upgrades at BABS’LAB.

You never know what someone will say.
You never know what you’ll remember.

A POP-UP ART EXHIBITION

POSSESS: A Cabinet of Obsessions
Exhibition Runs: October 9 – November 5

The October Story Slam comes to the walls with a Pop-Up exhibition exploring what it means to hold, to want, to keep, and to be kept. Curated by Barbara Colaciello and Julia Ivanisova, the exhibition invites artists to interpret POSSESS through visual work.

Our Judges: Mark Creegan, Delia Toledo and Julia Ivanisva

Opening & Artist Reception: October 9, 6:45–7:45 PM
Award Presentation: 7:45PM

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

DATE: Friday, October 16, 2026
WHERE: BABS’LAB, CoRK Arts District
Entrance on Phyllis Street, along the path between the metal fence and palm tree, across from Yellow House.

ARTIST RECEPTION: 6:45 PM–8 PM
STORY SLAM: 8 PM
TICKETS: $18

www.barbaracolaciello.com/register/octstoryslambabslab-2026

WHAT’S A STORY SLAM?

Ten names are picked from the hat.

Storytellers have 5 minutes to tell a true personal story inspired by the theme.

No notes. No props.

The story must connect to the theme.

And while we love a good opinion, this is a storytelling night: no ranting, no preaching, no politicizing.

The audience listens. The audience votes. One storyteller takes home the prize.

DONATE

Support BABS’LAB’s 10th Anniversary Vision to Grow Campaign

As BABS’LAB enters its next decade, we’re raising funds to strengthen the Lab, support artists, expand programming, and make improvements to the space.

The campaign is ongoing, and every contribution helps us keep growing this creative community.

Be part of what’s next.

barbaracolaciello.com/donation

Questions? Please contact babslab@barbaracolaciello.com