Sarah Austin Jenness
Appearances
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
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The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Peter calls this story Me and Mama versus Christmas. Lots of people go overboard at Christmas. It's a time of excess. The decorations and the gifts and the food. But what if money is tight? Peter told this story at a moth night we produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Radio. Here's Peter Aguero.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
That was Tracy Seguera at a Moth Grand Slam. Tracy is a former wire service reporter turned marketer. In her free time, she hosts and produces her own Long Island-based storytelling show, Now You're Talkin'. Tracy said, Tracy and her daughters celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. They light candles every night of Hanukkah, and every Christmas they exchange gifts and have a traditional dinner.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
They also like to bake unique holiday treats. To see a photo of one of their creations, reindeer pretzel cupcakes, and a photo of Rita with her granddaughters, go to themoth.org. When we come back, we try to escape the holidays with a trip to Puerto Vallarta. Stay tuned.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
This is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm Sarah Austin Janess, and I'm your host. Welcome back to our annual December holiday anti-holiday episode. I say anti-holiday because there are lots of people listening who don't celebrate the holidays in December in the traditional sense. They escape the typical trappings of this month, maybe in favor of rest and rejuvenation in a far-off land.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Our next story is all about that. Steve Glickman told it at a moth story slam in Chicago, where we partner with public radio station WBEZ. The theme of the night was refuge. Here's Steve live at the moth.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
That was Steve Glickman. Steve has no pictures from his failed vacation, of course, but in the spirit of second chances, you can visit our website, themall.org, to see a picture of him on a successful vacation with his boyfriend. He's never misplaced his passport again. Our next storyteller is Dawn Frazier. Dawn is one of the instructors in our community program.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
She travels around the world with The Moth, workshopping personal stories with all sorts of community groups. This story was recorded in Kampala, Uganda, in an intimate setting where women shared stories for the first time. There were only about 20 people in the room. Here's Dawn Frazier at The Moth in Uganda.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Dawn Frazier is an instructor in the Moths Community Program. She's also a communications coach and the host of the podcast Barbershop Stories. When I told Dawn that this story was included in our holiday hour, she said the timing couldn't be better. She had just traveled to Florida with her sister's wedding cake.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
To see photos of Dawn's family Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago, including the turkey she brought that year, plus the roti, pig's feet, patties, and other Caribbean goodies she brought the next year, and for other stories from the Moth Community Program, go to themoth.org.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
After our break, our last two stories, the Jewish tradition of asking for what you want twice, and the sheer stress of planning your first kiss on New Year's Eve, when The Moth Radio Hour continues.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
I'm Sarah Austin Janess, and you're listening to the Moth Radio Hour from PRX. We're up to our last two stories as part of this December special. No matter what our plans are in the next few weeks, December can remind us of family and friends who have died. And that's bittersweet.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Evan Lunt told this next story at a Moth Slam in Boston, where we partnered with public radio station WBUR and PRX, the public radio exchange. The theme was Wonders. Here's Evan Lunt live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
That was Evan Lunt. Evan is a chemistry student at the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of the lab, he likes playing cello, doing crossword puzzles, and finding other people's dogs to pet. He celebrates Hanukkah every year now, and he keeps the tradition of putting his grandmother's menorah out. Our final story starts in December but ends in January.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Making New Year's plans is a little stressful, and if you add to that a budding new relationship and plotting a first kiss, yikes. Bernie Summers told this at a romance-themed slam in Los Angeles, where we partner with public radio station KCRW. Here's Bernie live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
That was Bernie Summers. Bernie is a New York writer who finds his dysfunctional love life a great source for comic material. He and his New Year's date eventually ended up parting ways, but he hopes to have a date for Valentine's Day on February 15th. That's it for this episode of the Moth Radio Hour. We hope you'll join us next time. Happy December.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
That was Peter Aguero. Peter says at the moment he's most likely to be found making pottery and listening to the Allman Brothers. Peter makes his home in Queens with his wife, Sarah, and his mom is now happily married, too. As for Christmas traditions, Peter and his mom now do breakfast with as many meats as possible.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
Last year, Peter says, mom made a seven-meat breakfast, and it was pretty awesome. Tracy Segarra is our next storyteller. She won an open mic Moth Story Slam in New York, where we partner with public radio station WNYC. And that win earned her a spot in a Grand Slam, which is where this story was told. The theme of the night was growing pains. Here's Tracy live at the Moth.
The Moth
The Moth Radio Hour: Menorahs, Presents and Palm Trees - December Holiday Stories
This is the Moth Radio Hour from PRX. I'm Sarah Austin-Ginesse. This is our annual December holiday episode. We have stories of feasts, traditions, celebrating, not celebrating, connecting with family and friends, and just wanting to be alone. Six stories that explore the mixed emotions that come with this last month in the year. Our first storyteller is moth veteran Peter Aguero.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
That was Monty Montepelle. Monty is a comedian and adventure guide originally from Breckenridge, Colorado. He's been the keynote speaker at the Year A Ice Fest, is on the cover of the Alaska Packraft Guidebook, and is part owner of the Kennecott Wilderness Guides in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
He now performs weekly at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles and lives in a little house on a hill with his partner Jill, their kid Rocky, and their little dog Sage. The night Monty told this story, it was also his birthday. And when he walked off the stage, the packed house serenaded him. Dear Monty, happy birthday to you.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
The New Yorkers in the crowd, including myself, also loved that the New York never campers saved the day in the end. As I mentioned up top, Monty's story is part of our countdown of 2024's most shared moth stories. If you'd like to watch that video compilation, follow the moths Instagram at moth stories. We'll also have a link to follow us in this episode description.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
What are your favorite moth stories from 2024? We'd love to hear about them. Just tag us on Instagram or TikTok at Moth Stories. Or even better, tell your family and friends in person about the Moth Stories that have made this year a little brighter. We hope to see you at a Moth event next year. That's it for this episode.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
From all of us here at the Moth, we hope that 2025 brings you even more stories you can't wait to share.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Sarah Austin Janess. The year is coming to a close, and on this special bonus episode, we're reflecting back on the stories we shared in 2024, because we shared over 250 of them on this podcast. Yes, 250 stories. Some of the stories were laugh-out-loud funny, some were heartbreaking, some surprising and profound.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
Maybe some of the stories made you see things in a different light. Thank you for listening and for sharing these podcast episodes with your friends. We love it. And we thought it might be fun to highlight some stories that most resonated with you, at least according to the vagaries of the social media algorithm. So we made a video compilation of our most shared stories.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
A moth-wrapped, if you will. A moth-cocoon, if you will, even more. Moth-wrapped, get it? Anyway, you can find the list and the videos on the Moth's Instagram at Moth Stories, where you can follow us for more great Moth videos, news, and yes, stories. We also have a link in the episode description. And now from your 2024 most shared list, Monty Montepar. Monty told this at a Moth main stage at St.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
Anne and the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, where the theme was Sleight of Hand. Here's Monty live with the Moth.
The Moth
Bonus Episode: The Moth Wrapped
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