Welcome to the Moth Podcast.

I'm Gabriel Shinerd, Associate Producer at the Moth, and your host for this episode.

There are so many different parts to the Moth.

There's the podcast you're listening to right now.

There's the Moth Radio Hour airing on public radio stations every week.

There's workshop programs where we help communities and

students and advocates all around the world craft personal stories. Our main stage events where

storytellers craft their stories with Moth directors. There's so much happening here at the

Moth. And then there's the Open Mic Story Slams, which are some of the coolest shows the

Moth produces. At Story slams, people put their

name in a hat, and if they are one of ten folks selected, they get to share a true, personal

five-minute story on stage without notes. If you've been to a Moth StorySlam, you know there's

an energy to them. None of us know what's going to be told next, and there's a great sense of

togetherness and community in the audience.

Story slams are special because it's everyday people telling these stories, from teachers to scientists, to actors, to doctors.

At the last StorySlam that I went to, there was a garbage collector that was still wearing his uniform from the workday.

One of the things that I love most about Story Slams is that you become closer to the community that you're a part of.

To kick off this new year, we want to put a spotlight on these open mic-moth story slams that are open to everyone and produced in cities worldwide.

It may be your New Year's resolution to tell a story, or maybe it's your resolution to come out and hear local stories and support your community.

Our first story is all about that.

It was told by Liza Cooper at a, you guessed it, story slam in New York City.

Here's Liza, live at the Moth.

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