NYC Institution The Moth Unveils Big Plans for Australia

New York's champions of the age-old art of storytelling, The Moth, are headed our way. The podcasters, event organisers and general tale-weavers will appear at Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas and the Melbourne Writers Festival and, following on from that, will be bringing regular, more intimate storytelling nights to both cities.

In Melbourne, the beloved weekly podcasters are telling onstage tales around the theme of ‘Between Worlds’ at MWF. In Sydney, they'll be joined on stage by some seriously big brains for FODI. Creator of Bad Kid, Moth StorySLAM host and three-time Moth SLAM winner David Crabb will host a panel of mad chats with Korean-American author of the award-winning novel The Interpreter Suki Kim (also appearing at FODI), one half of The Wau Wau Sisters and brains behind international festival smash Asking For It Adrienne Truscott, and Sydney satirist and A Rational Fear nucleus Dan Ilic.

But FODI and MWF isn't the last you'll hear from The Moth — the crew have confirmed they'll be creating an ongoing presence in Sydney and Melbourne. Expect monthly StorySLAM events, so you'll have plenty of Moth outside your daily commute. The first StorySLAM in Australia is happening on August 24 at Melbourne’s Howler and then in Sydney on September 1 at Oxford Art Factory. They're looking for storytellers — so you could be telling your tales as one of The Moth team. GET ON IT.

“We already have a strong listener following in Australia for our podcast," says The Moth's artistic director Catherine Burns. "Having a permanent home in Australia is a ‘bucket list’ moment for everyone at The Moth, and we look forward to hearing all the true stories, told live from the amazing people in this part of the world.”

SO MANY DATES, JUST TELL ME HOW I TRACK DOWN THE MOTH?

Alright, let's break this down.

The Moth: True Stories Told Live at Melbourne Writers Festival is happening at Athenaeum Theatre on August 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets from MWF.

The Razor's Edge: The Moth is happening Sunday, September 6, at 6.30pm at Sydney Opera House. Tickets from FODI.

The first StorySLAM is happening on August 24 at Melbourne’s Howler and then in Sydney on September 1 at Oxford Art Factory. Tickets via Eventbrite and Moshtix.

Want more FODI and MWF? Get your nose in a few tomes with our reading lists over here and here.

Image: David Crabb, by Christian Leonard.