As a storytelling organization, we sure have a lot of story-worthy staff members! Join us once a week for a spotlight on one of our Moth wizards. This week, meet Jodi Powell: associate producer.
Title: Associate Producer for the StorySLAM and Mainstage Department
Hometown: Wesleyan, Thompson Town District, Jamaica
What would the title of the day in your life at The Moth be?
"Always Chasing Contracts." (The constant chase of contracts with at least a thousand open tabs.)
What story has impacted your life?
"Big Walk Little Feet." That's a very hard one, I have so many and people bring so many emotions and pictures to the table. I, however, listened to one when I was an intern here and the details and pain of it stays with me. It is the story of a little girl being turned away from a segregated pool, kinda rough, sad coming of age story.
Besides being such an integral part of your career, how else does storytelling affect your daily life?
I live in one of the most vibrant places in New York City, Harlem, which I think is a flower bed for a culture that is laden with stories. I sometimes go to the YMCA at the break of dawn, and for me really it was the golden hour. I would share the changing rooms with elderly women from the neighborhood that had been coming for years, the details of their lives and their checklist for the day was amazing, these ladies were hilarious. I truly think that the old art of telling stories really binds and connects, it kind of reminds us to be a neighbor and not a wall.
Why do you think it's important for storytelling to be accessible to global audiences?
I once heard a Moth storyteller say " Once I hear your story I can't hate you" and that statement has stayed with me. It is kind of the icebreaker that we should all gather round and play more. It collects all of our beautiful and flawed qualities in a basket and it says "look at me, my failures, my insecurities, and my triumphs might not be so different from yours." The realization and acknowledgment of which could lead to an exciting present and future where we recognize and champion our shared and common humanity. At a live Moth event, there is a moment when the teller hits the stage, and approximately 2 minutes in, the crowd kind of leans in and if you have the opportunity to see there faces, they are open, curious and filled with a feeling that whispers, "go on, we got you, tell us, you're doing great."