The Moth Radio hour is a program dedicated to the art of first-person story telling. It airs on Yellowstone Public Radio every Wednesday night.
The Moth Mainstage hosts live storytelling events around the world. Their most recent production was taped in Big Sky, Montana, February 24th.
Yellowstone Public Radio’s Orlinda Worthington was there and talked with people selected to tell a true story from their lives. Two, are from Montana.
Jon Goode is the host for this Moth event. He lives in Atlanta. This is his first trip to Big Sky.
So far it's, it's not as cold as I thought it would be! And everyone I've talked to has been so warm,” Goode Said.
While Goode warms up the audience, five storytellers - also called talkers - are warming up backstage, to share their personal stories before a sold out audience at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Big Sky.
Two of the five talkers selected for this show are from Montana.
Bex Fruct of Livingston is sharing her experience as a first time ranch hand. She said she chose this story for the Moth because it was a transformative moment in her life, and it along with the theme of tonight’s event “Holding on and Letting Go.”
“I think for this in particular, like being in front of your community, being close to home, that feels pretty special. And it feels full circle since the Moth was really special opportunity for me to figure out my creative performative spirit and to have that show up in Montana feels really good,” Fruct said.
Kendra Mylnecuk Potter, from Missoula, is here to retell her experience as a first-time birth doula. She told me she feels storytelling is critical.
“ We're always telling ourselves stories about who we are and the way that we engage with one another. And, what I love about the moth stories is that there are these, like, small moments in people's lives that you realize, our lives are just like a series of these small and highly significant moments,” Potter said.
Whether you attend a Moth event live or listen on the radio, host Jon Goode is assured you will be transformed.
“When you hear these stories, you will realize that people have far more in common than they have differences. And you will hear stories from people who do not share your race, your social economics, your gender and they will tell a story that is your story that will touch you in a way that shows you that across all spectrums, we all want the same things,” Goode said.
In Big Sky, I’m Orlinda Worthintgon.
According to Moth producers, there’s no date set yet for the stories taped in Big Sky. We’ll keep an eye out for you.
The Moth Radio Hour can be heard on Yellowstone Public Radio, Wednesdays, at 8 p.m.
