Between Worlds: The Moth in Mesa

02 Nov Between Worlds: The Moth in Mesa

Last week, I shared a story about my dad and our family life in Los Angeles as part of The Moth‘s inaugural program in Arizona. The theme was “Between Worlds: The Moth in Mesa” and the evening of stories took place on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 in the Piper Repertory Theater at Mesa Arts Center.

There were four other storytellers besides me who shared compelling, funny, moving, heartbreaking, honest, real-life stories — live, and all without notes (talk about scary … even for me!) … kudos to Christal Brown, Annabelle Gurwitch, Jessica Lee Williamson, and Bobby Wilson. Of course, the host David Crabb shared numerous tales throughout the night, and Sarah Austin Jenness and Kirsty Bennett sure know how to direct an engaging program!

If you are a fan of The Moth  — or just learned about this Peabody Award-winning radio program, be sure to tune into your local National Public Radio station to hear other episodes (our program is not currently slated to be aired). There’s even a podcast, which is downloaded more than 27 million times a year and regularly ranked in the top 10 podcasts on iTunes, alongside mainstays as This American Life, Radiolab, and The TED Radio Hour. To learn more, visit www.themoth.org.

A SIDE NOTE: If you haven’t yet gone to an event or program at this cultural oasis, Mesa Arts Center is definitely worth your time. Located in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, this massive arts multiplex also includes Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum where selections from my Chicano art collection are currently on view as part of the spectacular exhibitions “Take Ten: The Past Decade of Collecting by Cheech Marin” (through January 24, 2016) and “10 Pick 10” (through December 6, 2015).

P.S. The photos below were taken by Melissa Richardson Banks, so please credit her work if you share these images. Many of you know Melissa since she manages my Chicano art collection! What you may not know is that she’s a photographer, too and you can follow her work through her online personas as @DowntownMuse and @SouthBayMuse.