WILDCARD! True Stories Told Live By You Presented by In a Nutshell Storytelling
WILDCARD! is our monthly open mic story swap, and it’s evolving into something we’re really excited about.
Every third Wednesday at Teneral Cellars Tasting Room in Midtown Sacramento, anyone can walk in, put their name in the NOT HAT, and tell a true, personal story in front of a room that actually listens. No theme required. No script necessary. Just you, eight minutes, and whatever true thing you’ve been carrying around.
That’s always been the heart of WILDCARD. And we’re building something bigger around that heart.
WILDCARD exists because we believe two things that don’t always get said in the same breath: that everyone has a story worth telling, AND that the craft of telling it—the performance, the shape of it, the way it lands in a room—matters deeply. Sacramento has plenty of open mics. We’re building something that takes both the teller and the audience seriously, because we love the community, we love the craft, and we love to be entertained. And that’s what we want to give you.
WILDCARD is now a full-on participatory show. With stakes! Think Moth StorySLAM energy, but Sacramento-style, with our own twists. More interactive. More electric. More worth showing up for. At the end of each show, the storytellers themselves vote for their favorite story of the night. The winner takes home $50 and a featured spot at the next show. It's community-driven, craft-honoring, and well, magical. Also super fun.
True stories, told live, by you. That’s not just a tagline. It’s the whole point.
This Month:
Michelle Long, a visual artist, jewelry designer, and writer, had our very first “best story of the night” at our June show. She walked away with 50$ and is our July feature. The story she’ll be telling? Well, let’s just say the title is “The SECOND Time I Peed My Pants.”
What to expect:
🎤 The NOT HAT: Eight storytellers are drawn from the NOT HAT each month. Eight minutes. True and personal. Crafted with your best intentions.
⭐ A featured storyteller: A featured storyteller each month; our previous month’s winner, back to show us just how much they rock.
🗳️ Audience participation: The storytellers themselves vote for the best story of the night. The winner gets $50 and a feature spot next month. Stakes are real. The love is spectacular. (We’ll be adding ways for the audience to get their opinions heard, too. Stay tuned!)
🌀 An optional monthly theme: a jumping-off point for those who want one. But the NOT HAT is always open to any true, personal story. No theme required. The most unexpected stories are often the best ones. JULY’S OPTIONAL THEME: NO, REALLY, IT GETS WORSE!
🍷 Teneral Cellars: a beautiful wine tasting room in the heart of Midtown. Come early, get a glass, settle in. Stay after and keep talking. The night doesn’t have to end when the stories do.
🧡 A community that shows up: for the stories, for each other, and for the wild, unpredictable, occasionally life-changing thing that happens when a room full of humans actually listens together.
A note on craft:
Stories are true, personal, and told live. We strongly encourage telling without notes; there’s something that happens when a story lives in your body rather than on a page. But we welcome every storyteller as they are. What we always ask for is intention. Show up ready to share something real. Practice it. Polish it. PERFORM IT!
“Anyone can step up to the mic. All we ask is that you step up with intention.” — THEE Amy Bee
The Nutshell Three:
Keith Lowell Jensen hosts—keeping things warm, keeping things moving, and somehow always saying the thing that ties the whole night together.
Amy Bee is the creator and producer of WILDCARD—the woman who decided Sacramento needed something like this badly enough to actually build it herself.
Aaron Carnes holds it all together with patience and competence and what Amy Bee has described, on the record, as hubba-hubba energy.
The fine print:
📅 Every third Wednesday | 7pm (doors at 6pm; come early to sign up!)
📍 Teneral Cellars | 1050 20th St #110, Midtown Sacramento
🎟️ $15 in advance or door
A note from Amy Bee: WILDCARD is a living, breathing, evolving thing, and we’re figuring it out in real time, together. If something changes, this page will change with it. If you have thoughts, feelings, ideas, or opinions about what WILDCARD should be, please share them with me. I read everything. That’s not a polite thing I say, it’s actually true. xoxo, Amy Bee
You belong here, humans! And we’re so glad to see you. Now, get those stories ready and come sign up for the next WILDCARD!
