WE’RE BACK — AND THIS ONE’S SPECIAL

Step into Jacksonville’s most intimate, high-energy storytelling space — BABS’LAB.

After taking August off to launch The Jax Film Salon, we're back on Friday, September 11th for a very special Story Slam. Our Theme this month: GET OVER.

Come celebrate with us. Tales + Treats + Libations, ten storytellers, five minutes each, and an audience ready to laugh, listen, remember, and vote.

Hosted by Babs Colaciello, Story Slams are where true stories take the stage and anything can happen.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

DATE: Friday, September 11, 2026

WHERE: BABS’LAB, CoRK Arts District, 603 King St.

Entrance located on Phyllis St. on the path between the metal fence and palm tree, across from the Yellow House!

SHOW TIME: 8:00 PM

DOORS OPEN: 7:15 PM

TICKETS: $18.00

GET YOUR TICKETS www.barbaracolaciello.com/register/septslambabslab-2026

We expect this one to sell out.

THIS MONTH’S THEME: GET OVER

What do you carry, once you've crossed to the other side of it?
A fear you faced down. A grudge you finally set free. A crush that took its time letting go. A year you weren't sure you'd survive.

GET OVER invites stories about the hump, the hill, the thing that felt impossible until, somehow, it wasn't.

Getting over something isn't about forgetting it. It's about what you carry forward, and who you become carrying it.

Some stories will make you laugh. Some may hit a nerve. Some may surprise even the person telling them.
That's the beauty of a Story Slam.

DRESS THE PART

Dress like you're celebrating — because you are. WE ARE.
Whatever “celebration” means to you: sequins, your favorite going-out fit, the outfit you save for good news. Whatever makes you feel like you got over something and you're ready to show it.

Come dressed for the occasion.

YOUR ROLE IN THE ROOM

Step up to the mic or settle in as an audience conspirator — because the audience doesn't just watch, you vote.
Ten names are drawn from the hat. Each storyteller has five minutes to tell a TRUE personal story connected to the theme.
Then you decide which story resonated most.

Come ready to listen, feel, laugh, and choose.

🎁 FIRST PLACE

Our first-place storyteller wins a $50 gift certificate to Castaways Vintage to Modern — an antique shop and record store offering art, furniture, gifts, boutique and more.

One of our favorite places to dig for treasures.

✨ SECOND PLACE

Second-place storyteller receives a $20 gift certificate to a favorite local Jacksonville spot — plus an invitation to our pre-Grand Slam run-off story marathon for a chance to earn a spot in the Grand Slam in May.

SOMETHING EXTRA

This Story Slam is also a celebration of YOU. Ten years into BABS’LAB, we launched our Vision to Grow Campaign with a goal of raising $10,000. And you didn't just meet the goal.

You blew past it.

Together, our community raised $13,445.

That generosity made it possible to launch The Jax Film Salon and begin making important improvements to our BABS’LAB space.

You made this happen.

And now, I have exciting news to share. I'll be making a special announcement from the stage on September 11th.

You'll want to be in the room.

WHAT WE REMEMBER

September 11th also marks 25 years since that day. This evening will hold space in memory of all those who lost their lives.

There is something fitting about gathering in a room on a night like this to tell stories. Because stories are how we remember.

Stories are how we carry people, moments, and experiences forward

WHAT THEY SAID

For nine years, people have been coming into BABS'LAB to tell their stories.
For nine years, people have been listening.

We started playing a simple game at Story Slams: What line stayed with you? A phrase. A sentence. A moment that caught in your mind and wouldn't leave.

Because the words don't disappear. They stick. Stories are carried by voices. Quotes are carried by listeners.

A room full of listeners can change the life of a story. It doesn't end when it's told — it's passed along by the people who heard it.

Those collected words became our first-ever BABS'LAB zine:

What They Said: A Record of Listening

Curated by Barbara Colaciello
Published by Happy Tapir Press

A collection of lines captured by audiences across a full season of Story Slams.

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

Nine years of stories.

Nine years of listening.

And now, nine years of remembering what was said.

WHAT’S A STORY SLAM?

• 10 people's names are picked from the hat.
• Storytellers have 5 minutes each to tell a TRUE personal story based on the THEME.
• At the end of the evening, the audience votes for their favorite storyteller.
• Stories must connect to the theme.
• No notes. No props.
• Please, no political ranting or preaching.

COME GET OVER SOMETHING WITH US.

AND CELEBRATE WHAT WE’VE MADE TOGETHER.

For more info:babslab@barbaracolaciello.com

DONATE

If you’d like to be part of our Vision Campaign please visit our donation page to find out more about the BABS’LAB community.

https://www.barbaracolaciello.com/donate