The Volume Knob

As mentioned in the intro, there are still tickets available for this season's episode of The Song that Saved My Life (live) . Saturday, December 13th at the fabulous Sala Rossa featuring Matt Goldberg , Me, five talented storytellers and the musical stylings of Sarah Segal-Lazar and her band.  Many thanks to Tennette who does not have a massive social media presence but is slowly building up a se...

If TVK is a success at all it's because of people like Will who is not only a talented storyteller and producer, he's been responsible for introducing me to many of the other wonderful storytellers in the New York area who have appeared on the show in the last year or two. For that generosity, I continue to owe him a great debt.  Will is also one of the founding producers of the Awkward Teenage Ye...

Working with Julia was a genuine pleasure. She is one of those people that is so entrenched in the NYC storytelling scene that Facebook has been suggesting we know each other for years.  You can learn more about Julia's work by following her on Insta . Or you can follow the links get more info about Happy Hour Story Hour every Monday at the Duplex (60 Christopher Street) and Top Shelf Stories at U...

So happy to finally have Gina on the show!  I love her style. Direct, vulnerable and delivered at a human pace. If you like it too, you might want to watch her work from The Moth or one of her many appearances on the stage at Confabulation.  You can also follow Gina on Instagram and (in case anyone is still doing it these days) Twi(x)tter .  Oh! As promised here's the new TVK "places" playlist fea...

So happy Juanita could join the show this week! If you're paying close attention, you'll notice that the production schedule has slowed a little around here in TVK land but it's pitches like hers that keep me coming back to the mixing desk. You can learn more about her on her website or by following her on Instagram (not posting to Twitter anymore, so why should you?). While you're on her website...

Very happy to have Jesse on the show this week. He first pitched TVK over 2 years ago (things have been moving SLOWLY around here at world HQ) and I think you'll agree that this is a case of better late than never.  You can learn more about Jesse by following him on Instagram . Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook . And if you have a story about the song that...

Johnathan and I have been working for -- no exaggeration -- over a year on bringing this story to you. I hope you think the results are as worth the wait as I do.   He's an amazing storyteller and the writer of the one-man rideshare show We Are Traffic which you can learn more about here . If you're interested you can also follow Jonathan on Twitter and Instagram . Make sure you follow The Volume...

Hey everyone! Thanks a million to the lovely Meg Stafford for sharing her story this week. As I mentioned in the intro, Meg and I met on the set of PBS' Stories from the Stage. You can find Meg's story from that show here .  You can also learn a tonne about her work (including her two memoires, Topic of Cancer: Riding the Waves of the Big C, and Who Will Accompany You? My Mother-Daughter Journeys...

Hey everyone! Thanks a million to the lovely Greg Halpen for pitching the show and sharing his story this week. You can learn more about Greg at his website or by following him on the Instas . As I said in the intro this week, Greg's story really reminds me of a queer John Hughes movie. In light of that, it might be time to inform you that Smashmouth actually covered Simple Minds' classic Don't Yo...

Hey lovelies! So good to be back making audio-deliciousness for you and what a great way to start the season John's visit was.  John is a fixture in the storytelling scene in Northern California.  He's a storytelling instructor, coach, and assistant events producer for Capital Storytelling in Sacramento and the host of the Do Tell! open mic series in Rancho Cordova. He's also, in case you can't te...

Aida Zilelian is an American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR's Takeaway, Kirkus Reviews, among other literary and media platforms. Her novel All the Ways We Lied is slated for release in January 2024. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook . Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or at our website vol...

I met Frank in a storytelling workshop this spring and he has revealed himself to be one of the hardest-working and most creative storytellers and producers I've had the privilege to work with since starting TVK.  Frank's show It's Funny Now is at the Crow in Santa Monica the second Monday of every month. You can learn more about it here or by listening to the It's Funny Now podcast . You can also...

Gastor is most definitely one of my favourite storytellers in North America. His presence, timing, sense of humour and humanity are all larger than life and it's always a pleasure to have him on the show.  Do yourself a favour and watch this (it's one of the Comedy Central appearances Gastor referred to in the story and its hilarious) when you're done watching that check out his story Heavy High &...

Dan wrote his own bio! Back in 2011 I, along with a group of best friends started Story Luck, a Chicago based Non Profit. It has been my life’s grand adventure. Where I’ve gotten a chance to create art so awesome, if I died today, I’d die happy and proud of what I’ve accomplished. From producing giant city wide games of tag wrapped in the story of a robot apocalypse ,to making a living teaching th...

Sean Ewert has told his stories in Chicago and Los Angeles at such shows as The Moth (storySLAM Winner "Nostalgia" Los Angeles 2021), USA Today Storytellers Project, JAM Creative Stories, This Much Is True, Story Club Chicago (winner audience favorite), and Story Salon.  Recently, his stories have been published in two book anthologies, Rings of Kindness   and Storytellers’ True Stories About Love...

Katya is the author of the public transit blog “ Tales from the Bus .” She is a frequent participant in storytelling shows and contests in Los Angeles, and is a Moth StorySLAM winner . You can learn more about Katya by following her on twitter or instagram . As always, remember to follow the show on instagram , twitter and facebook and to get over to the website to sign up for the TVK mailing list...

Erica says it's her goal to tell compelling, authentic, and inspirational stories which incorporate the comedy and the tragedy of life, and reflect the universal power of the human spirit to harness positivity, make connections and survive. She's done so on Risk! The Moth and through her own monthly storytelling series Revealed in Glendale, CA. You can learn more about Erica by checking out her we...

You can learn a lot more about Lea (and her performances and writing) by visiting her website .  Or following her on Instagram . You can get tickets to The Volume Knob and Confabulation Present: The Songs that Saved Your Life (live!) right here . I really hope to see you there in big numbers. As always, remember to follow the show on instagram , twitter and facebook and to get over to the website...

Kurt has told stories for PBS’s Stories from the Stage, the “RISK!” true stories podcast, and for GRIT: True Stories podcast, which he co-founded. He’s written for Powder, Paddler, Men’s Journal, Canoe & Kayak, Berkshire, and for websites, newspapers, and literary magazines. You can learn more about Kurt by checking out his website or following him on Twitter or Instagram . As always, remember to...

Emily doesn't have a very high public profile as a storyteller but you might want to follow her on Instagram in case she decides to start telling the world about her up and coming exploits. As always, remember to follow the show on instagram , twitter and facebook and to get over to the website to sign up for the TVK mailing list .

If you have a pitch for TVK Live (May 13th at Sala Rosa in Montreal) please don't hesitate to send it to me or to the fine folks at Confabulation . Their email is tellastory@confabulation.ca An honour to have Emira give of her time and vulnerability this week. I have to admit it, I was surprisingly moved by listening to What a Feeling , while mixing the show.  I found it really strange to hear som...

Ronna lives in Brooklyn but is a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan. She is a Moth Slam winner, has been featured on the PBS-WGBH Stories from the Stage series, and is a National Storytelling Network (US) slam finalist. You can learn more about her by visiting her web site or following her on Instagram or Twitter . If you're interested in getting tickets to see Keith (and five very talented storytellers)...

I was so honoured to have the chance to work with Carolyn Erickson to bring this story into the world, not only because it's powerful and finely wrought , but because it's one of the first times she's shared a story in public. She lives a little bit off the personal storytelling "beaten path" in Michoacán Mexico and doesn't have a big social media presence. It's just wonderful, though, that this p...

Hey! Great to be back for another season of the show and really great to start the season with Steve Zimmer (who was far too modest when he introduced himself as a "formerly very active amateur storyteller" in this week's show).  Steve's work -- particularly in the "first wave" of New York storytelling around the turn of the century -- is not only funny, considered and wonderful, it's also very in...

I know I throw around "multi-talented" quite a bit to describe the storytellers who come on TVK but it'd be a mistake to use a less complimentary word to describe Deb. In addition to being a storyteller and a valuable member of the production team at Montreal's Confabulation storytelling series , Deb is a media artist, videographer, and writer. She also (after my own heart) is an experienced radio...