Would you stand up at a mic in a room full of people to tell your story? That’s what more than 50,000 people have done at The Moth’s live storytelling events since the national organization launched in 1997. Moth events resumed this fall in over 30 cities around the world for its 25th anniversary, and Milwaukee has a special connection to the phenomenon.
Sarah Haberman – the organization’s executive director for nearly 10 years – is a Whitefish Bay native, and though she now lives in New York City, she holds Cream City close to her heart. “I just love Milwaukee,” she says.
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The Moth is making a stop here for a StorySLAM at Anodyne Coffee Roasting (224 W. Bruce St.) on Nov. 18 with the theme “Leftovers,” which is purposely ambiguous to invite more creative storytelling. To participate, prepare a story before you go and put your name in the hat when you get there. Organizers will randomly draw 10 names to decide who takes the mic. The story must be notes-free, five minutes long, true, personal and never-before-told.
Volunteers from the audience serve as the night’s judges. “Scores are always very generous,” Haberman promises. One winner from the evening will go on to the next round of storytelling, competing against other StorySLAM winners until the finalists compete at the Milwaukee GrandSLAM at Turner Hall later in the year.
“It’s very democratic when people are telling their personal stories because we see so much of ourselves in everyone else’s story,” she says.
Get your tickets at themoth.org.
