Thursday: A Live Storytelling Event (for Adults) from Austin Bat Cave

Austin Bat Cave may be focused on helping kids develop their writing skills, but the non-profit also does a monthly event strictly for grown-ups. Inspired by The Moth, the NYC “storytelling organization,” ABC's The Story Department is a series of non-readings in which speakers tell stories on a selected theme. This month’s topic is “jobs, jobs, jobs,” which should prove fertile ground for the raconteurs participating this Thursday; there’s never a dearth of drama, loss, and triumph in the workplace—even if it’s often on a rather small scale.

Doors are at 7:30 p.m, stories at 8:00, and there’s a $5 entry that will benefit the Bat Cave. In keeping with the occupational theme, attendees are encouraged to create business-card-sized art, which can be donated for sale on Thursday night. It’s all happening at the Austin Art + Music Partnership’s warehouse space on West Monroe.

The Story Department describes itself this way: “It’s not a reading, but you’ll hear stories. It’s not stand-up, but you’ll probably laugh.” It’s that loose, enthralling character of oral storytelling that sets events like this apart from your average reading. The Moth, which was started in 1997 by a Georgia native who wanted to recreate the summer-evening tale-swapping of his past, has a monthly podcast you can listen to here.