Host: Aldi Kaza
Aldi Kaza: [00:00:03] Welcome to The Moth Podcast. I'm Aldi Kaza, Director of Production at The Moth and your host for this episode.
About a year ago, The Moth launched something pretty special. It was a project that was inspired by our beginnings, stories shared late into the night on a front porch among friends. We custom built a tiny home with a small porch of its own and took it on the road through six different cities, Tulsa, Dallas, Jackson, New Orleans, Birmingham and Atlanta. Over those many miles on the road, more than 5,000 people joined us to listen to stories from our archive and work with our team on their own story ideas. From city to city, the entire tour was a beautiful way to learn about each of these communities.
We met school teachers and students, civil servants and clergy, musicians and poets, even a guy with a pet rooster. The popup porch is a testament to the power of storytelling as a way to bring people from different walks of life together. It was a privilege to create a space where members of the community felt comfortable and eager to share their stories with us.
Particularly, for folks who thought they didn't have a story worth sharing, but left with something to tell friends, neighbors and family. I'm happy to share that we'll be back on the road this year as we travel to Ann Arbor, Detroit and Dallas. I'll tell you more about that in a bit and I'll talk to someone who we met along the way last year. But first, let's play a story that came out of our inaugural Pop-Up Porch journey.
We met this storyteller in Jackson, Mississippi, where Tonja Murphy went on stage at the Jackson StorySLAM, which was held in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Here's Tonja Murphy, live at The Moth.
[cheers and applause]
Tonja Murphy: [00:01:37] So, I work with kids, mostly middle school, mostly high school. And the one thing about them is they will always tell you the truth. Always tell you the truth. So, because I know they're going to always tell me the truth, I make sure that I pick the right outfit that I'm going to wear around them. [audience laughter]
So, I picked them out from the dress to the shoes, one of these little things, earrings, whatever, because I know I am ripe for roasting every time I'm around them. So, I do a good job in picking my outfits. Amazon Ross Dress for Less, do a good job. I wear a lot of dresses. And so, in their honesty, one walked up to me and said one day, she said, “Ms. Murphy.” I said, what, baby? She said, “Are you sanctified?” [audience laughter] Now, anybody from the south, you all know it can get real churchy real quick. [audience laughter] And I said, no, I just like dresses. She said, “Okay.” So, I just, “I like dresses.”
So, there is a particular group that I've been working with for a few years in an after school setting. And so, they all come in, and they bounce around and do what they need to do. In this particular group, I'm always keen on what I wear. So, there were two dresses I found on Amazon. I bought the same dress in two different colors. One was blue and one was a deep red with a black ribbon down the front with white dots. I was winning, so I thought. I was winning.
So, these kids, they come in, I'm checking them in, they're getting their snacks, we're doing everything we need to do. And this one little boy-- I'll just call him James for the sake of this story. James is bouncing around, and he's one that likes to hug everybody and do all that and tell them about his day. “I did good today. I was in this class today and I did that today” and all of that. So, James, he runs up to me, he doesn't give me a hug. He looks at me and says, “Ms. Murphy, I like your costume.” [audience laughter] In that moment, I was at a crossroads. [audience laughter] It was either I say thank you or I crush a little boy spirit who was giving me compliment. Guess what I did. Thank you, James.
[cheers and applause]
Aldi Kaza: [00:04:47] That was Tonja Murphy. Tonja is an author, motivational speaker and life coach for teens. When Tonja is not serving the community, she enjoys sharing tools to empower others through books, being the queen of crock pots and spending time with family. To see photos of some of the outfits that Tonja wears, just visit themoth.org/extras.
We set out on tour with the belief that everyone has a story to tell. We heard stories of heartbreak, survival, triumph, even the magic and drama of everyday living. Everyone that I talked to, everyone who shared their experience, I came away with the same fact, “We all have a story to tell. We're just waiting for someone willing to listen.”
If you'd like to experience some of this for yourself and perhaps share a story with us, you should come visit us at the Pop-Up Porch when it arrives at your city. We'll be in Ann Arbor from September 27th to October 1st, Detroit from October 4th to October 8th, and in Dallas from October 11th to October 15th. For more information, visit themoth.org.
To really get a sense of what it was like, I decided to talk to someone who was along for the journey. Rita Brent hosted the Jackson StorySLAM, and she's here to talk a little bit about that experience.
Rita, welcome to the podcast.
Rita: [00:05:59] Hey, Aldi. How are you?
Aldi Kaza: Good. Good. Good to be talking to you. I remember meeting you for the first time in Jackson, Mississippi, at our StorySLAM that we hosted there at the Eco Shed.
Rita: Yes.
Aldi Kaza: And that's a community that you're a part of in Jackson, Mississippi. What did it feel like to see members of your community in that space, in that environment?
Rita: Well, that part was a little surreal, because I knew a few of the storytellers, but I didn't know they had those type of experiences. So, there was a young lady who talked about being a teacher. She told a story about being a teacher. There were some stories of survival. And so, it really gives you an inside look into people's personality. It just goes so much deeper than the surface. So, that part was surprising, but also refreshing and it made me feel connected to the people in my community.
Aldi Kaza: Yeah. During our time, with the Pop up Porch in Jackson, both at the Mississippi State Fair and the Mississippi Museum of Art, it felt like there was such a strong sense of how storytelling was intertwined in that community. It felt like a place where people would come up to the Pop Up Porch and they'd say, “Ah, I don't think I have a story to tell.” And then, they launch into, “Let me tell you about that time I fell off my tractor, that time that my dog got lost.” They came at it with such a sense of humility, but they all had great, great stories to tell. I'm curious if that was your experience living in Jackson and how storytelling was a part of that community.
Rita: Yeah, I think that is the essence of Mississippi storytelling about very difficult topics, whether it is racism that's one of the people who was the storyteller that evening was Pastor Broome. And of course, his story was about meeting Medgar Evers when he was 10 years old. And the fact that he remembered so many details, I mean, the entire room was just still at the sound of his voice. And so, it was a reminder of the richness of Mississippi. If you're looking at the news, you probably have a few thoughts about Mississippi. We're obese and politically challenging and things like that. But to hear from somebody like a Pastor Broome who actually persevered through a very challenging time in Mississippi, it was very special.
Aldi Kaza: One of the things that I really love about the Pop Up Porch and one of the things that we intended to do with it was to be able to go into communities where we don't normally host events, and talk to folks about story ideas that they might have or stories that they want to share. And frequently, we'd run into folks who felt like, “Well, I don't really think I have anything worth sharing.” What would you say to somebody that is in that position? How might you encourage them to tell a story?
Rita: Well, I think if you are devoid of healing and there's something within you that you've been suppressing, telling it in story form is the way to spur that healing. I see it as a healing mechanism. At the end of many of these stories, folks are crying or you may feel joy. It may make you contemplate something in your own life that you experienced, whether you can relate to it personally or just you just connect to it. So, I think if you are a person who is not sure if you have a story-- If it's an inkling of it, you do have one. I think you should give it a shot, because you'll be surprised how much healing could come from it.
Aldi Kaza: Are you excited about the next Pop Up Porch? We're going to Ann Arbor, Detroit and Dallas. But I'm curious if you're excited about it and excited by the idea of it and how we're hoping to continue to capture stories from folks in the community.
Rita: I think above anything, people want to feel safe when they're telling their stories. I think the Pop Up Porch is just a great precursor for those who are like, “I think I have something within me, but I don't necessarily know how to shape it or form it.” And the Pop Up Porch gives you that good preliminary practice before you go to the next phase. So, I am excited about that for people who are storytellers and they don't know it yet. So, my question to you guys is, did you offer sweet tea at the Pop Up Porch in Mississippi?
[laughter]
Rita: If not, you should the next time. [laughs]
Aldi Kaza: We should have. When we come back, we definitely will.
Rita: And boiled peanuts. You'll get a ton of stories.
[laughter]
Aldi Kaza: [00:10:39] That was Rita Brent. Rita's a comedian, musician and military veteran from Jackson, Mississippi. Once a public radio host and Army National Guard band member, she leaped into stand-up comedy in 2013. She has appeared on Comedy Central, TruTV and more. Rita the performing artist recently released do the Hoochie Daddy and Bad Mother.
We wanted to give you a heads up about something special, The Moth spinoff podcast Grown is up for a Signal Award. If you haven't listened to Grown before, check it out. It's filled with stories all about growing up. And if you have listened, we'd love for you to vote for it for the Signal Awards. We'll have a link in the podcast show notes or just go to vote.signalaward.com.
That's all for this episode. Remember that if you want more information on the Pop Up Porch, visit themoth.org. From all of us here at The Moth, we hope you have a story filled week.
Marc Sollinger: [00:11:32] The Pop Up Porch was produced by Jennifer Birmingham and Aldi Kaza. Aldi Kaza is the Director of Production at The Moth. He has spent more than a decade designing and producing event experiences that blend performance, community and media. He once auditioned for the Blue Man Group, and now spends the majority of his time taking photos of his new puppy, Olive.
This episode of The Moth podcast was produced by Sarah Austin Jenness, Sarah Jane Johnson, and me, Marc Sollinger. The rest of The Moth’s leadership team include Sarah Haberman, Jenifer Hixson, Meg Bowles, Kate Tellers, Marina Klutse, Suzanne Rust, Brandon Grant, Lee Ann Gullie and Aldi Kaza. All Moth stories are true, as remembered by their storytellers.
For more about our podcast, information on pitching your own story and everything else, go to our website, themoth.org. The Moth podcast is presented by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange, helping make public radio more public at prx.com.