STORY CLUB
BIOS She performs in Chicago with Mortified!, The Kates, Essay Fiesta, Stories at the Store, This Much is True, Beast Women, Waiting for the Bus, and Cafe Cabarert. Her stories have been featured on Vocalo.org (89.5 FM) and she is a founding member of the Chicago Story Collective. Dana received a Bachelors in Creative Writing and Religion and from Wittenberg
University and a Masters in Religious Studies from The University of
Chicago. Dana also has a Certificate in Creative Nonfiction from the
University of Chicago and is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative
Nonfiction from Northwestern University. Previously Featured Performers JC Aevaliotis
JT Berg Mary Dean Cason Gayle
W. Duberchin had her first fiction piece
published by Jane's Stories Press, where "American Buddha," won first place in their Bite
Size Contest, February 2008. In March 2008, she spent two weeks at Ragdale Artist's Colony (Lake Forest, IL), and she
has returned to Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey (Dubuque, IA) for multiple
writing retreats. In June 2009, she received a Creative Writing Certificate from the
University of Chicago. She has been a
reader for Other Voices (Univ. of
Ill. literary magazine) and Narrative
Magazine. For more than a decade she worked on both production and
editorial teams at educational publisher Scott Foresman
to design and write various high school texts, including history, geography,
economics, and law. At present, she is actively seeking agent
representation.
Dana Norris
Dana is the founder and host of Story Club, as well as the current Nonfiction Editor and former Managing Editor of TriQuarterly Online.
She recently won the AWP Intro Journals Creative Nonfiction prize and will be published in the Tampa Review. She also received a Writers Studio Student Prize from the University of Chicago Graham School, was a finalist for the Guild Complex Nonfiction Prize and was first runner-up at the February & April 2010 Moth StorySLAMs in Chicago.
Dana loves hosting an open mic and she especially loves it when the stories get weird.
Kelly Anchors

Kelly Anchors founded Sweetback Productions with her very talented tap dancing husband, Mike McKune. She has worked with Great Beast, Victory Gardens, Blind Parrot, Curious Theatre Branch, Citizens Relief and Prop, to name a few. These days she writes solo pieces because she needs help getting along with others.

JC has taken a winding path to

James Berg has studied at the University of Iowa, DePaul University, Sorbonne University in Paris and the University of Chicago. When he's on his bike and he sees you, he will wave and say hello.
Caryn Berman

Caryn tells stories to better understand people and life.

Throughout a twenty-year career as an ad writer in
Shannon Cason

Shannon Cason was raised in Detroit, and now lives in Chicago. He blogs at www.shannoncason.com and hosts a podcast, Homemade Stories, available on iTunes.
He is currently writing the kind of novel he likes to read.
Evan Clossin

E. Clossin has fought the majority of adult males in the city of
Never touch him or look him in the eye.
Julie Danis

Writer, commentator and humorist Julie Danis is a Chicago-based marketing professional, and adjunct professor at Northwestern University who also contributes personal essays to www.womensvoicesforchange.com and writes about being an aunt, being in transition and just being.
In the past she's examined global humor styles, discussed the toilet-paper folding habits of middle-class America, and asked young men in Dubai about their cell phone habits, all in the name research. Julie has been an editor and contributor to The Works magazine, wrote a column called “It’s a Living” featured in the Sunday Chicago Tribune, and contributed workplace commentary to public radio’s Marketplace. Julie is a graduate of Second City Training Center, University of Chicago (Certificate in Creative Writing, MBA, Social Service Administration), Northwestern, and the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival.
Gayle W Duberchin

Keith Ecker

Keith Ecker is the co-producer of Essay Fiesta, in addition to being a monthly featured reader. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. When the journalism industry became a joke, he decided to get into comedy. He has studied improv at the Second City, iO and the Annoyance Theatre. He was a founding member of the improv group Armchair Showcase; he was the co-founder, head writer and producer of the sketch group The Alliance; he’s performed stand-up all around Chicago; and he's the writer and star of the Outworld series Word of the Gay. He’s also a professional freelance writer, a theater critic for the Chicago Theater Blog and the mind behind the ChicagoNow blog Satire and the City.
Gisella Faggi

Gisella Faggi has identity issues that stem from growing up as a first generation American. She writes about these issues. Recently, her short script, The Pope's Visit, won first place in the prestigious Written Image Awards. Her work has also screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and she was a participant in the State Department-sponsored Fusion Arts Exchange Program in 2007. Currently, she is developing two feature-length screenplays: one a Bollywood-inspired musical, the other a horror film.
Aubrey Henretty

Aubrey Henretty is a pretty good guesser.
She lives in Chicago.
Joan Lipschutz J.H. Palmer J.H. Palmer is a secret writer who has lived in
Chicago since pretty much forever. Her writing has appeared in Gapers
Block, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, Babble, and Christopher Street. Her
superpowers include the ability to name any song that was aired on WPLJ
between 1980-1989 in three notes or less, the ability to smoke just one
cigarette and not want more, and the ability to converse with
housecats. She appeared at Story Lab in January, won the February Moth
StorySlam with a piece that she premiered at Story Club, and in April
she will be appearing at Tuesday Funk and Essay Fiesta. You can keep
up with her on her blog, Buttered Noodles (www.buttered-noodles.
Cheryl McPhilimy

Joan Lipschutz is a
Alyson Lyon
Alyson Lyon is the co-producer of Essay Fiesta, in addition to being a monthly featured reader. She is also an actor, musician and writer. A Chicago native and graduate of DePaul’s Theatre School, Alyson’s performance highlights include: “12 Ophelias” at Trap Door, “The Vagina Monologues” at the Apollo Theatre, Redmoon Theatre’s “Balloon Man”, “Overwintering” at iO (acted in and directed), “Pajama Girl” (her one-woman show) at the Chopin Theatre, a guest star appearance on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a cameo in Jeff Garlin’s “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With”. Alyson plays bass, guitar and sings and can be seen Thursdays at the original Potbelly’s on Lincoln and Fridays at Potbelly on Clark and Diversey. She also keeps it real on a daily basis.

Cheryl McPhilimy is a writer, PR pro and teacher. She has written for the Daily Herald, NPR and plenty of magazines. She owns a public relations firm (mcphilimy.com) and conducts executive messaging and media training. When she isn’t writing or teaching people how not to mess up on 60 Minutes, she is an instructor of PR at Loyola University Chicago.
Jennifer Peepas

Jennifer Peepas used to live in
In her free time she enjoys cooking food and then taking pictures of that food. If she were a superhero, her name would be Captain Awkward, and her superpower would be making it weird.
Tom Reilly
Tom Reilly grew up behind the Chicago Stockyards.
When he was 9 years old, he shoveled manure off the loading dock ramps. At 10, he attempted to open
a used Christmas tree business. At 11, sold football parlay cards in the schoolyard for the mob.
It figures that, as an adult, he would run an advertising agency. Clients included The Chicago White Sox, George Ryan (yes, that George Ryan!) and Charlie the Tuna. In 2004, he sold his agency to write Playing In The Jungle, his memoir about growing up in Back of the Yards and has appeared on stage at several
Fred Reuland
+
Fred Reuland has a B.A. in Theatre and has recently found his true calling as a writer of quirky short stories set in the 1960's. Behind his lofty literary goals is a conviction to make readers laugh out loud
whenever possible.
Johanna Stein

Harz Sondericker Harz has been performing and writing in
three years now. He has studied at the iO Theater and
first Saturday of the Month 11:59PM.
Michael Van Kerckhove

Michael Van Kerckhove is a Chicago-based writer & performer and the current Artistic Director of NewTown Writers' performance arm. He has appeared in and co-produced several installments of NTW's performance series (Working Stiffs, Solo Homo, etc.). He has also presented work with Essay Fiesta and Blue Moon Studio Theatre's Solo in Blue series. He is slowly but surely working on his full-length solo show, Battles With Boys. For much more, please visit www.MichaelVanKerckhove.wordpress.com.
.