The Moth is a nonprofit organization based in New York City, dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green.
Origins
The name "The Moth" derives from Green's desire to recreate the atmosphere of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, where moths were attracted to the light on the porch where he and his friends would gather to tell stories. Green and his original group of storytellers called themselves "The Moths," and the name was carried with him to New York City.
Activities and Format
The Moth presents theme-based, unscripted, first-person storytelling events across the United States and abroad. These events feature both prominent literary and cultural personalities and everyday individuals. The organization runs over 600 storytelling events annually in more than 27 U.S. cities (including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit) and two cities outside the U.S. (London and Melbourne).
The organization's live events include:
- Mainstage – Curated flagship programs featuring renowned personalities, past StorySLAM winners, and individuals who submitted stories through The Moth Pitchline.
- StorySLAM – Open mic storytelling competitions held in 27 cities, where ten randomly selected participants tell true stories without notes, scored by audience judges.
- GrandSLAM – A competition held after ten StorySLAMs in a city, where the winners advance to compete in a larger venue.
Broadcasting
In August 2009, The Moth launched a national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour, produced by Jay Allison and distributed by Public Radio Exchange. The program won a Peabody Award in 2010. It airs on 572 public radio stations and garners more than 1,000,000 listeners each week. The Moth also offers a weekly podcast, which is downloaded over 100 million times each year. In February 2023, The Moth launched Grown, a podcast focusing on stories from the teenage years to young adulthood.
Publishing
The Moth has published four books:
- The Moth: 50 True Stories (2013) – reached #22 on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Best-Seller List.
- All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown (2017).
- Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible (2019).
- How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth (2022) – debuted at #6 on The New York Times Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Best-Sellers list.
In September 2022, The Moth published an interactive card deck, A Game of Storytelling, which debuted at #1 on Amazon's top-selling card game list.
Community and Education Programs
The Moth conducts community engagement, education, and corporate workshops. Its Community Program (since 1999) encourages storytelling in communities typically underrepresented by mainstream media. The Education Program works with high school and college students, and in 2012 launched the High School Slam program in New York City public schools. The Global Community Program curates first-person narratives from individuals across the Global South.
Moth Ball and Moth Award
The organization's annual fundraising event is the Moth Ball, at which the Moth Award is presented to celebrate the art of the raconteur. Past recipients have included Hasan Minhaj, David Byrne, Regina King, Salman Rushdie, Martin Scorsese, and Spalding Gray (posthumously), among others.
Notable Storytellers
As of 2018, over 50,000 stories have been told at The Moth. Notable storytellers include Mike Birbiglia, Malcolm Gladwell, Ethan Hawke, Christopher Hitchens, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Moby, Salman Rushdie, Dan Savage, Al Sharpton, and astronaut Michael Massimino, among many others.
