Carapace Atlanta

Come out of your shell!

A place for story connoisseurs…

Carapace is a monthly event of true personal stories at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta, every second Tuesday of the month (except December). While the show begins at 7p, we encourage people to get there early to meet their neighbors and enjoy a meal before the mic goes live.

Raconteurs + Rapt Audience
= Really Good Time!

Every second Tuesday of the month, ordinary raconteurs tell true, personal, five-minute (or so) stories on a pre-selected theme. Topics have included, for example, "Scars," and "Feuds & Rivalries."

Our hilarious host, Cris Gray, guides us through.

Names are drawn from a hat. No one is required to tell a story; attendees can just listen. It's free.

Learn More

Next Month’s Theme:

Not Like Us

Tuesday, March 11, 7p, Manuel’s Tavern

There are two kinds of people in this world: People who think there are two kinds of people...and everybody else. It seems, these days, the "us v. them" rhetoric is increasingly divisive.

So, we're just gonna lean into it this month and squabble up.

We bet you've got a good story about being on one side or t'other. Did you run with the middle school "Nerd Herd" while looking longingly at the prep table across the cafeteria? Did you get kicked out of a sorority during pledge week because of your unwillingness to debase yourself?

Seriously, though, please tell us about a time when you were either with the in-group or on the outside looking in, grumbling "They not like us!" Did it come to high speed hijinks, espionage, or did the beatings continue until morale improved?

Better yet, tell us about how you faced all that and still managed to forge an alliance across the divide. Did you lay down arms, become fast friends with the unlikeliest of candidates? Now's the time to shape the stories you want.

Nothing makes us feel more aligned than coming on down to Manuel’s Tavern, second Tuesdays of the month, for a little story-based community building (and food-based courage for the road). Hope all you storytellers and story listeners will join hearts and minds with us there—Tuesday, March 11 at 7p.

Please consider arriving early, or staying a little after. We love being social!

Notes for a non-combative storytelling experience…
*no notes (even and especially on your cellphone)
*no political rants
*no stand-up comedy routines
This is OG storytelling, like our ancestors used to do around the fire at night.

*FREE* STORY COACHING: We tend to be at Manuel’s by 6p on the night of the show. If you’d like a little coaching as you prepare to get up on that mic, please feel free to arrive in the hour before to talk through your story’s points for some potential ideas or help with shaping it.

VOLUNTEERS: We always need volunteers to make our events run smoother. Roles include:
*greet people at the door and encourage sign-ups
*serve as story timer
*be our personal paparazzi! (take photos)

Please let us know if you’d like to volunteer!

STORYTELLING TIPS: It’s often said that stories must have a beginning, middle, and an end. A different way to think about it is a story is not a story unless some change has occurred. (What's changed in me, the circumstances, or environment?) If nothing changes, then it might just be an anecdote. Find the change in your story. As such, every story you tell brings change into the world.