The Moth Presents: Occasional Magic: True Stories about Defying the Impossible
The Moth Presents: Occasional Magic: True Stories about Defying the Impossible
by Catherine Burns
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About the Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From storytelling phenomenon and hit podcast The Moth—and featuring contributions from Meg Wolitzer, Adam Gopnik, Krista Tippett, Andrew Solomon, Rosanne Cash, Ophira Eisenberg, Wang Ping, and more—a new collection of unforgettable true stories about finding the strength to face the impossible, drawn from the very best ever told on its stages
Carefully selected by the creative minds at storytelling phenomenon The Moth, and adapted to the page to preserve the raw energy of stories told live, onstage and without notes, Occasional Magic features voices familiar and new. Inside, storytellers from around the world share times when, in the face of seemingly impossible situations, they found moments of beauty, wonder, and clarity that shed light on their lives and helped them find a path forward.
From a fifteen-year-old saving a life in Chicago to a mother of triplets trekking to the North Pole to a ninety-year-old Russian man recalling his standoff with the KGB, these storytellers attest to the variety and richness of the human experience, and the shared threads that connect us all. With honesty and humor, they stare down their fear, embrace uncertainty, and encourage us all to be more authentic, vulnerable, and alive.
About the Author
Catherine Burns is The Moth's long-time Artistic Director and a host and producer of the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour. She is coauthor of the New York Times bestseller How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth, and the editor of the bestselling and critically acclaimed All These Wonders and Occasional Magic. Prior to The Moth, she directed the feature film A Pound of Flesh, and produced television and independent films. She attended her first Moth back in 2000, fell in love with the show, and was, in turn, a GrandSLAM contestant and volunteer in the Moth Community Program before joining the staff full time. Born and raised in Alabama, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.
Editorial Reviews
“Stirring tales of love, loss, friendship and identity.” —USA Today
“The forty-seven brief stories pulse with energy and vulnerability. . . . That magical power is more than occasional in this collection, and the book would make a great gift, perhaps even whetting the appetites of reluctant readers for one more story of bravery. Just one more.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Full of emotion, humor, and vulnerability, these stories skillfully illustrate and evoke empathy for the human condition. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] roller coaster of raw emotions . . . each story is as captivating as the one before it. If the Moth’s live events are full of people gently holding their beating hearts up to the mic in front of a breathless audience, these written adaptations definitely do such sacrifices justice.” —Booklist
“Captivating, artfully wrought tales.” —Kirkus Reviews (One of “5 Thoughtfully Inclusive Nonfiction Books”)
“The kind of stories that mesmerize everyone in the car. . . . Moving.” —Family Circle