The Moth Radio Hour: Voicing Tough Truths

The Moth

Arts, Performing Arts

4.6 • 25.9K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2024

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this hour, tellers who tell the truth and nothing but the truth, even when it's hard. Finding the right words in front of the president, in the face of the patriarchy, during a shocking encounter, and to pass on knowledge. This hour is hosted by Moth Artistic Director, Catherine Burns. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media. Storytellers: David Litt channels his alter ego, "Lips," while working as a presidential speechwriter. Nimisha Ladva sees the subtle ways her mother defies the patriarchal structure of her extended family. Alexis Barton learns nothing good happens after midnight. Sharon Salzberg's meditation teacher encourages her to use her voice and past experience to help others Podcast: 657 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Moth Radio Hour from PRX.
0:14.9	I'm Catherine Burns, and this time we're hearing stories about tough truths, admitting hard things, and then finding
0:22.3	the courage to say them out loud, especially when it feels a little dangerous.
0:27.1	That was a case with our first storyteller, David Litt.
0:30.6	He shared his story at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven, Connecticut, where he
0:35.1	partner with premier concerts.
0:37.3	Here's David Litt live at the Moth.
0:43.1	Back when I was a speechwriter for President Obama.
0:53.1	Thank you. That's my story.
0:56.4	Back when I was a speechwriter for President Obama, the ultimate White House power move
1:02.4	was to stand up after you finished a meeting with the president, swipe an apple from the
1:09.9	bowl on the Oval Office coffee table,
1:12.6	and then on your way out the door, take a big, juicy bite.
1:17.6	And I never did that.
1:20.6	I never even came close to doing that.
1:24.6	It wasn't the writing part of my job that worried me, but you know how some people
1:29.3	are afraid of spiders and some people are afraid of heights. When I started at the White
1:33.5	House, I discovered that my very specific, very crippling fear was of being in an enclosed space
1:40.1	with an important person and having to say things.
1:49.0	Which turns out to be a problem when you work for the President of the United States.
1:54.0	This was an especially big problem in March 2013. I had just gone from writing speeches for the senior staff
1:57.0	to writing speeches exclusively for the President.
	...

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