Filed under Readers

Get to Know Our May Readers!

Essay Fiesta is right around the corner…on Monday. And this is such a great line-up that Alyson and Keith are doing jumping jacks just to get out all our anxious energy in advance. As always, we’ll be benefiting 826CHI and giving away prizes from our wonderful sponsors like Southport Grocery & Cafe, Murder Mystery Maniacs and Chicago Underground Comedy. So … Continue reading

Essay Fiesta Announces May Line-Up

Hey kiddies! We’ve got a doozy of an Essay Fiesta lined up for May. Seriously. Alyson and Keith are thoroughly impressed with the caliber of talent. This isn’t marketing spiel, people. It’s the real deal. Take a look for yourself. Below are the people who will rock your world on May 21 at 7 p.m. … Continue reading

Get to Know: Cameron Esposito

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! That’s what day it is…which means it’s just a short while from the next Essay Fiesta! And our last guest to highlight is a real doozie. She’s one of the funniest people in Chi-town and an all around swell gal. It’s the lovely, the spunky Cameron Esposito! Cameron is one of the top stand-up … Continue reading

Get To Know: Jonas Simon and MT Cozzola

Did you have a good Easter/Passover? We had a great Easter/Passover! Now Spring is in the air, which means it’s the perfect weather for an Essay Fiesta! And wouldn’t you know? We have one coming up on April 16! And we’re here to tell you about a couple of our readers: Jonas Simon and MT Cozzola. … Continue reading

Announcing Essay Fiesta’s April Readers

April is set to be an amazing Essay Fiesta. Join us on April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Book Cellar for a night of stories and charity where you can feast your hungry ears on these little Easter eggs of literary wonder: Stand-up comic Cameron Esposito Director and teacher Matthew Miller Moth Grandslam champ Shannon Cason Author … Continue reading

Get to Know: Robyn Okrant

In the immortal words of Rebecca Black: “It’s Friday.” And thank goodness for that. Right? That means we are just a silly weekend away from the next Essay Fiesta. And boy oh boy have we got a show for you. I mean, we have the endearing Robyn Okrant. Robyn is a writer, performance artist and … Continue reading

Get to Know: J.W. Basilo

Hump day has passed, which means it’s pretty much smooth sailing to the next Essay Fiesta. The next performer we’d like to introduce is our friend and Essay Fiesta alumni J.W. Basilo. J.W. is known for his moxie on and off the stage. The professional poet (yes, you read that right) has performed his unique … Continue reading

Get to Know: Vinnie Lacey

Last night Essay Fiesta producers Keith and Alyson actually got to show off their essay know-how to the brilliant kids at 826CHI. Seriously, people. These kids are smart. We also learned that references to the Wonder Years and Doogie Howser don’t really go over well on people born in 1995. That said, we’d like to … Continue reading

Get to Know: Sheri Reda

Happy Tuesday, everybody! This evening Keith and Alyson of Essay Fiesta will be teaching a personal essay workshop to Chicago public school students at 826CHI. Exciting stuff! In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to one of our March readers: Sheri Reda. Sheri is a writer, editor and performer. Sheri has served as a dramaturg … Continue reading