April in Chicago began with a variety of midwestern half blizzard/half hurricanes, but now that we’ve had about 48 hours of delightful weather, we’ve all completely forgotten that this city is more often than not a meteorological hellscape. The weather is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny, so you have no reason not to come to The Book Cellar on Monday, April 17th at 7pm, to hear some great essays and help us raise money for 826CHI. Hosts Karen Shimmin and Willy Nast have put together an evergreen lineup of writers and storytellers:
Barrie Cole is a writer and playwright. She’s read her work at Story Sessions, Write Club, That’s All She Wrote, You’re Being Ridiculous, Truth or Lie, and many others. She’s delighted to be back at Essay Fiesta! Coming up next month, her very short play, So Bad will premiere at the Den Theatre and she’ll also be reading an essay at This Much is True.
Megan Henricks is a writer and performer from Chicago, IL. Her writing can be seen in Craigslist ads, job applications, and several versions of a resume she hasn’t quite perfected yet. She has been described as “a delight” and “that girl with the curly hair.” She is very excited and honored to be performing in this month’s Essay Fiesta.
David W. Berner is a veteran Chicago journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He has written award-winning memoirs and has been honored as the writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando and is currently the writer-in-residence at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park. He can be heard regularly on WBBM Newsradio and reporting the news occasionally on WXRT radio in the mornings. His latest book, coming out later this month, is October Song. The book launch party will be on Saturday, April 22 at 6pm at The Book Cellar and it is open to the public. You all are invited.
Jeff Phillips is a washed up varsity cross country skier and storefront theatre method actor. For two years he was co-host of The Liquid Burning, an apocalypse themed reading series, and for just shy of three years, he co-hosted the Chicago reading series Pungent Parlour. His short fiction has appeared in Seeding Meat, This Zine Will Change Your Life, Metazen, Chicago Literati, and Literary Orphans. He has dabbled with a few self-publishing experiments, including the novel Votary Nerves, and is the co-founder of Zizobotchi Papers, a literary journal dedicated to the novella. He is now a regular contributor of short stories and essays at the site Drinkers With Writing Problems.
Erin Diamond grew up in Arlington Heights, IL in legendary neighborhood that is filled with stories. She is a Moth winner and has told stories at This Much is True, That’s All She Wrote, You’re Being Ridiculous, and many more. Erin is a frequent contributor to The Paper Machete at The Green Mill. Erin is a proud theater school drop out, cinephile, and devoted fan of the band Third Eye Blind.
Essay Fiesta 