I love listening to podcasts downloaded from iTunes on my iPod when I’m out walking or driving around town.  I have several that are in my repertoire; This American Life, Snap Judgement, WTF (use your imagination), Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Fresh Air, Here’s The Thing, SERIAL (more on that in a future blog) etc…  Most of these are podcasts taken from weekly public radio programs, but I like to download the podcasts to enjoy on my schedule.  My favorite podcast is called The Moth, ‘True Stories Told Live’.  The concept is simple; people telling stories based on a theme without the use of notes or scripts told in front of live audiences.  “Moth Ups” are held all over the country, although the podcasts are taken from Moth Ups with ‘really good’ story tellers.  Even though I like almost all of the stories every once in a while there’s one that really moves me, and the four stories on the Moth Up Hour I listened to this morning were all outstanding.  This particular Moth Up was presented at the World Science Festival from a couple months back.  Here’s a link to their website to listen now or download for future listening.  Be sure to listen to all four; the last one titled Who Can You Trust has an amazing ending.  Enjoy!  And if you have a favorite podcast please share it with all of us…. Click HERE.

“It is brilliant and quietly addictive” – The London Guardian

“New York’s hottest and hippest literary ticket” – The Wall Street Journal

The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It is a celebration of both the raconteur, who breathes fire into true tales of ordinary life, and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. At the center of each performance is, of course, the story – and The Moth’s directors work with each storyteller to find, shape and present it.

Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide.

Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. Since each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate, and often enlightening experience for the audience.

Moth stories dissolve socio-economic barriers, expose vulnerabilities, and quietly suggest ways to overcome challenges and see with new eyes.