The Moth Madison GrandSLAM

media release: Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

THE MOTH GRANDSLAM CHAMPIONSHIP 

“COMFORT ZONE”

Hosted by: Dasha Kelly Hamilton

Stories by

Sarah Batarfi is a dancer, storyteller, weaver, visionary community builder and biracial third culture kid who has lived across continents and cultures.

Ethan Cuka is a controls engineer, math and physics enthusiast, and dormant theater kid who has been living in Madison for five years.

David Eckstein is the 7th of eight children. He has six sisters and many, many cool brothers.

Nestor Gomez was born in Guatemala and came to Chicago in the mid-80s as an undocumented immigrant who stuttered and didn’t speak English.

Danielle Hairston Green is the founder of a nonprofit that empowers parents to advocate for their children’s education and trains teens in public speaking and leadership.

Kelly O'Connor lives in Madison and when she’s not working as a nurse you can find her playing ultimate frisbee, volleyball or paddle boarding.

Alice Pauser grew up listening to stories told by her German grandmother about her life, nature and tradition and always invited Alice and her sister to join in.

Ben Rush is a scientist, improviser, and occasional storyteller. He’s spent years in research labs and onstage, and recently founded Amalgam Improv.

Eli Schmidt is a 20-year-old journalism student at UW Madison who is passionate about ecologically sustainable futures, science communication, and storytelling.