Catherine Burns is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. As The Moth's longtime Artistic Director, Catherine is a producer and frequent host of their Peabody Award winning "The Moth Radio Hour," and the editor of "Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible" (Crown Archetype); The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette) and All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown. Catherine has directed theater, produced television and independent films, interviewing such diverse talent as Ozzy Osbourne, Martha Stewart and Howard Stern. Born and raised in Alabama, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and young son.
Photo credit: Aly Nicklaus
A semi-accomplished fire performer (!!!) she also directed the New York City portion of the Burning Man Festival's Fire Conclave for three years, coordinating a 70-person fire show performed in front of 50,000 people. Catherine and Mallory talk about the magic of live storytelling, how to hold space for our loved ones through narrative, and how her job listening to stories is a gift.
Catherine shared some memorable stories about loss from The Moth:
The House of Mourning, by Kate Braestrup
Love and Loss on Valentine's Day, by Autumn Spencer
Forgiveness, by Hector Black
Inside Jokes, by Ophira Eisenberg
Stumbling in the Dark, by John Turturro
A Kind of Wisdom and Lost, by Ellie Lee