Mike Smith: Tell me something good, Marc Moss. We're The Trail 103.3, and Marc Moss from Tell Us Something is in the studio. Marc Moss: Mike, how are you? Mike Smith: I'm doing great. As I said, it's really nice, too. You were saying sometimes you feel like you're just talking into a microphone, right? Marc Moss: Yeah, and there's nobody listening. It's like you're in a room alone. Mike Smith: And that's kind of a true story. Then I got some nice text messages in today, so I know some folks are out there. Marc Moss: Some folks are out there. Marc Moss: And we have a map on the monitor here showing where people are streaming from. That's all around the country. Mike Smith: Yeah, and sometimes the world. It's kind of cool. Somebody's up in Seward, Alaska listening right now. Marc Moss: I'm going to Alaska in a couple of weeks. Mike Smith: Okay, well this is all coming together. Have you been on television today? Because I ask this for a very specific reason. Marc Moss: Not that I'm aware of. Mike Smith: Okay, because I know you make the media rounds. That shirt is brilliant. Marc Moss: Thanks. Mike Smith: For folks at home, the shirt is very colorful: purple, pink, yellow, lime green, white, and brown stripes with paisley sleeve cuffs. Marc Moss: Yeah. It's got kind of a retro vibe. I got it at Burning Man at a boutique shop there. And remember, everything at Burning Man is free. Mike Smith: Right. Marc Moss: I walked into the shop and the guy was like, "You can't afford that." He was messing with me. Mike Smith: Yeah. Marc Moss: But I was like, "You're probably right." Then I looked it up later. It's a $200 shirt. Mike Smith: Wow. Marc Moss: Yeah. But you can get that for free if you don't have a shirt. Mike Smith: Of course, it takes a bit of getting to Burning Man. Marc Moss: A little bit. Mike Smith: Speaking of Burning Man—it's a place, an idea—but also, Missoula is a place. The next Tell Us Something event is coming up next Tuesday, and it's called The Power of Place. Marc Moss: Yeah. Places hold a lot of power for most of us. Mike Smith: And we're here to give away some tickets to the show, let people know how to get tickets if they're not winners, and give a preview of what they're going to see next week. Marc Moss: Cool. Mike Smith: You said there were some returning speakers. Marc Moss: We don't have speakers. Mike Smith: Storytellers. Marc Moss: Storytellers. Good work. Mike Smith: Yeah. Marc Moss: "Speaker" sounds like a conference. Insurance or something. I'm not here to sell you a timeshare in Florida. Mike Smith: Fair enough. For someone hearing about Tell Us Something for the first time, tell us a little bit about it. Marc Moss: Tell Us Something is a live storytelling event. We're a nonprofit 501(c)(3). We've been a nonprofit since 2022, but we've been around since 2011. What happens is we recruit storytellers from the local community—mostly Missoula, but we've also been to Helena and Butte. Some storytellers have never been on a stage before. I encourage them not to write their stories. The stories are true, as remembered by the storyteller, and each story lasts about ten minutes. Each storyteller shares a true personal story from memory based on a broad theme. This Tuesday, the theme is The Power of Place. We have eight storytellers, each with ten minutes. We don't announce who the storytellers are ahead of time because I want people to come support their community, not just one individual. It's not about, "Oh, Jeff Ament is going to be there, so I'll go." Sometimes you're blown away by a person you've never heard of. Mike Smith: Or you've seen them collecting carts at Costco or something. Marc Moss: Exactly. Mike Smith: Everybody has a story to tell, as you say. Marc Moss: Everyone's got a story. Part of my job is helping them craft that story. I work with them one-on-one, and we do group workshops. Everyone gets real attention to help get their story to a place they can be proud of. Mike Smith: I was wondering about that. I don't need much help talking to people or behind a microphone. On a stage, Marc? Yeah, I need assistance. Marc Moss: I've been trying to get you to do this for years. Someday you will. Mike Smith: When the theme hits. Marc Moss: And it'll be a surprise. I'm not going to tell you. Mike Smith: Last year my wife and I went to the one at the ballpark. It was really great. You filled that place. Marc Moss: I don't know if I filled it. That's a 3,000-seat venue. We had about 800 people there, but I also gave away around 300 seats. Mike Smith: But what a beautiful place. Marc Moss: This year we'll be at Bonner Park. Mike Smith: Another beautiful place. Marc Moss: The Bonner Park Band Shell. People ask, "Why am I buying tickets? Why can't I just bring my own lawn chair?" Well, we have to rent the venue. We pay the storytellers. We pay a sound engineer. It's also in a residential neighborhood, so that limits how loud it can be. I can only guarantee a good experience for a certain number of people, and that's what you're paying for. Mike Smith: That's such an important part of this. Creatives in our community, and the experts working behind the scenes, deserve to be paid. That's really great. Marc Moss: Totally. We also received a grant this year from the Montana 250th Commission. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, we also acknowledge the more complicated parts of that history. What Tell Us Something does is provide a place for people to celebrate their First Amendment rights—free speech—and gather in community together through storytelling. Mike Smith: That freedom to assemble. Marc Moss: Exactly. We're really grateful for that support. We've got eight storytellers. Of those eight, I currently know who seven are. Mike Smith: Oh, there's a wildcard. Marc Moss: There's one person I don't know yet. I should find out this afternoon. I work with the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana almost every year, sharing how storytelling can be brought into the classroom. There's a program called SUSI—the Study of the U.S. Institutes. Educators come from all over the world: Bangladesh, Iraq, Portugal, Paraguay, Greece, and more. There were about nineteen participants this year. I teach storytelling skills and how storytelling can be used to teach existing subject matter. One of those participants is going to reveal themselves to me this afternoon, and then I'll help them craft a story for Tuesday's event. We've got some alumni and some new storytellers. A little preview: We've got some time travel. Mike Smith: Really? Marc Moss: Well... time travel. Mike Smith: You're just going to leave it at that? Marc Moss: Time travel is going to happen. We've also got stories involving the No-Tell Motel. Mike Smith: Okay. Marc Moss: We've got a nunnery story. We travel to Minneapolis. We talk about homesteading. There's a story about India and its relationship with Missoula. And there are stories involving ranching and lambs—and how having a task, something meaningful to do, can help get us through difficult times. Mike Smith: That all sounds great. I always find these events are even better than I think they're going to be, and I already think they're going to be great. Marc Moss: Thanks. Mike Smith: Tell Us Something presents live storytelling on the theme The Power of Place. It's happening at Bonner Park here in Missoula—don't drive out to Bonner. It's right here in Missoula's University District and happening next week. Where can people find all the details? Marc Moss: Go to TellUsSomething.org. That's where you'll find information about the event, purchase tickets, and listen to fifteen years' worth of stories from your community. You can stream them, subscribe to the podcast, or find them on our YouTube channel. But honestly, live is where it's at. Mike Smith: Definitely. There are still seats available. I just checked the weather—zero percent chance of precipitation. Marc Moss: Perfect. Yesterday it was 45%, so I was a little worried. Mike Smith: But it's shaping up to be a great night. And you don't need to bring your own chair. Marc Moss: Nope. Chairs are provided. And huge thanks to KettleHouse Brewing Company. They'll have beer available for purchase. There's also a new food vendor in town. It's not exactly a food truck—more of a bicycle setup. A guy has an electric bike with a freezer on the back and he's making Italian ice. Mike Smith: Nice. Marc Moss: Rizzo's Italian Ice will be there. Mike Smith: Is it one of the Rizzos I've known over the years? Marc Moss: It is. Mike Smith: That checks out. We've got Italian ice, beer, and Tell Us Something. And tickets to give away. What should our text question be? Marc Moss: Since the theme is The Power of Place, have listeners text their favorite place. Just text the word "PLACE" and tell us what your favorite place is. It could be Charlie B's. It could be the Clark Fork River. It could be Hawaii. Anywhere. Mike Smith: Perfect. Text your favorite place to 406-604-1033 for a chance to win tickets. Parting thoughts, Marc Moss? Marc Moss: The last time Tell Us Something was represented in this studio was to promote Kinky Bingo. One of the performers asked me, "Tell us something, Marc." I said, "Yeah, I am the Tell Us Something guy." And she said, "No—tell us something. Tell me something right now." What I said was: "Kindness is the answer. It doesn't matter what the question is." That's what I told her. Mike Smith: Perfect. Marc Moss: And she said, "Yep, that's enough." Mike Smith: You can bring that to your place, wherever your place may be. Kindness is always the answer. Marc, thanks for coming in today.