Suzanne Rust

And you'll be happy to know that he is no longer a Teef,

Instead, he's a well-respected writer who teaches in the Department of Literary Arts at Brown University.

Colin likes to say that he's a vegetarian.

However, he will make an exception for a really good curry goat.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Colin because I also have some Jamaican blood in me, thanks to my grandfather, Arthur Russ Sr., a product of Montego Bay and the best guy ever.

I love Jamaica.

And so I asked Colin what, if anything, he missed about the island.

To see a photo of young Colin, go to themoth.org.

Well, that's it for this episode of the Moth Radio Hour.

Thanks so much for listening.

I hope you'll join us next time for more stories.

This is the Moth Radio Hour.

I'm your host, Suzanne Rust, the Moth's curatorial producer.

Sometimes people ask me what moth stories are about.

I tell them they are really about everything and anything, which explains the title of this episode, Punks, Blessings, Burlesque, and Lotus Flowers.

Like this title, moth stories are like life itself, a variety show with every act imaginable.

But what often unites them are common themes, like self-discovery, finding sanctuary, learning to forgive, and acknowledging blessings of different kinds.

Our first story is from Eddie Laughter, who discovers just what she needs in a most unlikely place.

She told this story at our Moth Teacher Institute.

Here's Eddie.