The Moth

First Moth Grand Slam in the Books — I had won a Moth Story Slam, I reminded myself, and had just as much right to be at this Grand Slam as the others. But sitting backstage reading their bios, I began to drown in a wave of self-doubt. I had gone into my first Story Slam with no…

Now I know perspiration trumps inspiration — My first Moth performance — December 2021 — was a birthday challenge to myself. I enjoy listening to live storytelling and thought, “Hey, maybe I could do that!” The piece I told was my favorite story of wisdom gained as a first-year teacher. I had been advised by a veteran…

Not exactly but I’m learning — I felt well-prepared with my third story for The Moth Story Slam in Atlanta. It’s one of my favorites and I had practiced with gestures and inflection. The morning of the show, I got a text from an old friend telling me she enjoyed my second performance, and I took…

Context: there’s this great storytelling night called the Moth. Real people stand up & tell stories, five minutes long, and the only rule is that the story has to be true. I was due to tell this story on June 8, 2022 at the Rich Mix, East London, but a…

From hero to zero and I’m not sure why — It’s tough to analyze why a piece of writing is successful or not. Oral storytelling is even harder to pin down because you can’t watch yourself. There are similarities. Audience response offers clues — after you put yourself out there first. …

This is the story I told at The Moth GrandSLAM event in Washington, DC on April 27, 2022. The theme of the night was “Between The Lines.” This story won that evening. It was around 3:35 in the morning. I was driving. …

The following is a five-minute story I performed at the Moth on the topic of Wisdom. I decided to talk about my use of psychedelics. I’ve been breaking a federal law on a regular basis for almost two years now. Shh. Don’t tell anyone, okay? Because I’m not hurting anybody…

Self-challenge brings surprising rewards — “Here she comes! Keep that applause going for our next storyteller! She’s almost here!” Suddenly I am onstage, blinking into lights but seeing only the closest faces. They are waiting for me to begin. I swallow hard and remind myself I chose this moment. Time to Grow Weeks before, when asked what I…

For decades, I’d held THE STORY and treasured it. I had tried writing it down, but didn’t have a good format for it. It wasn’t the story that a magazine might print. At least not any magazine that I knew of. It wasn’t the sort of story that I’d tell…