Catherine Burns

She told us, Cheryl tells us that both her kids live to grow into happy, healthy adults.

In fact, the baby in the story was in attendance the night she told this story.

Coming up, a young man finds the courage to ask about a painful time in his family history.

That's when The Moth Radio Hour continues.

This is the Moth Radio Hour.

I'm Katherine Burns.

In this hour, we've been hearing stories about things we're afraid to face.

There's been a lot of discussion in recent years about how trauma is something that can be passed down from one generation to the next through our physical bodies.

Our last storyteller has told many slam-winning stories at the Moth, and this was his main stage debut.

The show took place outdoors at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

This was in September of 2020, so except for a handful of staff, the vast majority of the audience were watching from home.

You also may hear the occasional plane fly by.

Here's Devin Sandeford live at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

That was Devin Sandeford.

Devin is a writer, storyteller, and workshop facilitator who lives in Brooklyn.

His stories have been featured in the Washington Post, Speak Up Storytelling, and many other places.

Devin is also the founder of Unreeling Storytelling, a Brooklyn-based community providing a platform for the repressed perspectives of people of color, women, and anyone who has felt pushed to the margins.

After Devin talked to his mom, he realized that the day he had randomly decided to call her was the anniversary of his uncle's death.

Devin is working on his memoir, which he says is about how he lost his humanity and his voice until he learned to dance with the skeletons in his closet.

He and I recently sat down to talk about why he finally felt compelled to tell this story and what's happened since.