Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Lively Arts will host a special keynote and live storytelling performance celebrating IUP’s 150th Anniversary featuring The Moth, the internationally renowned storytelling organization, on Tuesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Fisher Auditorium. The event will take place on IUP’s Indiana campus and is open to students, faculty, staff, and the community.
Known for its powerful live storytelling events and widely popular radio hour and podcast, The Moth celebrates the art and craft of true, personal storytelling. The event will last approximately one hour.
The keynote will share key elements of compelling storytelling, found in their New York Times best-selling book How To Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth. This event will also feature a live performance from one of The Moth’s experienced storytellers. This engaging event aims to inspire attendees to reflect on their own experiences and the power of storytelling as a tool for empathy and understanding.
“We are thrilled to welcome The Moth to IUP,” said Kristen Koehler, executive director of IUP Lively Arts. “Their ability to connect people through authentic storytelling aligns perfectly with our commitment to fostering creativity, dialogue, and inclusivity on campus.”
Tickets are available for advance purchase online or by phone through the Lively Arts Office at 724-357-2787, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at the door starting one hour before the event.
About The Moth
The Moth is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, it has presented thousands of live stories around the world and reaches millions of listeners through its podcast, radio show, and digital platforms.
About the Host: Kate Tellers
Kate Tellers is a senior director, a host of The Moth’s live storytelling series and Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour, and co-author of their New York Times bestseller How to Tell a Story. Just a few stories into her first Moth event, fortuitously themed “Beginnings,” she knew she had found her home. Since then, she’s developed stories with her heroes from her Pittsburgh childhood to the present day and helmed storytelling events around the world. As the director of MothWorks, she’s designed and led storytelling programs with nonprofits including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, and Ashoka, as well as the Chicago Bulls, American Express, Spotify, Google, and the US State Department, that harness the power of storytelling to inspire culture and elevate communication. Her story “But Also Bring Cheese” can be heard on the Moth Radio Hour and is featured in The Moth’s book All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown. Her writing has appeared on McSweeney’s and The New Yorker. Through it all, her love of storytelling runs deep because it gives her the phenomenal opportunity to laugh and cry with strangers.
About the Storyteller: David Montgomery
David Montgomery is a visual artist and writer based in Los Angeles, a place he loves so deeply that he said his boyfriend gets jealous. David’s stories have been heard on The Moth Radio Hour, Risk!, and Hot Mic with Dan Savage. By reading this, David said that you’re obligated to follow him on Instagram and check out his art.