TIGHTROPE to Return to Wharton Center with Andrea King Collier and Maureen Abood

With one foot in front of the other, the Moth Mainstage will return to Wharton Center in partnership with Michigan Public. The evening features a line-up of writers, performers, and other unique national and Michigan storytellers on Friday, November 13, 2026.

This show marks The Moth's fourth visit to Wharton Center, originally debuting the Mainstage in East Lansing in 2014. Storytellers Andrea King Collier and Maureen Abood are Lansing and East Lansing based, respectively. Collier is an award-winning author, journalist and photographer. Her work has appeared in O The Oprah Magazine, Essence, Town and Country, the Washington Post and others. She is the author of Still With Me… A Daughter's Journey of Love and Loss and The Black Woman's Guide to Black Men's Health. Abood is the author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, a Michigan Notable Book and IACP Award finalist, and her critically acclaimed recent book, Lebanese Baking. Her interviews, stories and recipes have appeared widely, including in The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Splendid Table, and NPR. She shares Lebanese American cuisine and culture through her popular website and social channels. The host of the evening is Ann Arbor-based Amir Baghdadchi. Other storytellers include Jameer Pond, Mike Zimmerman, and Bethany Hall.

One step can change the whole story. The theme of this storytelling event is TIGHTROPE. Storytellers will spend the evening sharing extraordinary true stories about what happens when there's no clear path—only the courage to keep moving forward. The show features tales of balancing without a net; trusting your gut; taking the leap before you know where you'll land. Stories of big gambles and near misses, quiet acts of bravery and glorious mistakes. Of sending the text, booking the flight, sharing the secret you've carried for years, and watching everything change.

The evening will be full of extraordinary true stories about what happens when there's no clear path—only the courage to keep moving forward. Presenters will tell their stories of balancing without a net, trusting your gut, taking the leap before you know where you'll land. Of big gambles and near misses, quiet acts of bravery and glorious mistakes, sending the text, booking the flight, sharing the secret you've carried for years, and watching everything change.