A MONTHLY LIVE STORYELLING EVENT - LANSING, MI

sTORIES. yOU hAVE oNE.

eVERYONE hAS oNE.

lET'S sHARE.

Hear the Story.

See the Person.

Know Each Other.

📅

WHEN

2nd Tuesday of the Month

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DOORS

6:30 PM

Program starts at 7 PM

📍

WHERE

Green Door

2005 E Michigan Ave

Lansing, MI 48912

🎟️

TICKETS

$15 Online

$15 at the door

18+ Show

What is the 517

Story Project?

The 517 Story Project is a live storytelling experience held the 2nd Tuesday of every month at The Green Door in Lansing.

Each month begins with a new Invitation (theme), an idea designed to unlock a memory and inspire true stories from the people in our community. No scripts. No performances. Just real people sharing real stories from their lives.

Stories are powerful. They help us see beyond what we assume about one another. They remind us of what we share. They make strangers feel a little less strange.

We believe that when we hear someone's story, we begin to see the person behind it. And when we know each other better, we care about each other differently.

The Next Gathering

THE FIRST CHAPTER: The Stranger

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Doors open at 6:30 pm

Our inaugural night. The INVITATION (theme) is The Stranger.

Prepare a story about someone you didn't know. A chance encounter, an unlikely connection, a person you misjudged, or someone who appeared at exactly the right or wrong moment. Kindness from someone whose name you never learned. A seatmate, a customer, a neighbor you hadn't met yet, or the person who made you think twice. Maybe the stranger changed your day, changed your mind, or just left you with one hell of a story. Sometimes the people we know the least leave us with the stories we remember most.

Bring a story that fits, or simply come to listen.

Ten storytellers. One mic. One room full of stangers who will become neighbors.

How The Night Works

01 Come as You Are

Arrive at The Green Door. Settle in. Come ready to tell your story or just enjoy the evening.

02 Ten Storytellers

Throw your hat in the ring. Ten brave souls will be selected throughout the evening. The MC draws the first name, then each storyteller picks the next.

03 Five to Seven Minutes

Each story is 5-7 minutes long, told live and unscripted, inspired by the night's Invitation (theme).

04 The Exchange

Write an anonymous 2-3 sentence story idea based on the night's Invitation on a card and pin it to the wall. As you leave, take someone else's story home with you.

When we know each other's story, we know empathy. We know joy, sorrow, struggle, and growth. We know each other better.

The Ground Rules

Every story has a frame.

The 517 Story Project is a space for real stories from real people. To keep the night honest, generous, and respectful of everyone's time, we ask every storyteller to follow a few simple rules.

Your story must:

Be true.
Be your story.
Fit the Invitation (theme).
Be told from memory.
Be between 5-7 minutes.
Respect the audience.

No:

Hate speech
Campaign speeches
Sales pitches
Props (especially ventriloquist dummies)
Poetry
Reading essays
Stand-up routines
Fiction

THE EXCHANGE

We Carry Each Other's

Stories.

All guests are invited to write an anonymous 2-3 sentence story inspired by the evening's Invitation and add it to The Exchange.

At the end of the night, choose someone else's story to take home with you. Every card holds a small piece of someone's life: a memory, a loss, a laugh, a lesson, a moment that mattered.

Take a story. Carry it with care.

When we carry each other's stories, we understand each other a little better. That's how strangers become neighbors.

Past Chapters

The Wall, the stories, the night.

Every month a new chapter in a year of stories. Check back after each Chapter for photos from the night.

The First Chapter

October 13, 2026

INVITATION: The Stranger

Photos coming soon!

The Second Chapter

November 10, 2026

INVITATION: TBD

Photos coming soon!

The Third Chapter

December 8, 2026

INVITATION: TBD

Photos coming soon!

The Founders

Amy Zander

Co-Founder

Amy Zander, The Mobstress of Marketing and owner of Zeedia Media. The Mobstress is a serial entrepreneur. Owning five businesses has made her adept at recognizing a good deal and seeing through a lot of bullsh$t. Amy has been writing since she could hold a pencil #WordsMatter.

Learn More

Mickey Haddick

Co-Founder

Mickey is a Michigan-based writer of thrillers, sci-fi and satire. Something of a multipotentialite, he has degrees in computer engineering and information science, works in digital marketing, plays ukulele and recently started cartooning and tap dancing. He is an expert on productive creativity, web publishing, and dirty limericks.