The Moth Radio Hour: The Place to Be: Stories of Belonging

Air Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Suzanne Rust

Overview

This Moth Radio Hour episode, “The Place to Be: Stories of Belonging,” explores the universal quest to find connection and community. Through four real-life storytellers, the episode delves into the joy, struggle, and transformation that come from seeking, stumbling upon, and finally discovering “your people” — whether through childhood TV icons, midnight movie cults, sisterhood both literal and metaphorical, or creating radically inclusive neighborhoods.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Julie Baker – Finding Sanctuary in Mr. Rogers and Good Neighbors

[03:00–09:25]

• Childhood Loneliness: Julie, at four years old in 1968, acclimates to a new town, a distracted mother of four, and domestic chaos.
• Refuge Next Door: Finds solace with neighbor Tracy Ferro’s family, who treat mishaps with laughter rather than anger.
• Denied Preschool: Julie’s mother says she’s “too smart” for preschool, deepening her isolation.
• Mr. Rogers’ Comfort: TV time with "Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood" brings comfort, acceptance, and validation:
  • “Mr. Rogers never told anybody to shut the fuck up. Instead, he told me I was special and that he liked me just the way I was. And I believed him.” (Julie Baker, 07:36)
• Meeting Mr. Rogers as an Adult: As a PBS professional and a mother herself, Julie attends a staff meeting with Fred Rogers, overwhelmed by gratitude:
  • “He took my hand in both of his hands and I told him my name. And he said, ‘Julie, I am so glad that you are here today... I just want you to know you're special and I like you just the way you are.’” (Julie Baker, 08:55)
• Lasting Impact: Julie consciously creates an affirming home for her own children, carrying forward the unconditional acceptance she learned as a child.

2. Stephen Michael Carr – Coming Out at the Rocky Horror Picture Show

[15:03–21:43]

• Evangelical Upbringing: Stephen and best friend Shana are “Jesus freak weird,” raised with rigid religious values.
• First Midnight Movie: They venture into a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” immediately marked as “virgins” and swept on stage for an initiation.
• Shock, Fear, & Liberation:
  • The theater’s flamboyance is a culture shock; audience participation, cross-dressing actors, and wild celebrations force Stephen out of his shell.
  • “...for the first time in my lonely, closeted Southern Baptist life, I found my people.” (Stephen Michael Carr, 19:16)
• Queerness and Joy: Witnessing sex positivity and eccentricity reframed as humor and camaraderie rather than taboo:
  • “For me, the Rocky Horror Picture Show was the place that I got to meet weirdos... and they wore [their oddness] like first prize ribbons.” (Stephen, 20:54)
• Ongoing Community: Stephen and Shana continue attending, making the ritual their “church” for years—an essential expression of belonging.

3. Sister Julie Vieira – From Nun-Surveillance to True Sisterhood

[23:46–37:15]

• Yearning for Larger Purpose: High school Julie is moved by social justice documentaries and the question: “What is so significant in my own life I would be willing to give my life for it and my death?” (Julie Vieira, 24:51)
• Curiosity About Religious Life: Spiritual guidance and “nun surveillance” (quietly observing sisters’ habits, roles, and especially their shoes) unearths an unexpected draw to communal life.
• Firsthand Sisterhood:
  • Attending a lecture, she experiences “real sisterhood” as sisters support each other in public and in prayer.
  • A “Come and See” retreat cements the feeling:
    • Participating in classic nun subculture (like a prank where a 60-year-old is announced as celebrating her “21st birthday” in a crowded restaurant) becomes the moment Julie feels she’s “already in the circle of sisterhood.” (Julie Vieira, 33:17)
• Reflections on Vocation: 25 years later, Julie describes a community grounded in support and resilience:
  • “We hang in there with one another through thick and thin… at the end of the day, it's like, you know, we've got each other's backs.” (Julie Vieira, 36:18)

4. Susan Marie Moreno – Building Womantown, a Lesbian Utopia in Missouri

[40:55–55:21]

• Outsider in Iowa: Susan always felt “different,” yearning for a lesbian community of color.
• Searching for ‘Her People’: The University of Iowa and teaching in Kansas City yielded few connections.
• Radical Self-Organization:
  • With Beverly Powell, Susan is drawn into the creation of “Womantown,” an intentional lesbian neighborhood in Kansas City, found via bulletin boards and “Lesbian Connection” (a queer directory predating the internet).
• Creating Belonging:
  • They renovate derelict homes and host barbecues; slowly, lesbians from across the country settle, drawn to this oasis.
  • “It just was a wonderful feeling. It was the best community. When you plant a seed, a bulb, and invite people through love and beauty, it will grow.” (Susan Marie Moreno, 54:37)
• Overcoming Rejection:
  • Their presence is initially met with suspicion at local neighborhood meetings:
    • “We got side eyed. We got the stink eye. People started whispering. I felt like I was this tall.” (Susan, 50:14)
  • Instead of retreating, Susan insists: “I am fighting for this. We're staying. We are not going to say no. We are not going to be rejected from this area. We belong here.” (Susan, 51:13)
• Lasting Impact: Womantown flourishes, growing to 82 women at one point, celebrated via banners and the neighborhood’s Tulip Festival. Susan continues advocacy for GLBTQ senior housing, with Womantown’s legacy commemorated by the city of Kansas City.

Notable Quotes

• “Mr. Rogers never told anybody to shut the fuck up. Instead, he told me that I was special and that he liked me just the way I was. And I believed him.”
  — Julie Baker, 07:36

• “For the first time in my lonely, closeted Southern Baptist life, I found my people. I found my people.”
  — Stephen Michael Carr, 19:16

• “The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the place that I got to meet weirdos, and they took all those things that I thought I hated about myself and they wore them like first prize ribbons from the Kentucky State Fair.”
  — Stephen Michael Carr, 20:54

• “What is so significant in my own life that I would be willing to give my life for it and my death?”
  — Sister Julie Vieira, 24:51

• “This is sisterhood... it was like, this is how we are with one another and you are a part. This is how we are with one another.”
  — Sister Julie Vieira, 33:37

• “When you plant a seed, a bulb, and invite people through love and beauty, it will grow.”
  — Susan Marie Moreno, 54:37

• “I am fighting for this. We're staying. We are not going to say no. We are not going to be rejected from this area. We belong here.”
  — Susan Marie Moreno, 51:13

Timestamps & Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 03:00–09:25 | Story: Julie Baker on finding kinship through Mr. Rogers and next-door neighbors | | 15:03–21:43 | Story: Stephen Michael Carr’s first embrace of queer joy at Rocky Horror | | 23:46–33:41 | Story: Sister Julie Vieira's transformation from observer to member of sisterhood | | 40:55–55:21 | Story: Susan Marie Moreno and the creation of Womantown’s radical community |

Memorable Moments

• Julie Baker’s Full-Circle Mr. Rogers Meeting: A childhood idol’s personal affirmation, delivered decades later, brings her story of connection beautifully home (08:55).
• “Virgin” at Rocky Horror: Stephen’s induction, via lipstick “V” on his face, sets the tone for buddy-movie awkwardness and deep acceptance (16:42).
• Nun Surveillance: Sister Julie brings humor and curiosity as she scopes out nun shoes, reframing religious vocation as vibrant and accessible (26:24).
• First Womantown Barbecue: Susan’s skepticism is transformed by the arrival of “women in tool belts,” a moment of joyful, literal coming together (49:35).
• Pride Plaque for Womantown: The city’s future acknowledgment stands as testament to the tenacity and vision of Susan and her fellow pioneers (54:50).

Reflections & Closing Thoughts

The episode movingly illustrates that belonging is not passive, nor simply “finding your people by accident.” It often involves resilience, vulnerability, the courage to show up, and actively shaping spaces of safety and love. Whether it’s a lonely living room, a wild midnight revel, a sister’s shoulder squeeze, or a lesbian intentional neighborhood, the right place only emerges when someone makes space — and sometimes, plants a literal (or metaphorical) tulip bulb.

Additional Info

• Photos, extra materials, and details about live events and pitching stories: themoth.org (Mentioned throughout, see host’s comments at [09:25], [13:13], [23:13], [37:15], [55:21])
• Womantown’s legacy will be honored by the mayor of Kansas City with a pride plaque in June (Susan Marie Moreno, 54:50).
• Each storyteller today continues to build community: Julie Baker as a blind traveler and parent, Stephen at Old Louisville Brewery, Sister Julie as a creative spiritual leader, Susan as an activist for queer seniors.
• Episode produced by Jay Allison and Suzanne Rust.

Listening to these stories, “may you find the people and places that make you feel whole.”
(Suzanne Rust, 55:21)