2019

JANUARY 2019

Donna Martin

Having grown up in a dance studio, Donna brings a theatricality to everyday life, usually involving accessories and embellishment. During her 35 years teaching high school Drama, Donna directed a lot of good stories. Her recent work with the underserved community has taken her down a new and heartbreaking path that requires no exaggeration. At home, she’s a collector of vintage costumes and anything kitsch. You say “Drama Queen” like it’s a bad thing.

Madeline Mitchell

Madeline (Maddie) Mitchell is a student at Miami University of Ohio and will be graduating this May with degrees in journalism and theatre. She's an Aurora native and attended Waubonsie Valley High School prior to Miami. Maddie has performed in multiple plays throughout her life, from being an ensemble member in Oklahoma! at age 5, to this past semester portraying the role of Kylie in Naomi Iizuka's Good Kids. Last summer she worked at The Cincinnati Enquirer as a breaking news intern, and at Miami she is an editor for the culture section of the student newspaper. Aside from her passion for storytelling, Maddie also has a passion for travel. She has been to 13 countries and is excited to add the United Kingdom to her list this June.

Alison Murphy

Alison Murphy is a writer and military brat, who spends most of her time teaching creative writing, taking her 10-year-old basset hound Murray to the park, and finishing up her first novel, about the second intifada in Israel and the Iraq War. She recently moved from Boston to Chicago, and likes Chicago better.

Charles Murphy

Charles Murphy is a musician and teacher who lives for the sound of several people singing together with varying degrees of accuracy. He was born and raised in north Alabama but has lived in Chicago the past 12 yearss.

Stacy Stoltz

Stacy Stoltz has been making theatre in Chicago for over 20 years. She’s an actor and she’s also directed and created documentary plays with Erasing the Distance. She’s a company member with The House Theatre of Chicago and has worked at a bunch of other theatre’s but her big moment was playing Stella in the critically acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire at Writers’ Theatre. She recently started writing because waiting for satisfying roles for middle aged women was making her anxious. So she’s writing a play - which she finds both thrilling and terrifying. It’s saving her life. But it also might kill her. She’s very dramatic and she wishes she had more comedic instincts. Seriously. She loves story telling and she’s very excited about her recent discovery of Story Lab and the dozens of other story events that happen around Chicago. She lives in Bridgeport with her dog Ozzy and her husband - director, fight choreographer Matt Hawkins.

Paul Whitehouse

Paul is a Chicago based storyteller, teacher, and actor. He has told stories all over town at the Chicago Symphony Center, the Hull House, WBEZ, and Zanies. He is an arts educator and actor and has worked with Child's Play Touring Theatre, Pegasus Theatre, and Goodman Theatre. He can be seen in a number of commercials, web commercials, and independent films. Visit him at www.paulwhitehouse.net

FEBRUARY 2019

Kevin Biolsi

Kevin Biolsi is a statistician and on-again, off-again empty nester who enjoys brewing beer and, every few years, attempting to learn to play the banjo. He first told stories in front of an audience in 2016 and found it to be more exhilarating than any drugs he’s ever taken, although to be honest, those have almost exclusively been analgesics and anti-inflammatories. He has performed two one-person shows, 0% Inspiration, 100% Perspiration and ‘Til This Show Do Us Part and has told stories at Moth StorySLAMs, First Person Live, and Do Tell: A Storytelling Event to Benefit the Evanston Dance Ensemble.

Carrie Campbell

Carrie Campbell is a Chicago native and loves playing host and tour guide in this beautiful city; seriously, she'll take you on a made up tour through all the hot spots anytime. Currently, she works at Google. When she's not watching YouTube videos during work, she is off traveling (28 countries and counting), listening to podcasts, training for a triathlon (doing the Escape from Alcatraz in June!), or attending live events throughout the city. Ask her about the time her family and friends broke a Guinness Book of World's Record by visiting 172 bars in 14 hours. She charades competitively and karaokes with conviction. Always.

Lihy Epstein

Lihy is the co-producer of Risqué Business - a performance event showcasing queer women, gender nonconforming and non binary folks. Business by day, community by night - when she isn't focused on keeping the family business going, you can find her slamming, storytelling or dragging across Chicago.

Aviva Levavi

Aviva Levavi is an English as a Second Language teacher. Her adult students have enriched her life by telling their stories from around the world. Her other great inspiration is her dog who sees the world without borders and sometimes gets her in a lot of trouble. She is a world traveler, including spending 2 years in West Africa in the Peace Corps and riding her bicycle across the United States. She loves writing short stories, cooking for her family, gardening, and finding the next great story whether at the end of the block or around the world.

Jamie Morriss-Benoit

Jamie Morriss-Benoit moved to Chicago five years ago from southern California to work with youth on the far south side in Altgeld Gardens in a holistic after-school program. A lover of stories, words, and all things creative writing, you can generally find her nose in a book in her spare time, or listening to stories from friends, community neighbors, and The Moth (of course). She also enjoys camping and nature, summertime, and the smell of book pages. Her husband, David, and canine companion, Wiley, keep her company most days and make life pretty enjoyable.

Ted Spaniak

Ted has spent much of his life making a living as a guitar/piano player. He also had 20-year sojourn molding the youth of America as a high school English teacher. Recently retired from youth molding, Ted is now playing as much music as possible. He is currently immersed in three main musical projects: Rockin’ with the renown 70’s tribute band Strung Out, leading oldies quartet Loretto Lane, and flying solo on his cocktail piano project featuring the great American song book.

MARCH 2019

Kim Calkins

Kim Calkins is a third generation librarian working in the western suburbs. She loves stories, both written and spoken, and believes her life has been saved by the stories others have shared. When she's not booking chefs, storytellers, and subversive cultural programs for her library, she can be found taking long walks or reading to her young son.

Kait Fieldman

Kait Fieldman started out as a small-town jock and came of age as a full-blown suburban band nerd. She has taught music all over the state, picking up bits of theatre along way, and throws it all together to design shows for marching bands. Still on the hunt for what she wants to be when she grows up, Kait has taken a recent interest in ice hockey, office jobs, and now storytelling.

Faye Jacobs

Faye Jacobs spent the first part of her life in Boston before settling in Chicagoland. Over the course of a very full life she has worn many hats; as a host of “Senior Stretch,” a cable TV show; as a volunteer for the Israeli Army (seriously), an ESL teacher and as a triathlete who at her first race in 1985 took 100th place….out of 101 racers (but really, whose counting?). Fear not; at subsequent triathlons, Faye has proven her mettle in the pool, on the bike and on foot. A natural storyteller, Faye illuminates the nuances of 21st-century life.

Beth Kander

Beth Kander has lived in the rural Midwest, the East Coast, the Deep South, and currently works for one Mississippi nonprofit and two West Coast theatre companies while living in Chicago. Geographic gymnastics aside, Beth loves rescue dogs, BBC shows, travel, and Chicago staycations. She has graduate degrees in social work and creative writing, both of which helped her write a dystopian trilogy (the second book in her Original Syn series comes out this fall). She aspires to be a zen yogini, but is currently more accurately described as an over-caffeinated toddler-wrangler.

Emilee Kieffer

Graphic designer, illustrator, game artist, and hopelessly sleep deprived, Emilee Kieffer is kind of a walking stereotype of an artist (she even owns a cat, what artist DOESN'T own a cat?). When she's not slinging art, you can catch her at your local political protest or rally, dominating at karaoke, playing Fallout New Vegas, and collecting 70s Red Sonja comics.

Leah Stallone

A native St Louisian, Leah has called Chicago home for the last 15 years. As such, she can "claim" the Blackhawks but is also on the correct side of the provel cheese debate. By day, she is a "corporate storyteller", teaching economists how to communicate with other humans. By night, she does everything she can to not become a cat lady without denying her love of pajamas and naps.

APRIL 2019

Terilyn Eisenhaur

Terilyn is a 25-year-old recovering homebody who has now lived in five states and traveled to twenty countries. She recently returned home to Chicago after a two month backpacking trip through Costa Rica, Panama, and Florida and is praying she doesn’t lose her tan before summer. Fingers crossed! Terilyn graduated magna cum laude from Connecticut College with a degree in Theater and American Studies, and has trained extensively around the world as an actor and playwright. Her original play “Lovelocked” is scheduled to premiere as a workshop in NYC during the spring of 2020. She also reads Tarot cards (I know, right?) and you can learn more about that at www.tarotbyterilyn.com.

Trevor Gertonson

Trevor Gertonson has had an interest in the arts since he was a child; Music, film and Stand Up were his favorites. In his school age years he took drama & music lessons. He started his first band at the age of 15. He wrote music for films which landed him a few cameos in independent films. After 13 years he wanted to give his true passion a chance and turned to stand up in 2010. He started in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Acme Comedy Club where he was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Funniest Person in the Twin Cities Contest. He went on to perform his stand up throughout the Midwest and parts of the East and West Coast in rock venues and comedy clubs/festivals. He has been a regular at Gilda’s LaughFest in Grand Rapids, MI and the Elgin Fringe Festival. 2018 was his first year performing in the Milwaukee Comedy Festival. His first 30-minute special I've Seen better was released in 2012. He is also the creator of the comedy showcase DVD series Laugh You Bastards. Trevor’s stand up has been reviewed as “funny, weird and deeply human.” You should go see him. He would appreciate it.

Katherine Hermina

Katherine Hermina, a Wisconsin native, has been a Chicago city girl the last 11 years. Her 10 year old German Shepherd has been a part of the adventure. Having a background in laboratory medicine along with a Masters in Business landed her the position of technical buyer by day. Driven by unnatural curiosity, Katherine set a goal a few years ago to experience new hobbies and explore this beautiful city while doing so during her free time in the evenings/weekends. Storytelling quickly became an area of fascination that she wanted to explore more. Along with Scott Whitehair’s class, her toastmasters club became a breeding ground for exploring different storytelling techniques and is still working on developing this skillset to become a better public speaker.

Rachel Reizburg

Rachel is a senior at Northwestern University where she studies Theatre, Dance, Playwriting, and Theatre for Young Audiences. She has been telling stories ever since she was little, but didn't realize her passion for it until she took Rives Collins' Intro to Storytelling class at school. Rachel was honored to be one of the NU tellers that told at this year's Evanston Storytelling Festival and is super excited about telling her first story with Story Lab Chicago. When Rachel isn't telling stories or getting ready to graduate, she loves to spend her time doing all things circus including Aerial Silks and Trapeze.

Jessica Schanberg

Jessica Schanberg grew up in NYC. She came to Chicago 12 years ago with only a hint of a job. She has been a graphic designer, writer, illustrator, and counselor. She is also the proud mama to 2 cats named Theo Monk and Lionel Hampton. Jessica is passionate about movies, Zumba and brunch.

Zach Selch

Zach Selch, the VP of Sales for a high tech medical company, has traveled and sold in about 140 countries and has lived in 6, and loves nothing more than taking his family off the beaten path. As a child Zach lived in 13 places in his first 13 years, none of them places you’d probably want to grow up in. After his family broke up when he was 15, he was all on his own until he met his lovely Columbian archeologist wife and started their family of 3 children and a Corgi. He now lives in an apartment by the lake with 43 varietals of honey, 25 types of mustard and a dozen types of vermouth. His lovely wife would like to know if anybody wants some honey, mustard or vermouth. Zach was a paratrooper scout in two conflicts and a bunch of little disagreements, but has not aimed a gun at anybody in close to 30 years, and does not really miss it.

MAY 2019

Matt Keller

Matt grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago and can proudly say he now lives downtown in a big kid apartment. Currently working in customer service, he is happy to be employed post grad and always looking for that next step- feel free to ask for his resumé. Matt is currently studying improv comedy at Second City as he has been passionate about it since college. Matt has many stories ranging from world travels to working retail and he hopes you enjoy his words!

Daina Lyons

Daina Lyons spent half her childhood south of Madison St. in Hyde Park and then the other half north of Madison St. in Edgewater. Graduating high school on a military base in Germany in 1982, she hightailed it back to Chicago to attend the Fiction Writing program at Columbia College for undergrad and an almost grad degree. She helped open Andersonville’s Swedish American Museum back during its founding on Clark Street and then spent years as a Chicago hotel concierge babysitting celebrities. Daina was also a weekly contributor re Chicago’s cultural offerings on WBEZ radio’s "Backstage Pass.” The show’s host Karl T Wright left for bigger in L.A. and the Fri eve time slot was taken by a new-in-town storyteller upstart named Ira Glass. Daina worked at Chicago’s 1st cell phone provider, Cellular One, developing marketing campaigns for “cellular telephones” back when they were bolted in your car and if you put the prototype handheld to your ear crowds gathered to stare at that weird thing. She’s currently an obsessed DNA genealogist. About to send the last of their 3 children to college, Daina and her husband will weep and then pour misplaced affection on their army of arrogant cats and one defeated dog.

Charlie Minard

Charlie has been performing around Chicago for the past 6 years, from plays (Murder at the WIP, Verbatim Verboten) to open mics (No Shame Theater), improv (Batsu) to one-man shows (Eagle Jackson, You're Not Depressed). He lives with his boyfriend, two cats, and a rat. His guilty pleasure is still-frozen Uncrustables and using a lot of parenthesis.

Valentina Ortiz

Valentina Ortiz is a storyteller, musician and a writer. Four books and four records show her intense work registering personal and community stories. She has toured Mexico and other countries with her storytelling and music concerts. She was recipient of the Mexico´s Ministry of Culture grant in 2014 for her personal story show called Canción para Omecihuatl, also she was honored with the Golden Cenzontle award for her social involvement through stories, with her nonprofit association Zazanilli Cuentos A.C. She has worked stories and music in different community healing projects for the last 10 years with very good results. As a musician she specializes in Latin percussion and Mexican prehispanic drums, she has played with Salsa orchestras and Big Bands for the past 25 years. Her last recording was the record 100% Xochiquetzal, Rumba y Sabor, with her Salsa music compositions.

Michele Popadich

Michele Popadich is a writer, runner, cat mom, project manager, and native Chicagoan. She’s self published various books of photography and poetry and also as creates and publishes content for her visual poetry instagram, Petit Poetry (@petit_poetry). She will be beginning her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Northwestern University starting in June.

Diamond Tucker

As the youngest of 7 children, Diamond has found herself with many stories to tell. She’s even made a career of listening to others’ stories as a therapist. Her first foray into storytelling was through writing and performing original music. She has traveled the world collecting diverse perspectives and stories. Diamond has recently started using live storytelling as a new creative outlet and looks forward to continuing her storytelling journey.

Lisa Zimmer

As the oldest child of a Coast Guard helicopter pilot, Lisa Zimmer grew up moving from coast to coast and back again. But she’s made a permanent home on the third coast for the past 2 decades. She runs the Meetings and Events team at MillerCoors, and yes, that means she’s paid to plan parties at a beer company. Between work trips, she finds time to travel to see her Mom and 3 brothers, who are scattered across the 4 corners of the country. And in her remaining spare time, she subsists on a steady diet of tickets; airline, concert, and movie variety.

JUNE 2019

Adam Brody

Adam is an actor and teaching artist based in Chicago. Originally from Massachusetts, he graduated from Northwestern University last year with a BA in Theatre and a module in Theatre for Young Audiences. Adam loves to procrastinate by listening to podcasts, reading the news, and attempting to teach himself how to play the ukulele.

Sue Fink

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Sue Fink was a story-teller (informally) long before she began performing musically. She comes from a short story and poetry writing background. Songs became a medium to tell stories via music and lyrics, and she often tells related stories between songs as well. Through her folk/acoustic songs, Sue shares her whimsical perspective and perceptive observations of the human condition. Telling stories without holding a guitar in front of her seems a little scary, but now she’s thinking of stories as songs, but without the music. Yes. That should work! http://suefink.com

Tara Hensle

Tara has loved storytelling for as long as she can remember. After spending nearly all her free time writing stories as a kid and then transitioning to scribbling angsty poetry as a teenager, she has come to appreciate the beauty of stories never been told the same way twice through Story Lab Chicago. She loves research (because data tells stories too!), cooking, and vintage earrings. Because they say it's good to have a calming hobby, she has had the goal to learn to knit for the past year, but she keeps going to brunch instead. At least brunch didn't keep her from telling this story today.

Steve Magnino

Steve Magnino was born and raised in Oklahoma, a real live Okie from Muskogee. He has been in the Chicago area since the early eighties when he took a job with Kraft out of college. He is a marketing strategy and research guy who has told stories with data about everything from processed cheese to credit cards to robotics – even tax policy. Steve is currently research director for a professional services firm in Chicago, focusing on business leader's perceptions of the economy. He discovered the power of telling stories in college when a professor told him "any answer is OK as long as you can defend it." To Steve, a question that has only one "right answer" usually indicates a lack of imagination. He and his wife, Marsha, live in Arlington Heights and are excited about becoming first time grand parents this summer.

Molly Sider

Molly Sider grew up in the Chicago suburbs, but as soon as she was old enough, she ditched the Midwest for San Francisco. When the sun became too strong for her pale skin, she moved to New York City where she began her boozy career in the wine industry. Four years ago, Molly relocated back to Chicago where she continues slinging wine for a living. She survives the brutal winters here by listening to other people tell stories, and sometimes she reciprocates by telling one of her own.

Sheryl Solomon

Sheryl has lived in the Chicago area almost all of her life and is a professional fundraiser. Her writing has appeared in North Shore Magazine and she is the author of the blog Looking Up. As part of a 2019 resolution to try new things, she broke her shoulder while ice skating and is hoping not to incur any storytelling-related injuries.

JULY 2019

Monica Carmean

Monica Carmean is an attorney who has worked in the House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the Obama White House, as well as on the campaigns to elect our current Mayor and Governor, and the winner of the 2016 Presidential popular vote. Originally from Fresno, California, Monica is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Georgetown University Law Center. Monica lives in Rogers Park, Chicago, and is a barfly at Gilead Chicago, a queer storytelling bar church.

Bex Ehrmann

Jodi Dudek is a Pennsylvania-born art director, designer, strategist, writer, photographer, aspiring entrepreneur, and all-around Renaissance Soul. After stints in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Washington DC, and Austin, she’s finally made Chicago her home. And her pug Wrigley - whose name was much more novel before moving to this city - has been her sidekick through most of those moves. She loves a good adventure, rock show, and a balanced dinner of champagne & oysters.

Bex Ehrmann

Bex Ehrmann grew up in the northwest burbs and currently calls Edgewater home. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University and a 2019 Luminarts Cultural Foundation fellow in creative writing. Her favorite things include speculative fiction, comedy, kiwis, Queen, and consonance. Special thanks to Rives Collins, who ignited Bex’s passion for storytelling.

Megan Fulara

Megan Fulara is a Chicago native TEMPORARILY living in the suburbs. She is the host of the wildly successful ‘Live From Wherever We Are, It’s The Megan Fulara Show!’ (not a real show). By day she is a pencil pushing bureaucrat and by night a robust fitness enthusiast and yogi. She enjoys storytelling, comedy, and employment law.

Whitney Shaffer

Born and raised in small town Indiana Whitney spent many summer days wrecking her bike and still has the scars to prove it. She’s an advocate for s’mores culture and can often be found with a cup of coffee in her hand. Whitney has always loved writing and storytelling. Her ultimate life goal is help others feel less alone by telling stories about her life.

Heather Styka

Heather Styka is an Americana singer-songwriter based out of Chicago. After growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Heather moved to the city to studying creative writing at DePaul, meanwhile honing her song craft among the city's long-standing folk community. After moving to Maine for a couple years, she returned to the Midwest to perform regularly around the Chicago and also tour throughout the US and Canada. Heather's honest, image-heavy songs have garnered her a number of songwriting awards. Styka recently released her her fifth full-length studio album, North, which was recorded with Danish backing band The Sentimentals in a cabin in northern Wisconsin.

AUGUST 2019

Jeffrey Bates

Jeffrey Bates is a midwestern, liberal, corn-fed white boy in an era when descriptors like these cause knees to jerk (even in his hometown of Tilton, IL). Jeffrey is a proud dad of three sons who are his greatest achievement. While earning a Masters of Divinity in St. Louis, MO he solidified his tenure as an unapologetic Cardinals fan. Jeffrey is the BBFE (Best Boyfriend Ever), according to the woman he adores. Now, Jeff remodels homes and leads retreats for Victories of the Heart, an organization that encourages men to step out of their isolation and into their best selves. While this is Jeffrey’s maiden voyage into public storytelling, his best life stories cherish the marginalized and powerless in our midst.

Oba William King

Since his debut with the National Association of Black Storytellers at the San Diego conference in 2006, Oba has ignited audiences with his ability to capture their attention and gently release them into the playful realm of rhythm and rhyme. Oba is an entertaining educator, as well as, workshop facilitator sharing the traditional art form of Storytelling as if it were a sacred gift. Oba’s most significant influence came as a result of his sojourn to Benin, West Africa resulting in solo performances within the USA and Canada. In addition, Oba has been a featured performer at several renowned storytelling festivals and venues across the country, including The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 4 time presenter and artist in residence at Jonesborough International Storytelling Center. Oba is a multi year featured artist and workshop presenter The National Association of Black Storytellers Annual Conference and Festival, Signifying and Testifying Master Storytellers’ Festival of Minneapolis, St Paul, the Portland Oregon Tellabration performance and Master Storyteller's Workshop as well as a 3 time presenter of Juneteenth programing at the George Bush Presidential library and museum - College Station, Texas .

Mike Mitchell

Mike Mitchell is a 25-year veteran high school teacher of English, speech and drama who has directed over 75 plays and musicals in his career. Recently, he earned his Doctorate in Education and, according to his students, no longer answers to “Mr.” Mitchell but only to “Dr.” Mitchell. Mike has also been happily married for 24 years to Maureen, is the father to three lovely girls: Maddie, Mollie and Mia and the owner to a Yorkie Poo named, Scout. In retrospect, Scout should have been named “Muffin” to keep the alliteration among all his family members. In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing his guitar in the sun, having a beer with friends and family and grilling in the backyard of his home in Aurora.

Wendy Raymer

Wendy is a sizzling blend of Canadian, Mennonite and missionary-kid. She uses these characteristics any way she can to impress others and manipulate situations in her favor, much like an international spy. If there’s a tense situation, Wendy’s instinct is to apologize and try to make peace, eh. The burrata on your artisanal canape wasn’t hand-milked and made fresh that morning? Ha. Wendy ate dodgy food cooked in a dirt pit over hot stones with her bare hands during her years in Papua New Guinea. Worried about political disaster and civic collapse? Wendy’s not. When it gets too scary, her plan is scram across the border to the gentle North. Byeeee! Kidding. She’s got dual citizenship, votes every time, and never backs down from a social justice challenge. Or any challenge really. She took some martial arts classes a while back and would be somewhat dangerous for the first 7-10 seconds in a fight. Wendy’s life experiences and active curiosity have provided her with lots of stories, weird anecdotes and an odd combination of super random trivia knowledge with large gaps in pop culture knowledge. She’s excited for her adventures in storytelling and being part of the storytelling community. She lives in Portage Park with her husband and her two fur babies Mochi and Rizzo.

Kristine Rosencrantz

Kristine Rosencrantz Is a union actress (SAG-AFTRA), writer and speaker who loved doing theater and voiceover before getting sick with a major traumatic illness, Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Experiences surviving GBS, climbing back from neurological paralysis and spending many years incredibly weak afterward changed her work interests substantially, though she's still incredibly happy standing onstage (standing pretty much anywhere, actually) sharing what she can. She's completely excited and grateful to be telling a story tonight

Kristina Schramm

Kristina has spent most of her life as a designer of one sort or another. First doing windows for the now defunct Marshall Field and Co.; then moving into graphics, where she spent the next 20+ years until family life collided with her 70-hour workweek. Seeking more flexibility, she completed a degree in interior design only to discover that she had no patience for the clientele. The need to use her training [and justify her existence], compelled her to accept a position as set designer for a theater company housed in a local church basement. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. During the next 15 years, she tried her hand at nearly every aspect of theater including directing, writing and acting. Now retired, she spends most of her time lunching with friends, but can still be seen occasionally in a storefront theater production, commercial or student film portraying a young director’s version of an “old woman.”

SEPTEMBER 2019

Monica Castle

Monica works as a product buyer for the eCommerce website Dealgenius.com, and recently completed a project designing duct tape with fun designs. Her favorite was the unicorn tape. In her spare time she likes to garden, paint, take acting classes, and she dreams about playwriting. She also has two beautiful sons, and a loving husband, and for this she is eternally grateful. Plus, by the time you read this she will have adopted a dog.

Beth Emperor

I hail from Central New York and Atlanta, GA and have lived in Chicago for 4.5 years. I have worked in higher education/college admissions for twenty years and have nine states left to visit as a result of traversing the country recruiting young and adult minds for the next generation of scholars. St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday and have been a fan of baseball since I was five years old... root, root, root, rooting for the Cubbies and New York Yankees. This is my first time on stage at Mrs. Murphy's and am probably more nervous that I look!

Jeff Jones

Jeff is an abundance trainer. He is certified as an alcohol and other drug abuse counselor, clinical hypnotherapist and transpersonal life coach. His workshops and individual coaching blend the joyfulness teachings of Christianity, Buddhism and other religions with the science of what makes us feel, think and act the way we do. Jeff is guided by his own journey. He went overnight from being a senior corporate executive to a homeless alcoholic, then found recovery, transformation, purpose and joy. The dark moments of Jeff’s life have given him lessons he can share with others who are searching for purpose, want to limit their negative thinking or just want to live healthier lives. He and his amazing wife Kerry are partners at Reclaim Your Joy . In his younger days, Jeff ran a boatload of marathons and a bunch of 50 milers. Literally and figuratively, he ran a lot in those days.

Colleen Maalouf

Colleen and her furry four legged sidekick Fiction are Chicago transplants and can't imagine life anywhere else. She works for Silicon Valley tech giant and loves the fact that her sales engineering job puts her on stage in front of hundreds of people every single week. Most recently Colleen completed storytelling classes with Scott Whitehair himself, stand-up classes from The Kate’s University and performed in Mac & Cheese Productions “Fear Experiment” as a story teller. You will find Colleen at both comedy and story telling open mics and events during the week honing her craft. She is always looking for new and interesting shows throughout the city! In addition to performance, Colleen is involved in competitive body building, volunteering at Chicago Canine Rescue, and consistently leading her soccer and flag football teams to championships.

Allen Rein

Allen Rein was born and raised in Charlottesville, VA and has lived in the Chicago area for over 20 years. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, he has a background in theatre and songwriting, and has been seen in recent years performing music at venues in and around the city. Allen is also a contributor to McSweeney's and the creator of the Twitter visual parody account @TrumpsTies.

Heather Saylor

Heather is a New Jersey born school counselor at Lane Tech College Prep here in Chicago. This is her second year working at Lane, she has also worked at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Queen of Peace High School on the Southwest side, and Neuqua Valley in Naperville. Before becoming a school counselor; she spent much of her time honing her skills as the mom to two young men, Ben (26) and Tim (24). She considers her sons (and their survival :) her greatest life accomplishment to date. In addition to motherhood and counseling, Heather is an avid competitive swimmer. She competed in high school, college, and continues to compete today as a member of the Masters Swim team the Chicago Smelts. Heather is an active member of Little People of America having served as their National Parent Coordinator for several years. When not at Lane Tech, you will probably find Heather near a large body of water...like Lake Michigan or on an ocean beach somewhere.

October 2019

Emma Allmann

Emma Allmann graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in creative writing and three Big 10 medals. She has been in Chicago for just over a year and has been lucky enough to get involved with some wonderful creative people through improv. During the day she analyzes, writes about and tries to help startups, which is kind of punk, but she is also the assistant director for the web series Punk AF, which is totally punk. She is also the Volunteer Coordinator for an amazing organization called Humor for Hope and a short fiction reader for The Tishman Review. Before she moved to Chicago she spent a few months traveling around the Pacific Northwest in her car meeting lovely weirdos and having adventures. She loves when people ask her about the grizzly in Glacier and the grizzled man in Yellowstone.

Jay Cook

Having grown up in a house in which both parents were musicians/performers, its not a stretch that I would end up on the story telling stage. Dad and Mom remind me Rob and Laura Petri; invite people over and put on a show in their living room. Although it wasn’t until later in life that I found my voice, over the past 8 years I’ve appeared in over 15 plays and musicals, several independent films and TV commercials. Also, I’ve sung at Park West and in three one-man cabaret shows. Another passion is travelling, especially to Europe. Storytelling and travel; different ways to discover new places.

Ed Gunther

A Life Adventurer and Entrepreneur

1966 – 1988 Successful Professional Musician and Cover Artist performing over 5,000 gigs in the US and Canada.
1988 – 2013 Licensed Private Detective Specializing in Corporate and Private business investigation.
1970 – present Licensed Real Estate Professional
1988 – present Men’s Senior Baseball League player and manager.

I have been able to laugh and enjoy an exciting and wonderful life. I hope to continue to contribute, give back and be of service to all.

Erin O'Neil

Erin O'Neil is a digital storyteller and author with a passion for travel and authentic human connection. When a post-graduate dream job turned her world upside down she learned to cope with adversity and face some tough decisions. Her choices ultimately inspired some of the most moving stories of her life. She has since been hosted by local libraries, schools, and educational programs to facilitate community-wide conversations about mindful and authentic travel, and how those experiences translate into everyday life. Her book, entitled Gui Ren: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People, reflects on the lessons she learned in Asia and the adventures that changed her forever. To learn more, visit www.OnMyList.org

Dori Levine

Dori Levine grew up in Miami, Florida and moved to Chicago in 2000. She currently calls Roger’s Park home. She has degrees in photography and accounting. She has worked at 5-star restaurant Charlie Trotter’s to your neighborhood Applebee’s and in the accounting/ billing/ collections arena for the last 9 years. When she isn’t working you can find her photographing nature, biking, birding, singing, cooking, cheering on the Cubs and finding beach glass along the lake. She is always challenging herself creatively and analytically. Currently she is a summer volunteer for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service protecting our endangered Piping Plovers along Montrose Beach.

Matty Merritt

Matty Merritt is a comedian and writer originally from Nebraska. She currently lives in Ravenswood and does marketing for the American Bar Association for actual bill paying money. She is also the social media coordinator for Humor for Hope, a nonprofit that uses improv to help communities dealing with trauma. She does this for no money, but loves it with her whole heart. Matty loves crime fiction, bar food, and is finally watching all the Marvel movies for the first time.

June Mustari

June Mustari is from the Chicago area, currently living in southwestern Brookfield. Her first and last storytelling experiences were at No Exit Cafe when it was a struggling coffee shop 20 years ago. When not playing with her four year old daughter, DIY'ing with her husband, or managing IT projects, she is busy working on her first novel.

November 2019

Louis Greenwald

Louis Greenwald, storytelling addict. Louis was dragged to his first storytelling festival 25 years ago by his wife Susie who was a sixth grade teacher. He has promoted storytelling venues and now steals techniques from the best tellers.

Amy Meadows

Bookish, bawdy and almost always grammatically correct, Amy Meadows is new to the Storytelling and Stand-Up scene but has, in theory, been collecting material for well over half a century (okay, a little bit over half a century). You may have seen her Window Display work and more if you visited Marshall Fields and Macy’s during Christmas anytime between 1983 and 2008. If you were dragged downtown against your will for chicken pot pie under the Great Tree, her apologies (but you should know that there’s a story behind almost every snowflake, each elf and countless reindeer). Amy continues to teach and mentor designers and retailers through her work on the Columbia College faculty and as a consultant. She also continues her work with Second City, Chicago Dramatists and Lincoln Lodge, eager to share her observations and irreverent takes on life.

Francesca Sobrer

Francesca Sobrer directed and taught Theatre at Bloomington High School North, in Bloomington Indiana for over 20 years before she put all the apples on her desk in a crate and made her way to Chicago. She presently divides her time between the two cities. An actress, a writer, a semi-retired teacher, and always a mom to her three fabulous, now-grown children (How is it that they are older than her is really a head-scratcher). Francesca is presently working on a collection of stories that will prove that there is a running sit-com about her life in a parallel universe.

Jennifer Ostermeier

My name is Jennifer Ostermeier. I have impeccable taste in footwear, dresses, and eyewear. During the day, you will find me managing social media for a federal agency; managing two teenagers and a brood of house pets; and trying not to succumb to the ever present gloom and despair that is this world - hence the shoes. In my constant search for self expression and humor, I dabbled in stand-up comedy, which has now morphed into storytelling and I am so excited to be a part of this experience.

Gail Sikevitz

Gail Sikevitz, often known in the storytelling community, as “Jessica’s mom” has been a professional “listener” for 30 years. From her first visit to the Illinois Storytelling Festival, through two decades at the National Storytelling Festival and more recent trips to This Much is True and Stage Left Café in Woodstock, she has been inspired by dozens of tellers who have shared their personal stories and folktales. But, she has never taken the stage … until tonight. When not hanging out as an enthusiastic member of a storytelling audience, Gail spent her 45-year career behind-the-scenes in both television and education. As a producer and writer, she specialized in documentaries and community affairs programming at WBBM-TV and WMAQ-TV. Utilizing her knowledge of the media, she then spent two decades working at the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation, as the Director of Communications for the Kohl Children’s Museum, the Kohl McCormick Teaching Awards, and then as the Executive Director of the Foundation. Most recently she created and produced over 400 episodes of Green Screen Adventures, a national educational children’s program on Me-TV/WCIU-TV. Her work in television garnered over 30 national and local awards for outstanding achievement, including seven Emmy awards.

Dana Trottier

Originally from Massachusetts but been living in Chicago for the past 30 years. Worked as an engineer for half my career and then bought a franchise with no technology involved.

December 2019

Brad Brubaker

Brad Brubaker is a theatre artist and musician. He produces and performs in the Whiskey Radio Hour, a thrice-annual live show that is always looking for director and playwright submissions. As a musician, he plays with Brad Bru & The Crowd Goes Wild. Their music can be heard on Spotify and everywhere else, including the delightfully-demented holiday tune "Joy (Christmas with Mr. Waits)." whiskeyradiohour.com
andthecrowdgoeswild.bandcamp.com

Kumar Jensen

Kumar Jensen (he/him/his) spends too much of his time accidentally inventing things that already exist. He writes occasionally, usually about identity, specifically as it relates to his experience as a transracial adoptee born in India and raised in a hippie commune in rural Ohio.

Lindsay Morris

Born and bred in the upper crust of the Connecticut peninsula, Lindsay fled the blue bloods for the deep and homey southern charm of New Orleans, Louisiana. There she spent 5 years lapping up culture and filling her closet with a plethora of costumes and wigs reminiscent of her childhood hero Fran Drescher. When the southern heat and her liver deterioration became too much she opted for a long drive to the midwest. In Chicago, she continued her compulsion for storytelling and playwriting. She has completed her first play called We Won't Fight with the Agency Theater Collective and is the editor of a new play coming out this fall called Blonde Poison. In truth, her life is a series of odd and poorly thought out decisions but with chaos comes incredible joy. Spontaneity had her sign up for story labs and Lindsay is excited to tell a good tale.

Melissa Schmitz

Melissa Schmitz is a theatre artist and arts administrator. She was born and raised in semi-rural Wisconsin, and yes, it does have the best cheese. Chicago is the 4th major city she's lived in, and she was convinced to move here after a fortuitous and random tarot card reading two and a half years ago. Melissa is a connoisseur of pizza and cupcakes, but her favorite thing in Chicago (besides theatre) is Vosges Chocolate. She is currently the Marketing Director for Shattered Globe Theatre.

Allison Torem

Allison is a Chicago-born Jew who followed in her grampi's footsteps by attending The University of Chicago and who follows in her grandma's footsteps by seeing a little too much treasure in other people's crap. She is the first to admit that being an artist of multiple forms- painting, improv, acting, filmmaking, writing- has its challenges, but, she is grateful to be adding storytelling into the mix because it is just so cool. After performing in Chicago's 2016 Lit Crawl, she is exuberant to resume the storytelling side of her with this show.

Katie Young

Katie Young has lived in Chicago for her entire life, minus a short stay in Central Illinois where she got her Masters in Sociology at Illinois State University. She currently works doing evaluation research at a nonprofit. When not at work, Katie enjoys traveling, being outdoors during the few months the weather is tolerable, and reading. Please check out her blog at
https://youngandwitty.home.blog.