On October 11, 2025 The Jackalope Carnival Foundation will present, Meemaw’s Brush With Mystery: A Sideshow of Stories at the historic
Black Cherry Puppet Theater in Baltimore, MD.
We are seeking true(ish) tales for a night of the uncanny, the inexplicable, and the unforgettable. We want you to come and tell your brushes with mystery, personal or passed down. The Moth style but more Mothman. The story does not have to be a literal ghost sighting or an alien abduction but could be, and definitely should be paranormal or folklore adjacent. Stories will be performed live. You must be ready to tell your story in person and on-stage on October 11th, 2025 in Baltimore Maryland.
What Kind of Stories Are We Looking For?
We want stories that brush up against the unknown. They might be personal, or maybe they belong to a relative who swore it really happened. They might be just plain weird or quietly unsettling. Either way, they’ve stuck with you, and we want to know why. Tell us about a moment that made you wonder. A time you went looking for something mysterious, whether you found it or not. That pull toward the unexplained is a story in itself.
Here are some examples of what we’re looking for:
- Firsthand encounters with the mysterious or unexplained
- Family lore that refuses to fade, no matter how many times it’s told
- Moments that sparked your lifelong fascination with the paranormal
- Reflections on why you want to believe
- Stories that shaped your sense of reality or made you question it
- The story you tell when someone asks, “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard?”
Your story doesn’t need to be shocking, fact-checked or polished — we believe the truth, the beauty is in the telling. We want to hear what your (or meemaw’s) story means to you.
Participants will be informed of our selection choice by September 15th, 2025.
Submission Guidelines:
- Final Length: 6–8 minutes
- First person preferred (unless the story demands otherwise)
- Keep it strange, but all-ages appropriate
- Submit to jackalopecarnival@gmail.com by September 1, 2025
What to Submit
- Send a snippet of yourself telling part of your story… or
- Send a written draft… or
- Send a proposal (and a promise to finish by October 1st)
We see you here:
