Serendipity brought Meghann and two of the storytellers – Paula Williams and Julie Kirschke – to attend a Moth Story Slam together in San Francisco in June. On a whim, all three put their names in the hat, hoping to get chosen to share onstage. As the show continued and intermission passed, it seemed less and less likely that any of them would get a chance to take the stage. But suddenly they heard Julie’s name being called! She made her way through the crowd to the stage, got behind the mic, took a few deep breaths, and began the story she’d so carefully crafted for the conference. But this wasn’t the conference – this was a much more public forum. Who knows how an audience like this would receive her very brave truth?
From Julie’s first words, a spell fell on the crowd. Hundreds of strangers sat in perfect silence as she shared the story of courageously confronting a painful part of her past, an experience that so many keep hidden in the dark. They hung on her every word, riveted by her courage and skill in telling such a hard story, and gave her a round of thunderous applause when she finished.
Moth slams are scored by judges from the audience, and a winner is crowned at the end of the night and offered a spot to compete in a Grand Slam with ten other Moth winners. After the tenth storyteller finished their tale, they held their breath while the scores were tallied. Wouldn’t it be such a trip if Julie won on their little San Francisco Twist of Fate She Recovers Storyteller outing? Finally, they read the inner’s name: Julie Kirschke! She was instantly surrounded by people, many of whom shared a brave truth with her and thanked her for giving them permission to talk about their secrets – the ones society wants us to keep hidden.
We are so proud of Julie! But more importantly, Julie and the other She Recovers storytellers – and ALL the storytellers who share their brave truths with others – give every one of us permission to talk about the hard things, the things other people want us to feel shame about, the things we most need to tell in order to heal. Healing is a social endeavor, and it takes all of us to heal each one of us. Storytelling can heal all of us. We just have to answer its call. So grab a flashlight and a friend, go bravely into that dark night, and please share your light with us.