Usually, we're bringing the stories to you. We're immersed every day as we plan, write, and pop into your inbox each morning — but we've decided to shake things up and ask you to be the storyteller. After all, our readers are at the heart of the stories we share, and we think you deserve the spotlight.

So join City Editors Molly + Grace this Monday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. for AVLtoday's free storytelling open mic. We'll be taking over Highland Brewing's Barrel Room for an evening of telling tales and sipping ales.

The night will be centered on the theme of "Pride in Place." It's easy to get overwhelmed by the things we wish were different (we're guilty of the dreaded doom scroll), but this is a chance to dwell on why we love where we live. This could be a time that a local nonprofit made a profound impact, an account of finding lifelong friends in our community, a memory of Asheville that brings you joy — anything that makes you proud to be here. Stories should be under 5 minutes, but even if you've only got 30 seconds of material, we want to hear from you.

If you don't have a tale of your own to tell, that's okay too. Swing by for a listen and a drink. There's no pressure to be at the mic — although, Highland can help if you need a little courage to get up on stage.

You can register online now, but feel free to just drop by too. We'll have a sign-up sheet ready for last-minute stories. See you there.