Mary Jo Pollack transplanted to Tucson July, 2014 via Los Angeles, via San Francisco Bay Area, via Los Angeles, via St. Paul. Artists never completely retire, but she withdrew from the 9-5 grind a decade ago. She is passionate about storytelling and has told stories live in Tucson for Odyssey Storytelling, FST!, and Tucson Tellers of Tales, where she is 2nd vice president. Recently, she told stories on a variety of virtual platforms (including GRIT!) and won the Phoenix Moth Story Slam in July, 2020.
EPISODE TIMELINE
2:30- Why Mary Jo crafted this story last year
3:30- What it's like to beat a Moth legend
4:30- How this stories ties into the theme: Do Over
5:30- Why Mary Jo changed her ending
6:00- Mary Jo's 5-minute story
11:30- What it was like to tell this story again
13:00- Story format v. casual anecdote
14:00- Another potential ending (or new story)
15:00- Discovering the prophet
18:00- Checking facts (v. truth)
19:30- Deciding on details
21:00- How listening to recordings help
21:30- Starting with a date
22:30- Not giving it away
24:00- Emotional honesty
25:00- How adding dialogue helps
26:00- Using voices/accents
28:00- Why awareness matters
29:00- Using the theme in the story
30:00- Favorite tellers
31:30- Mary Jo's tip: moments
33:00- Avoiding filler words
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