Welcome to Words Matter with Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart.

Welcome to a special edition of The Words Matter Library.

Joe, every week we put speeches, books, even other podcasts into the Words Matter Library.

This week we wanted to put something you did a few years ago, performance at The Moth.

Just explain to us what The Moth is and explain what you decided to talk about.

The Moth is a great organization that when I did it, I don't know how big a platform

they had, but over the years they really have built up and now they have a very strong

following.

But it's very simple.

They are dedicated to reviving the art of storytelling.

What they do is they'll go into a city and decide what a theme is.

The day you found out what your professional calling was.

People tell very compelling, often emotional, often deeply personal, at times wickedly funny

stories about something in their life that fits that theme.

The only rule is that you have to be brief.

The stories are generally 10 minutes or so and you can't use notes.

You have to go up and tell the story like you were telling a story at the kitchen table

with your family or out at a bar with your buddies.

So that's what The Moth is.

I did a performance at the Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC, one at the New York Public

Library here in New York City.

They range from people who you'd know, identified public figures, people in the entertainment

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