Between the Lines is a monthly evening of live storytelling, held at the Chestnut Tree Bookshop in West Footscray. It’s not a reading. It’s not a slam. It’s not a performance, exactly. It’s something a little more raw than that… an invitation to share something true in a room full of strangers who are there to listen.
Each voice brings a different shape to it. Some stories are funny, some are messy, some are quiet and cracking open. You don’t need to be a writer or a performer—you just need to want to share something real.
To share your story, register in advance and on the night, names are drawn randomly from the storyteller pool. Everyone pays for a ticket, whether you’re in the crowd or up at the mic—that’s part of how we keep it sustainable and fair. In return, speakers get a glass of wine on the house and a roomful of people leaning in to listen.
THEMES
2026
February 28: too big
March 28: avoidance
May 30: return
June 27: ugly sweater
July 25: tinder
August 29: eighteen
September 26: effervescence
October 31: haunted
November 28: butt dial
TICKETS
Head to Trybooking.com. Tickets sell out fast so get in early!
STORYTELLERS
WHY DO THE STORYTELLERS PAY?
The Chestnut Tree is a tiny, fiercely independent bookshop. It’s a gathering place, yes—but it’s also a business. Running events like this comes with real costs: admin + strategising, staff, setup, space, and time. We’re not backed by a big institution, just held up by the hands of those who believe in what we’re creating together.Charging a small ticket fee to all attendees—storytellers and audience members alike—helps us pay the people who make the night possible and ensures we can keep the lights on and offer this stage to voices that deserve to be heard.
BTL Vision
This isn’t about hierarchy. Between the Lines is built on the idea that we’re all audience and we’re all potential storytellers. You might not know it yet, but your story might be the one someone else in the room needed to hear. This is a space where stories meet each other across the page breaks and the pauses—where you might walk away a little more seen, or a little more softened.
BTL IS HELD ON THE LAND OF THE WURUNDJERI WOI WURRUNG PEOPLE OF THE KULIN NATIONS.
WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TO THE ELDERS PAST AND PRESENT.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE SOVEREIGNTY WAS NEVER CEDED AND THAT THIS LAND ALWAYS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE ABORIGINAL LAND.