Catherine Burns, artistic director of caterpillar species, known for its storytelling series. After starting in the living room in New York City 25 years ago, Moth has expanded into stage and touring performances, television, educational programs, radio and podcasts. A typical narrative event might include an astronaut, a former KGB prisoner and a dental hygienist, Ms. Burns said. “I get to meet the coolest, most amazing people in this job.”
In April, Moth, a nonprofit organization, published her fourth book, “How to Tell a Story.” Although Ms. Burns enjoys spending time with books, she often has to combine reading stories with listening to them. “People are eager to talk about their lives,” she said. “We have a hotline where people can call and talk for three minutes to tell their story. In a normal month can call 500 people”.
Ms. Burns, 53, lives with her husband, Joshua Polenberg, 50, a senior Pfizer manager, their son, Harold, 12, and a parrot, Hamilton, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
ABOUT CLOSET I recently moved – we’re the ones who bought a home during the pandemic – so I’m resetting my routine or re-establishing it. I wake up alone between 5:30 and 6:15 a.m. My husband and son will sleep until 9 o’clock. My job is very social, but I’m actually an introvert. I need my solitude.
CHAIRMAN I’ll go downstairs for my first cup of coffee. My husband has some potted favorites from the day before. I poured whatever was left on the ice into the glass and drank it black. I’m not particular about my coffee; I’m about my tea. I combine two tea bags, Earl Gray and green tea with a cinnamon stick, which I drink from a nice, green cup with the word Chief on it. It’s a club for female executives in the city. Then I sat and meditated for 15 minutes.
OTHER WORDS I go downstairs and get the New York Times, then I go upstairs to my home office/living room, sit on the couch and read. I like to read. It took me into different worlds, worlds that I could never live in in real life. I am a naturally curious person. I read a poem every morning, it excites me. I am currently reading “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a List of Further Possibility,” by Chen Chen and “Shine Bright,” a memoir by Danyel Smith, who told us before. and I hope to find something that will work in her new book.
RUN AND MEMORY I started running in 2019. I lost 85 pounds. Since I moved out, I’ve discovered highland park, about two miles from my house. I will run five to eight miles. I cut through Evergreens, a beautiful old cemetery. You’re not allowed to run in the cemetery, so I walked from one entrance to another. I am someone who is obsessed with the stories of the city. The women who died in the Triangle Shirt Factory fire are buried there. I put flowers on their graves so they know someone remembers their story.
FAMILY PICTURE I’m back at 9. If my sons don’t wake themselves up, Hamilton will start chirping and will be their weekend alarm clock. I usually cook, but on Sundays my husband makes delicious pumpkin pancakes. I’ll make bacon and we all have brunch. There’s also a place in our neighborhood called Love, Nellythe place that makes the homemade empanadas, which we still go sometimes.
GAME We play games to limit Harold’s phone and computer time. He really likes chess, or the board game Splendor and Azul. We also do puzzles, maybe lighthearted. We recently increased from 500 pcs to 1,000 pcs. I don’t like the ones that have all one color, like blue. That’s my idea of hell. We just bought one that is a picture of 1980s music; it’s nostalgic and entertaining for me and my husband. And another book that is old books. It was fun explaining these to our son.
MULTIPURPOSE ROOM If I’m hungry, I’ll make my own omelette with mushrooms and spinach and maybe some cooked shrimp. It’s one of my little passions. Since the pandemic hit, I’ve been recording our program, Moth radio hour, out of my house. One of my Sunday projects is to turn my laundry room into a recording studio because it has no windows.
TEMPORARY SAVE I love gardening because now we have a yard and a terrace, it’s been a lifelong dream. So far I have tomatoes, kale and strawberries. I’m still experimenting to see what develops. Maybe one day I’ll pass it on to whoever is the next homeowner. It’s part of the beauty of New York City. We are only in these places temporarily.
NEWSLETTER PILEUP I will try to update some emails so I can start the week with a clear plan. I receive more than 70 email newsletters per month. I keep trying to get rid of them because it’s too much. Then I signed up for more. I can’t help myself. That is curiosity. The three that stand out are by Maria Popova EditorPause from On Being Studios and R. Eric Thomas’s hilarious Here for it.
BURGER SUNDAY During the pandemic, we founded Burger Sunday Nights. Josh and Harold left them in a bun; I put mine on a salad. Then we all went into the family room to watch TV. We’ve all seen “Star Wars” and just started the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. And we love “American Ninja Warrior,” which is not a franchise for me, but it is such an inspiration, especially for women. In losing weight, I have really exposed my inner athlete.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER Josh usually leaves us at 7:30 to play online video games with his friends, so Harold and I will watch Japanese anime, including YouTube videos, especially movies by Lily Hevesh, who have watched Hevesh5 – she creates these incredible dominoes – and Mark Robert, an engineer. We love the videos where he catches package thieves or scammers. It’s sweet that Harold still wants to share them with me because I know that will stop at some point.
BATH, REMOVE BOOKS Around 8:30 Harold went up to the reading room, I took a shower. This house has a great tub, and I have a great habit of taking a 20-minute shower at night. It makes me feel relaxed. I will listen to a little meditation and light candles. Like everyone, I drank too much during the pandemic. Shower help I don’t want that glass of wine. Then I put on my pajamas and went to bed with a novel. I’m currently reading”Peace of the sea“By Emily St. John Mandel. Josh would play for hours and go to bed after me. I read until I put the book down; that’s usually around 9:30.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Catherine Burns on Instagram @thecatherineburns or on Twitter @burnzieny.
