The SXSW EDU® Conference & Festival announced today its opening keynote featuring storytelling phenomenon and renowned podcast, The Moth. In this opening session on March 5, 2018, The Moth Education Program will deliver a dynamic storytelling showcase, featuring educators Micaela Blei, Chris De La Cruz, Crystal Duckert, and Tim Manley as they inspire attendees with the power of true stories from their lives—journeys taken inside the classroom and outside of it.
In this showcase, the four educators will engage the audience with short stories highlighting their teaching journeys. The program builds on the premise that teachers bring themselves into the classroom, and their classrooms into their lives. In exploring this intersection of teacher identity, The Moth will inspire listeners to find their voices and share their own stories, launching a week of learning and connection at SXSW EDU, including their hands-on workshop for attendees to learn storytelling skills.
- Micaela Blei is a former third grade classroom teacher, two-time Moth GrandSLAM winner, PhD candidate, and Director of Education and Community Programs at The Moth. She has facilitated storytelling workshops and directed performance programs in schools across New York City and nationwide, as well as giving keynotes and professional development workshops at SXSW EDU, Lincoln Center Institute, Columbia University Reading and Writing Project, School of Visual Arts, and others.
- Chris De La Cruz is a regular host for the Moth High School Slams. He is a comedian, storyteller, and social justice educator originally from Dayton, Ohio.
- Crystal Duckert is in her 13th year of teaching after receiving her degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Literature and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University. She is in her third year at the Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas where she teaches Narrative Non-Fiction and Contemporary Hip Hop Poetry to 11th and 12th grade students.
- Tim Manley is a former high school English teacher in New York City. His true stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, Gimlet Media's Surprisingly Awesome, and very briefly in HBO's Girls.
To learn more about SXSW EDU speakers, visit the speakers page.
