Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar – what did they have in common? All were expert strategists and conquerors… of social media. Having recently invaded Essay Fiesta and claimed its fertile soil and peasant class of storytellers as our own, we (Karen Shimmin and Willy Nast) have decided to give this here blog a little makeover to mark our arrival. It’s like a coup d’état with fewer beheadings. We think.
You might be saying to yourself: these two have neither Napoleon’s battlefield savvy, nor Genghis Khan’s razor sharp ironic hipster wit. Nor do they have Keith’s PR prowess, nor Alyson’s ability to wield a makeup brush. Just who the heck do they think they are?
Well, Karen is a writer and performer, originally from Colorado. She is an ensemble member of A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Co, where you can regularly find her wearing a silly wig or three. A graduate of Northwestern’s creative writing and theatre programs, Karen finds herself writing about light bulbs, water, and the West.
Willy hails from the distant shores of the western suburbs. He also graduated from the creative writing program at Northwestern, and since then has made a number of appearances around Chicago’s live lit scene. You can find out more about what Willy is writing and where he’ll be reading at willynast.com. You may have seen him read previously at Essay Fiesta, first in the May 2011 show, and again in June 2012.
We’re also the hosts and producers of All Write Already!, a podcast featuring writers and storytellers. In the future, you might even hear some Essay Fiesta readers there.
We’re extremely grateful to Keith and Alyson for offering us the opportunity to seize their empire, and we’re looking forward to our (mostly) benevolent era of rule.
We can’t wait to see you at The Book Cellar on January 21st!
Essay Fiesta 