Posts Tagged ‘the moth’
This is the worst thing you can do to a storyteller
As a storyteller – and perhaps a human being – one of the worst things that can happen to me is for someone to doubt my story. I have stood on stages all over the world and shared some of the most difficult and painful moments of my life. Embarrassing situations. Despicable decisions. Immoral acts.…
Read MoreI went to the bathroom alongside a bunch of ladies, and something surprising happened.
I competed last night at a Moth StorySLAM at The Oberon in Cambridge, MA. The Oberon has two restrooms. When I started performing there in 2013, these restrooms were identified by placards as “Men” and “Women.” About a year ago, the “Men” and “Women” placards were replaced with placards that read “All Gender.” Since then,…
Read MoreI thrive in possibly inappropriately competitive situations.
Next month I will be teaching storytelling at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. This will be my second year teaching at Kripalu and I’m already scheduled to teach there in 2017 as well. The fact that I teach at Kripalu astounds many. Though my students at Kripalu have assured me that my teaching and…
Read MoreResolution update: October 2016
PERSONAL HEALTH 1. Don’t die. I have fluid trapped behind my eardrum, making it hard to hear, but I don’t think it will kill me. 2. Lose 20 pounds. I gained two pounds in October. Fifteen down and five to go. 3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a week. Done.…
Read MoreThe Moth: The Promise
In November of last year, I told this story about my high school sweetheart at a Moth GrandSLAM in Brooklyn. I was lucky enough to have the story air on the Moth Radio Hour and their podcast a couple months later. I can’t tell you what a honor and thrill that is. I hear from…
Read MoreThe Moth: Two Little Jewish Dicks
In April of this year, I told this story about my Elysha, my kids, my last name, and Judaism at a Moth GrandSLAM at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The theme of the night was Crash Course. I finished in second place.
Read MoreThe Moth: A Mop Sink and Maybe God
In March of 2016 I told the story of my interrogation and arrest for a crime I did not commit at a Moth GrandSLAM at The Somerville Theater. The theme of the night was Now or Never. I won the GrandSLAM that night. I’ve since told this story for Speak Up and other shows…
Read MoreThe Moth: She Held My Hand
In August of 2015 I told the story of my first date with my wife at a Moth StorySLAM at The Bitter End. The theme of the night was Guts. I won the slam that night, but being the hyper-critical person that I am, I hear a lot of room for improvement in the story.…
Read MoreFive years ago, I took the stage and told my first story. The most important thing about that night: I was afraid.
Yesterday marked my five year anniversary in storytelling. On July 12, 2011, I went to New York to tell a story on a Moth stage. I went there mostly because I told my friends that I would, and I had avoided it so long that I began to feel ashamed of myself. My friends pointed…
Read MoreGo to The Moth and tell a story. And not “someday.” Go soon.
Just this past week I heard from listeners who heard one or more of my stories on The Moth’s podcast, The Moth Radio Hour, and/or The Moth’s website in: Cape Town, South AfricaLondon, UKColumbus, OHHartford, CTWestern AustraliaHong KongNew HampshireNew York CitySao Paulo, BrazilBlackstone, Massachusetts The idea that people across the globe are listening to me tell…
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