RISK!

Anne Thomas, a storyteller and disability advocate; Winter Tashlin, a kink educator and writer; and Sam Mullins, a Canadian nonfiction performer, share three wildly uncomfortable moments. Sam faces a disastrous college production. Winter learns the hard way why safety rules exist after a capsaicin mishap. Anne endures an inescapable drive-in date arranged after her spinal cord injury. Three stories of bad decisions, awkward encounters, and situations that should have ended much sooner.

Ploy Anderson, a Bangkok storyteller and travel professional, survives a terrifying collision with a 10-wheeler. Writer and former human-rights lawyer Abel Athi Kumar battles a python to save his cat. Artist Art Attaphon follows a Grindr encounter to a hotel photo session that becomes unexpectedly intimate. Three vivid stories about danger, courage, desire, and vulnerability in Bangkok.

Radcliffe Royds, a storyteller of addiction and recovery; Simon Sarginson, a game developer with a candid comic voice; Suraya Sidhu Singh, a London-based New Zealand storyteller; and Dave Pickering, Spark London co-founder, share unforgettable true tales. Dave tests shame at a swingers club. Suraya investigates a disturbing missing-neighbor mystery. Simon recalls his mother’s defiant battle with cancer. Radcliffe recounts addiction, crime, homelessness, and recovery.

Delsy Sandoval and Brenda González, Latina storytellers and co-hosts of Tamarindo, celebrate the lighter side of Latine life. Ximena Ospina recalls emigrating from Colombia, navigating first grade in California, and an urgent classroom bathroom crisis. Javier Morillo explores Puerto Rican-American identity, racial fetishization, country music, and an unexpectedly flirtatious cowboy encounter.

Three unforgettable true stories explore parental protection during a mall lockdown, the messy allure of dangerous romance, and a deeply disturbing father-son family dynamic. A trans woman discovers her seemingly perfect date has a shocking criminal past, while another storyteller revisits unconventional lessons about intimacy, complicated loyalties, and saying goodbye to a beloved father.

Cathy Smith, a Pittsburgh-rooted storyteller, recalls hitchhiking across the 1970s while high on acid and climbing into a suspicious windowless van. Jake Hart, a New York storyteller of precarious living, turns homelessness into a Bukowski-inspired experiment in deprivation, danger, and humiliation. Brian Cirmo’s final night in Utica ends with strip clubs, prankster friends, and an unexpected abandonment.

Frank Traynor, comedic storyteller and creator of It’s Funny Now; Victor Ramirez, autobiographical performer and entrepreneur; and Kona Morris, candid comedian and solo storyteller, share brushes with authority. Kona faces customs chaos over rocks and a bomb-shaped souvenir, Victor recalls a teenage shoplifting scheme and a terrifying mentor, and Frank panics during a mall theater break-in to impress his crush.

Ray Christian, a professor and storyteller; Andrew Aghapour, a philosophy teacher and comedian; and Lauren Patton, a Southern Gothic writer, share raw stories of growing up and finding their voices. Lauren faces her father’s mistresses on horseback. Andrew stumbles into teaching and discovers confidence. Ray finds belonging among pigeon fanciers before a dangerous fishing trip turns terrifying.

Richard Velazquez, a storyteller and TV producer, recalls a terrifying first crack sale shaped by addiction and religious fear. Olympic diver Cassidy Krug revisits nine years under a punishing coach and the cost of chasing greatness. Trans advocate and truck driver Annie Carnrike recounts surviving a family attack, imprisonment, and the justice system while fighting for dignity and a new life.

Matt Kirshen, a British comedian and writer, recounts a dangerous night in Bordeaux. Jen Kirkman, comedian and memoirist, confronts her fear of caregiving and commitment. Hospital worker and comedian Eli Olsberg turns a blood drive into chaos. Janine Brito, a comedian shaped by faith and grief, remembers the devastating loss of her father. Four candid stories about being blindsided.