General Motors (GM) is teaming up with The Moth, a storytelling nonprofit, to bring the Pop-Up Porch storytelling tour to Detroit and Ann Arbor. The tour, which will take place from September to October, aims to inspire people to share their stories and build connections within their communities.
GM has been partnering with The Moth for the past two years, organizing storytelling workshops for its employees and sponsoring various Moth events. The carmaker believes that storytelling can help foster empathy and create a culture of inclusion within the company.
The Moth is best known for its Moth Radio Hour and The Moth Podcast, where real people share true stories live on stage without any scripts or props. The national show is broadcast on hundreds of radio stations across the United States, including WDET-FM and Michigan Radio in Detroit. Additionally, the show is available as a podcast.
The Pop-Up Porch is a custom-built structure that serves as a storytelling hub during the day, offering storytelling sessions, listening to stories from The Moth’s archives, and providing one-on-one coaching with The Moth’s staff. In the evenings, it transforms into a stage for performances, collaborations, and engagements with local radio partners, community groups, and the general public.
As part of the Detroit and Ann Arbor tour, The Moth will also host a special one-off StorySLAM, a storytelling competition where participants are randomly selected to share a five-minute story based on the evening’s theme.
Sarah Haberman, the executive director of The Moth, expressed her goal for the Pop-Up Porch tour, stating that they aim to inspire people nationwide to share their stories and foster a sense of connection. The tour’s inaugural edition last year engaged with over 5,000 storytellers and community members in the southern United States.
By sponsoring The Moth’s storytelling initiatives, GM hopes to drive change and become a more inclusive company. According to Chloe Kerr, the director of GM’s DEI Communications, everyone has a story, and it is the power of these stories that can bring about influential transformations and unite society.
The upcoming tour will bring the Pop-Up Porch to Ann Arbor’s Ingalls Mall from September 26 to October 1 and to Detroit’s Cadillac Square from October 4 to October 8. The events will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are open to the public free of charge. For more information about the tour, visit www.themoth.org.
