The Moth – an acclaimed nonprofit dedicated to the art and craft of personal stories told live – is coming to Philadelphia in February 2015 to host a storytelling workshop in partnership with The William Penn Foundation and Funders’ Network. The workshop will be offered free of charge, and will be made available to a total of 12 people. The major purpose of this workshop is to develop storytelling skills within social service, community development, and advocacy organizations in the Philadelphia region.

Each workshop participant will (a) be introduced to principles of personal narrative, developed by The Moth through its work with thousands of storytellers since its launch in 1997, (b) identify one personal story, and (c) craft his or her five-minute story with the help of Moth instructors. At the end of the workshop, participants will have an opportunity to tell their stories in front of the group and a small, invited audience – without notes.

Workshop graduates will be considered for a public Moth event produced in March, in Philadelphia.

Theme: The theme for this workshop is REINVENTION: STORIES OF PHILADELPHIA. The stories to be developed during these sessions should be connected in some way to the topic of reinventing – remaking, making-over, bringing back, or reviving – oneself, one’s home or family, one’s company or career.

Workshop Details: The 12-hour workshop will take place of the weekend of February 27 & 28, 2016, and will consist of two 6-hour sessions and a final presentation of stories, as follows:

Saturday, February 27, 10am-4:30pm: Workshop session (including 1/2-hour lunch break)
Sunday, February 28, 10am-4:30pm: Workshop session (including 1/2-hour lunch break)
Sunday, February 28, 5:30pm: Final presentation of stories for an invited audience

Please note: Workshop participants are expected to attend both workshop sessions and the final presentation of stories.

Who Should Apply: Anyone with a personal story about experiencing personal or professional reinvention, in or around Philadelphia.

Application Deadline: Applications are due on February 5, 2016 at 8:00pm ET. Successful applicants will be notified on February 12, 2016. If you have any questions, please contact larry@themoth.org.

To apply, please fill in the following:

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* 1. Name:

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* 2. Email address:

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* 3. Phone number:

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* 4. Zip Code:

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* 5. Please write a short paragraph (max. 500 words) about the personal story you’d like to work on during the workshop that relates to the theme of REINVENTION. It should be a story about a moment or a time when something changed for you. A time when you started a new chapter, turned over a new leaf, adopted a new identity, found a new place or perspective - whatever "reinvention" means to you.

Please note: This is a story-telling workshop, not a writing class. You will not be judged or evaluated based on what you write here. This short paragraph will help us to get a feeling for the story you want to tell, and the impact the story's events had on you and your life.

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* 6. How did you hear about this workshop? Please be specific – for example, “e-mail from [name of organization]."

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* 7. Would you need onsite childcare during the workshop sessions?

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* 8. Emergency Contact

How to Learn More: You can listen to sample stories to get a sense of what we’re looking for. Try these: Robin Covington, Carlos Kotkin, Abraham Leno, and Merlixse Ventura.  You can hear even more storytellers here.

We’re looking forward to crafting your stories with you. We promise the storytelling workshop will be an enjoyable and enriching experience for everyone.
About The Moth: The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling, and a recipient of a 2012 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions (MACEI). Through its ongoing programs—The Moth Mainstage, The Moth StorySLAMs, The Moth Community & Education Programs, and Moth Corporate Programs—The Moth has presented more than three thousand stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded more than 25 million times a year, and the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour, produced by Jay Allison and presented by PRX, The Public Radio Exchange, airs weekly on radio stations nationwide. The new Moth Mobile App for iOS and Android, and the national bestseller, The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hyperion), are available now. Moth open-mic StorySLAMs in Seattle, produced twice monthly in partnership with KUOW, have been sold out since their inception in 2012. More information at themoth.org.

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* 9. Would you be willing to share some more information about yourself? (This information is NOT required to complete the application.)

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