Dionte Berry
Contributing Writer
James Mattson is a Murray State creative writing professor and soon-to-be “Moth Radio Hour” storyteller, taking the mainstage in Fargo, North Dakota.
“The Moth”, a podcast, began in 1997 and “The Moth Radio Hour” began in 2009. The premise of “The Moth” is to tell stories in real time without a script. The show often features stories from around the world.
“The Moth Radio Hour” came across Mattson’s content and sent him an email.
“There was no application process, the creative director found me by my website,” Mattson said. “They emailed me one day and asked if I would be interested, I said yes.”
Following his acceptance of the storytelling role, Mattson has been creating a story to share with the audience, but one catch is that the storyteller is not allowed to use any notes.
“I am terrified because it’s in a big theater with a bunch of people who paid a good amount of money and it’s being live recorded,” Mattson said, concerning the no-notes policy.
To combat this challenge Mattson has been going over his notes and working with “The Moth Radio Hour” director for around three weeks to tie up the story.
Mattson started his writing career in his early twenties.
“I thought that I could take a stab at writing in my early twenties and so I did,” he said. “It took a long time to make a life from it, but that’s how I started.”
Mattson developed a love for creating stories through his passion for reading books. He enjoys reading and writing fiction.
Mattson’s favorite part about creating a story is being able to leave reality behind.
“I enjoy being able to enter a world that’s not this one,” Mattson said.
He also enjoys using literature to inhabit other people’s perspectives.
Now a published author, Mattson is challenging himself by storytelling instead of story writing, which he is much more familiar with.
“I do like to tell stories, I just haven’t done it until now,” Mattson said.
Mattson is familiar with “Moth Radio.” He recalls listening to some of its past stories.
“It’s a really great thing, and what it does is allow people to tell different stories from all walks of life,” Mattson said.
After expressing his admiration for “Moth Radio Hour,” Mattson went on to reflect upon his soon to come storytelling hour.
“I’m really honored that they chose me to take the mainstage, so I’m just hoping I don’t screw it up,” Mattson said.
Mattson will be on the mainstage at the Fargo Theater in Fargo, North Dakota. The live storytelling will begin at 7:30 p.m. Central Standard Time and those interested can stream the storytelling at themoth.org and click on the story library tab after it has aired at the Fargo Theater.
You can find “The Moth Radio Hour” on iTunes, Spotify, RadioPublic or any podcasting apps.