This is a practical storytelling guide from comedian, winner of multiple Moth storytelling competitions, and founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade storytelling program Margot Leitman.
Did you ever wish you could tell a story that leaves others spellbound? Storytelling teacher and champion Margot Leitman will show you how! With a fun, irreverent, and infographic approach, this guide breaks a story into concrete components with ways to improve content, structure, emotional impact, and delivery through personal anecdotes, relatable examples, and practical exercises.
Download and start listening now!
“Margot Leitman is not only an incredibly skilled and entertaining storyteller but also a gifted teacher. She is the person you most want next to you around a campfire, at a grungy bar, or cheering you on at your first PowerPoint presentation. In Long Story Short, Margot expertly guides readers through the ins and outs of a craft essential to all who seek to connect more deeply with the world around them.”
— Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author
“A breezy, conversational guide for creating the types of podcast-ready stories you might hear on public radio shows…Interspersed throughout are examples of effective storytelling, motivational quotes, and ample encouragement…Those wishing to create engaging performance pieces from personal experiences will find this book useful.”
— Library Journal“Margot Leitman is hilarious and vulnerable and real. In Long Story Short, she teaches us, with great candor and clarity, how storytelling works. This book is essential—a reminder that the world would be a better place if everyone knew how to tell a good story.”
— Diana Spechler, author and seven-time Moth StorySLAM winner“Margot Leitman is a rare thing: she’s a performer, a writer, and—in this book—the teacher you secretly have a crush on. Sharp as hell, Leitman teaches you how to tell your own story. Through sharing her process, telling personal stories, and giving practical exercises, she will give you the tools and confidence you need to share your story with the world.”
— Elna Baker, author and comedic performer“When you watch Margot Leitman telling stories onstage, you find yourself laughing hysterically and somehow feeling less alone in a world where it seems everyone else got some kind of instruction manual. And now she’s literally gone and given you an instruction manual.”
— Dan Kennedy, author and host of The Moth storytelling podcast“For our improv show ASSSSCAT the success of the performance hinges on how meaty the story is that the monologist gives us. Margot always delivers a nice thick cut of filet mignon.”
— Matt Besser, author and cofounder of Upright Citizens BrigadeBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Margot Leitman, founder of the storytelling program at Upright Citizens Brigade, is a five-time winner of the Moth and a winner of the Moth GrandSLAM, achieving the series’ first ever score of a perfect ten. She has performed on Best Week Ever and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and her stories have been featured on The Moth podcast, RISK!, NPR’s Good Food, and Unfictional. Her storytelling workshops at corporations, theaters, and comedy groups are popular on both coasts.