Episode 97—Jeff Geiger on Oral Storytelling, Failure, and Fear as Fuel

Jeff Geiger, author of “Wildman” and the winner of The Moth Grand Slam in Portland, OR, stopped by CNF HQ.

By Brendan O’Meara (@BrendanOMeara or @CNFPod)

Tweetables by Jeff Geiger (@j.c.geiger on IG):

“If you’re not doing something that scares you, at least a little bit, then you’re wasting your time artistically.”

“You can be just as successful cutting words as adding.”

“You are the subject and the scientist at the same time.”

So, imagine a candle and it has two wicks, one on the top and one on the bottom. Now picture me lighting the candle at both ends. Do you see this fresh imagery?

It’s almost as if this candle will burn out before its time.

I only wish this represented something.

What’s this? It’s not Friday! What is the meaning of these CNFin’ shenanigans? Well CNFers, I’m going to try and kill myself and do two episodes a week. Is this sustainable? The short answer is, of course, no, but if it can be managed that’s twice as many CNF buddies, twice the reach, twice the insights and double the insanity. Continue reading “Episode 97—Jeff Geiger on Oral Storytelling, Failure, and Fear as Fuel”

Episode 69—Matthew Mercier: From Edgar Allan Poe’s Basement to The Moth Stage

matthew mercier
Matt Mercier talks about high-intensity practice and the power of the spoken word.

By Brendan O’Meara

Tweetables by Matthew Mercier (www.matthewwmercier.com):

“You have to live a life in order to tell stories.”

“I’ve always been selfish about the writing.”

“Where can I fit in the writing time? That’s always the first question, and then I work in everything around that.”

“The object of a Moth story is you take out.”

“The Moth saved me from my isolation as a writer.”

“What works on the stage doesn’t necessarily work on the page and vice versa.”

Continue reading “Episode 69—Matthew Mercier: From Edgar Allan Poe’s Basement to The Moth Stage”