April in Chicago started with some pretty shitty showers (of snow and ice and rain and hail and Ted Cruz), but now the weather man is telling us it’s not going to rain, so come to The Book Cellar on Monday, April 18th at 7pm to raise money for 826CHI. Hosts Karen Shimmin and Willy Nast have put together a lineup that’s cooler than being cool:
erica dreisbach is an artist, writer, and computer programmer in Chicago. She’s been a featured performer at the Green Mill’s world famous Uptown Poetry Slam and The Paper Machete, a Write Club winner, and a Moth Grand Slam runner-up (seventh place is the seventh winner!). Follow her on YouTube at thisericanlife, on Twitter @ericaricardo, or online at ericaricardo.com.
Miden Wood is a writer and illustrator from Virginia. She’s recently performed in The Arrow at the Neo-Futurist theatre, Potluck Variety Hour and with the Vanguardian Theatre Collective. To see more of her work, visit her website Who Cuts Your Jib dot com.
Michael Van Kerckhove is a Chicago writer originally from Detroit and a proud 2013 graduate of DePaul University’s Master of Arts in Writing & Publishing program. He makes his triumphant return to the Essay Fiesta mic after a six year hiatus. Michael has since told stories as part of many other Chicago live lit events including Is This a Thing?, You’re Being Ridiculous, Mortified, That’s All She Wrote, and others. Next up, he’ll be a part of Flick Lit: Reel-to-Real Storytelling on May 11 at the Logan Theatre. Michael’s work has been published in Midwestern Gothic, Belt, Entropy, Story Club Magazine, and other publications.
Brooke Allen is a playwright and storyteller. She is a regular performer with You’re Being Ridiculous and produced a one woman storytelling show “Not Boring” last year. Her piece “My Damn Novels” was included in the essay collection “The Awkward Phase” this year. She is very excited to be doing Essay Fiesta for the first time.
samantha irby writes a blog called bitches gotta eat.
Essay Fiesta 