Host a Story Circle


THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN HOSTING A MOTH STORY CIRCLE!


What is a Moth Story Circle?

It’s like a one-time book club, but for stories! Story Circles bring together friends, family, and colleagues to discuss Moth stories on a topic of shared interest and help expand awareness about the power of true, personal stories to plant seeds of empathy by cracking open hearts and minds. We’ll provide a few guiding questions to help keep the conversation flowing, but the event is truly designed to allow you and your guests to delve into the stories one-by-one.  


How do I get started?

First, you will select a theme. Like our live shows, we find that Story Circles work best when you gather your friends together around a theme or an event. You can view some of our themed playlists online here: https://themoth.org/categories/playlist. 

Once you’ve selected a theme our team will pull together a playlist for you with three to five of our very best stories on said theme. Then you set a date/time to come together—virtually or in person—and invite your guests!

We recommend that you send a calendar invitation with the playlist of stories and your phone number so that your guests can listen ahead of time. Don’t forget to send a reminder with the playlist (and meeting link if you’re gathering virtually) the day before your event!

Where do I sign up?

Here!

The night of…

Start with a round of introductions and ask everyone to share something Mothy about themselves, such as: 

“In two sentences or less, tell us about a time you...succumbed to temptation/bit off more than you could chew/felt on top of the world.”

Then delve into the stories one-by-one. Don’t worry! We’ll provide you with some prompts, activities, and questions to keep the conversation flowing.

After you’ve touched on all of your stories and everyone has had a chance to share, bring things to a close by sharing a little about The Moth. For example, you might say:

“I really appreciate everyone for taking the time to join me tonight! The stories we shared were recorded at live storytelling events, presented by one of my favorite nonprofits, The Moth. I support The Moth because I believe in the power of storytelling to create connections, to build bridges, to bond, and to heal, which is something we need more than ever. If you’d like to get involved or learn more, I encourage you to host your own Story Circle—The Moth makes it easy, I promise!—or consider making a donation of any amount that feels right. As a nonprofit, The Moth relies upon charitable contributions to produce and share engaging, well-crafted stories at live shows, on a free, weekly Radio Hour and podcast, and in its Education & Community Engagement Programs. When you support The Moth, you create a better world. If you’d like to get more involved, I'd be happy to share more information with you. Thanks again and have a wonderful evening!”

A few resources that you can share: