No, YOU Tell It!: Recent Episodes
No, YOU Tell It!
The second half of our “Prom Queens” show marks an important No, YOU Tell It! first.
Story coach, social media savant, and forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems and Stories by Queens Writers anthology editor, Tim Lindner, took on a new role as storyteller, trading tales with the fabulous Ricki Richards.
Give a listen as story coach Pichchenda Bao gets to know our storytellers before they perform each other’s true prom tale.
Ricki Richards and Tim Lindner. Photo credit Sachyn Mital.
Stories were directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and performed live on September 17, 2025, at Grove 34 in Astoria.
Full show program here.
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.
This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall
Everyone has a story about going (or not going) to prom.
For this special Bookend Event for the 20th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival, four contributors to the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens stepped into each other’s prom stories.
Before we hear the first pair, give a listen as story director Erika Iverson gets to know the storytellers a bit better.
Jane Frances and Vegas K Jarrow. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital
Stories were performed live on September 17, 2025, at Grove 34 in Astoria. Full show program here.
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.
This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall
This special show was inspired by the Queens Name Explorer, an interactive digital map developed by Queens Memory that illuminates the historical significance behind the people’s names that grace public spaces across the borough.
Story partners Francisco Delgado and Ari Figueroa. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital.
Give a listen as our second set of storytellers step into the map to explore “My Place” in Queens.
Special thanks to the Greater Astoria Historical Society for their assistance in creating the generative “My Place in Queens” workshop, where these stories first began.
Stories Take a Walk With Me, by Ari Figueroa, performed by Francisco Delgado, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons * Ashes and Stars*, by Francisco Delgado, performed by Ari Figueroa, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons
BiosFrancisco Delgado is a CHamoru writer of fiction, poetry, and literary scholarship on contemporary Native American and Indigenous literatures. His novella, On Remembering My Friends, My First Job, and My Second-Favorite Weezer CD, won the 2024 Clay Reynold’s Novella Prize and is published with Texas Review Press. Other recent work is featured in Mānoa and Poets of Queens, vol. 2. He teaches at BMCC (CUNY) and lives in Forest Hills with his wife and their son.
Carnie, librarian, drag queen, and teacher—these are just some of the faces Ari Figueroa has worn. But throughout their life, whether growing up in Massachusetts or evolving in New York, they have always been a writer. Everything they make, including poetry, short stories, & plays, is with the intent of connection. Ari is currently working on their first fantasy-humor novel and is always looking for more opportunities to create. They’d like to thank their fiancée Aria and their bestie Jesse, who have both been incredibly supportive but also invaluable sounding boards for Ari’s work. Thank you to Kelly Jean and No, YOU Tell It! for this new chance to share their stories.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall.
For this show, produced in collaboration with Queens Memory and the Greater Astoria Historical Society, our “My Place” storytellers came together for a community writing workshop centered on the Queens Name Explorer.
We all generated poems and personal stories on the page inspired by the historical significance behind the people’s names that grace Queens streets, parks, monuments, and more.
Story partners Wichuda “Tang” McConnell and Mary Lannon. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital
Before our first set of storytellers trade the true tales they started that day, give a listen as story coach Pichchenda Bao gets to know the writer better before their story partner takes the stage.
These stories were performed live on May 28, 2025, at Grove 34 in Astoria.
Stories
- My Place or Bone China, William and Mary, and Me, by Mary Lannon, performed by Wichuda “Tang” McConnell, and directed by Erika Iverson
- Say My Name, by Wichuda “Tang” McConnell, performed by Mary Lannon, and directed by Erika Iverson
Bios
Mary Lannon’s unpublished novel, Tide Girl, was a finalist for the 2023 PEN\Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Her stories have appeared at Necessary Fiction, Story, New World Writing, and elsewhere. She teaches writing and women and gender studies at Nassau Community College in Long Island, NY, and lives in Kew Gardens, where she runs a reading series at the local cemetery. More information at MaryLannon.com.
Wichuda “Tang” McConnell is a social worker, wellness coach, photographer, and storyteller. Born and raised in southern Thailand, Tang has found solace in being displaced through writing to help process the complex conflict between alienation from her native land and belonging in her adopted one—and feeling that it was taboo to feel either. Tang works as a supervisor at an agency supporting the NYC DOHMH Early Intervention Program, serving New York’s youngest with developmental delays through in-home therapies. Tang is also a wellness coach who has guided many middle-aged women to attain their best health through lifestyle modification. She presently lives in Queens, New York, with her husband and two children.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall.
Give a listen to the second half of our first-ever student matinee, performed at the beautiful Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space on March 13, 2025. Listen to Part 1 here.
The fantastic Najah Imani Muhammad hosted the show for a theater full of high school juniors from Global Learning Collaborative and Talent Unlimited High School to help inspire the personal stories they want to tell in their college application essays.
Story partners Carl M. Banks and Nicole Greevy embodied the low and high notes of each other’s musical true tales, captivating our student audience with both story and song.
Thank you to NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund (A Statewide Theatre Regrant Program) for helping us make our first-ever student matinee a reality. Here’s to what we hope is the first of many!
Photo credit: Russ Rowland
Podcast narrated by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.
Stories
- “Carl’s Lucky Dollar,” by Carl M. Banks, performed by Nicole Greevy, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons.
- “Of Axes and Tree Surgeons,” by Nicole Greevy, performed by Carl M. Banks, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons.
Bios
Carl M. Banks is a troubadour and musical nomad. Born in the heartland of Saint Louis, Missouri, he found his rhythm in the bustling streets of New York City, now calling Astoria, Queens, his home. Traversing the country as a touring singer-songwriter, his lyrics and melodies echo the highs and lows of the American landscape while his stories touch on personal and profound narratives. He has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and WFUV’s local artist spotlight, “New York Slice.” Carl is also an ultra-marathon runner and co-creator of Queens-based “Bridge and a Slice Half Marathon” and “HotDog Eater 50 kilometer.”
Nicole Greevy is a playwright and actor and is thrilled to be returning to No, YOU Tell It! You can read one of her previous pieces, “Nerd: The Next Generation,” in the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology. She is a New York State Council of the Arts 2025 grant recipient for playwriting. If you love her dulcet tones today, you can hear her as Sheriff Rowland, and many others, on the award-winning fiction podcast Uncanny County, where she contributes as both performer and writer.
Our spring “Before & After” show was our second time performing at the beautiful Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space on March 13, 2025, but it was our very first student matinee!
Our storytellers and our special guest host, Najah Imani Muhammad, who are all No, YOU Tell It! alums, illustrated the power of storytelling for a theater full of high school juniors from Global Learning Collaborative and Talent Unlimited High School to help inspire the personal stories they want to tell in their college application essays.
Story siblings Calvin S. Cato and Michele Carlo. Photo credit: Russ Rowland
Give a listen to part one of our show, where Calvin S. Cato and Michele Carlo become story siblings by stepping into each other’s true tales about the best-laid plans and unforeseen accidents that send our lives in new directions.
Thank you to NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund (A Statewide Theatre Regrant Program) for helping us make our first-ever student matinee a reality. Here’s to what we hope is the first of many!
Podcast narrated by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.
Stories
- “Don’t Quit Your Day Job,” by Calvin S. Cato, performed by Michele Carlo, and directed by Tim Lindner
- “The Accident,” by Michele Carlo, performed by Calvin S. Cato, and directed by Tim Lindner.
Bios
Named one of Time Out New York’s LGBTQ Comics of Color to Watch Out For, Calvin S. Cato has dazzled audiences around the world. His on-air and radio appearances include Oxygen, Netflix, Sirius XM, RISK!, WIRED Magazine, and an unaired pilot for Vice Media called Emergency Black Meeting. His comedy has been featured in numerous festivals and events, including the New York Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gotham Storytelling Festival, Brooklyn Pride, and FlameCon. In early 2021, Calvin was published in Kweendom, an anthology of essays by queer comedians and entertainers. In 2022, Calvin concluded a three-month run hosting a daily talk show on RushTix.com.
Michele Carlo is a writer, storyteller, sometimes actor, and the author of the NYC-set memoir Fish Out of Agua: My Life on Neither Side of the Subway Tracks (Citadel/Kensington). She has appeared on podcasts, festivals, and stages across the U.S., on NPR, and the WGBH-PBS television series Stories from the Stage. For bookings and more info, go to: www.michelecarlo.com
It is fitting that this heartfelt story swap, inspired by the life and music of Astoria legend Tony Bennett, includes our first live musical performance.
Give a listen as story coach Tim Lindner gets to know a little bit more about our two storytellers before they step into each other true tales in the second half of our “Left My Heart” show.
Content notice: These stories are true, traded with open hearts, and this half of the show contains a depiction of suicide.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. You can learn more about suicide from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at afsp.org.
Carl M. Banks and Zach Rothman-Hicks
Read about how engaging with Tony Bennet’s music and history from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives inspired the storyteller’s modern-day true tales. The ART HEART portraits will be on display during the show, along with other surprises.
Stories
- HEAD, HEART, and SAN FRAN, by Zach Rothman-Hicks, performed by Carl M. Banks
- THE HOUSE WHERE NOBODY LIVES, by Carl M. Banks, performed by Zach Rothman-Hicks
Storyteller Bios
Zach Rothman-Hicks is an educator and multimedia conceptual artist who creates interactive performances and projects intended to spark reflection, dialogue, and action. He has been a New York City Public School teacher since September 2009 and an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College since 2012 and Queens College since 2022. In April 2020, while a student in the PIMA MFA Program at Brooklyn College, he initiated Gabbing with Gays, a project that explored Emotional Intimacy in the LGBTQIA+ community. This project inspired future interactive art pieces, which were presented at the Staten Island Museum, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Newhouse Center, Alice Austen House, Easton Mountain, Queens Public Library, Hunters Point Park Conservancy, Chashama, Culture Lab, and the 14th Street Y.
Carl M. Banks is a troubadour and musical nomad. Born in the heartland of Saint Louis, Missouri, he found his rhythm in the bustling streets of New York City, now calling Astoria, Queens, his home. Traversing the country as a touring singer-songwriter, his lyrics and melodies echo the highs and lows of the American landscape while his stories touch on personal and profound narratives. He has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and on WFUV’s local artist spotlight, “New York Slice.” Carl is also an ultra-marathon runner and co-creator of Queens-based “Bridge and a Slice Half Marathon” and “HotDog Eater 50 kilometer.”
For the first time, our four storytellers participated in a Queens community “Art Heart” event about a month before the show, where all the participants generated and shared personal stories inspired by the life and music of Astoria legend Tony Bennet from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives.
What started that day grew into this heartfelt story swap about the intricacies of mothers, daughters, language, music, and the immigrant experience.
Give a listen to the first half of our “Left My Heart” show performed at Grove 34 on June 5, 2024. Full program here.
Story partners Catherine Kapphahn and January Yoon Cho
Read this imaginary interview with Tony Bennett published in the Queens Gazette by Bob Singleton, Executive Director of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
Stories
- MOTHER’S DREAM, by January Yoon Cho, performed by Catherine Kapphahn
- LOPSIDED STAR, by Catherine Kapphahn, performed by January Yoon Cho
Storyteller Bios
January Yoon Cho, an interdisciplinary visual artist, works with video, photography, and drawing, intertwining themes of social conformity, feminism, and environmentalism. She has exhibited across the US and Europe. Notably, Cho’s The Walk Project received fiscal sponsorship from the NY Foundation for the Arts and grants from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and Puffin Grant for Feminist and Environmental Art. Cho has taught at Parsons School of Design, New School University, and Hanyang University (Seoul). Originally from Seoul, Korea, she moved to the US in 1990 for her art education, earning a BFA from RISD and an MFA from Parsons.
Catherine Kapphahn is a writer, educator, storyteller, and speaker. Her memoir Immigrant Daughter: Stories You Never Told Mereceived The Center for Fiction’s Christopher Doheny Award and was published by Audible. Her manuscript Miseducation of a Dyslexic Girl: a Memoir in Poems and Classrooms was recently long-listed for the Steel Toe Books Poetry Award. Catherine received grants from the Queens Council on the Arts and City Artist Corps. Her writing has appeared in Queensbound, Motherwell Magazine, Croatia Week, Newtown Literary, the Feminist Press Anthology This is the Way We Say Goodbye, Astoria Life, and CURE Magazine. Catherine is an adjunct lecturer at City University of New York at Lehman College in the Bronx, where her students’ stories inspire her. Catherine is also a yoga teacher. She grew up near the mountains in Colorado and now lives between two bridges in Queens, New York, with her husband and two sons.
After the main arch was completed, a writer for the New York Tribune said: “Perhaps never in human history has a mechanical triumph of such magnitude been launched with so little fanfare.”
In the second half of our Hell Gate show (Listen to Part 1 here), founding member and story director Erika Iverson interviews the authors before their story partners take the stage so that we can learn more about them and the inspiration for their true tales, the Hell Gate Bridge.
Our September 25 Hell Gate show at Grove 34 in Astoria was a Queens-based Bookend Event for the 2024 Brooklyn Book Festival. Four Queens storytellers traded true tales inspired by the history of the Hell Gate Bridge from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives.
Featured Stories
THE BRIDGE TO THE BRIDGE, by Alicia Lieu, performed by A. King McCarty, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons
UNDER THE HELL GATE, by A. King McCarty, performed by Alicia Lieu, and directed by Erika Iverson
Bios
Alicia Lieu, Jackson Heights/Elmhurst based composer/conductor hails from San Jose, California. As a composer, she has been awarded grants from QCA and City Artist Corps. She is the creator of Dance-it-Yourself Nutcracker and co-founder of nonprofits Composers Collective, Pitches Brew, and New York Conducting Institute. She spent two years living abroad in Shanghai, China, before moving to NYC and conducting has taken her to Russia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. She earned her B.A. in Music Composition from UC Santa Barbara, M.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from UT El Paso.
A. King McCarty (Ashley King) is an artist, writer, actor, musician and founder of Artstoria New York with her husband and fellow creator, Graham McCarty. She is a two-time recipient of the Queens Community Art Grant and an Art Hotel resident artist. She lives near the Hell Gate Bridge with her husband, son and lots of plants and comic books. Visit her on Instagram at @artstoriany and @akingmccarty
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
“With a regular coat of paint that bridge can last as long as the pyramids.” – Bob Singleton, Executive Director, Greater Astoria Historical Society from Hell Gate Bridge, an Astoria icon, turns 100 years old in AMNY, March 27, 2017
Our September Hell Gate show at Grove 34 in Astoria was a Queens-based Bookend Event for the 2024 Brooklyn Book Festival. Four Queens storytellers traded true tales inspired by the history of the Hell Gate Bridge from the archives of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
Before their story partner takes the stage, story coach Pichchenda Bao asks the authors a Hell Gate-themed question to learn a bit more about the iconic bridge and the writer. The full program is here.
Jackie Sherbow and Mia Arias Tsang
Story partners Jackie Sherbow and Mia Arias Tsang. Photo credit Yui Kitamura.
Featured Stories
CROSSING THE BRIDGE by Jackie Sherbow, performed by Mia Arias Tsang, directed by Erika Iverson
REAWAKENING by Mia Arias Tsang, performed by Jackie Sherbow, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons
Bios
Jackie Sherbow is the Woodside, Queens-based author of Harbinger (Finishing Line Press, 2019), publisher at THRASH Press, and senior managing editor of Ellery Queen’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazines. Their poems and stories have appeared in places like The Sierra Nevada Review, Luna Luna, Mystery Magazine, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. They are the former editor-in-chief and currently serve on the board of directors of Newtown Literary, the journal and organization dedicated to the writers of Queens.
Mia Arias Tsang is a writer and freelance editor based in New York City. Her work explores themes of queer desire, intimacy, and disconnect. A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, her work has appeared in Copy, Autostraddle, Half Mystic Press, Fatal Flaw Magazine, and Broad Recognition Magazine, among others. She is a copy editor for the literary magazine Identity Theory and program coordinator at the literary nonprofit House of SpeakEasy, and writes a newsletter called Overripe Peach. She lives in Queens with her cat, Peanut, and is currently working on a novel.
THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Kicking off part 2 of our “Fly By” show, host Ellie Dvorkin Dunn shares some fun facts about teenage pilot Elinor Smith before we hear the second set of true tales inspired by the story of “The Flying Flapper” from the archives of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
No, YOU Tell It! “Fly By” was on September 28, 2023, at Grove 34 in Astoria. Podcast introduction by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and features:
- Like Me or Not by Ben Katzner, performed by Briana McDonald, directed by Erika Iverson
- Macarons by Briana McDonald, performed by Ben Katzner, directed by Erika Iverson
Story partners Ben Katzner and Briana McDonald at Grove 34 in Astoria.
Want a copy of Ben or Briana’s middle-grade books? Grab your copy and share it with the young readers in your life.
- The Secrets of Stone Creek and more by Briana McDonald
- Hello My Name is Poop by Ben Katzner
Donate here to support No, YOU Tell It!, and we’ll send you an electronic copy of Annie Shi’s zine, “The Flying Flapper,” that we gave out to the audience at the show so you can learn more about Elinor Smith and her historic 1928 flight under not one but four East River bridges – Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg … and Queensboro!
SPECIAL THANKSNo, YOU Tell It! “Fly By” was an OFFICIAL 2023 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Have you ever heard of Elinor Smith? Our fall “Fly By” show was a fantastic way to learn about this teenage pilot who beat out Amelia Earhart for “Best Woman Pilot in America” in 1930.
For this special show hosted by Ellie Dvorkin Dunn and produced in partnership with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, we provided our storytellers with a visual prompt depicting Elinor Smith’s legendary 1928 flight under four East River bridges—Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg … and Queensboro!
The animated image created by Queens artist Annie Shi inspired a modern-day story swap of a very different kind of airplane dare and a gutt-wrenching attempt to bridge the divide between father and son. WATCH the full show here on our YouTube page.
Lowell Stephens performs Robin Gelfenbien’s story
Donate here to support No, YOU Tell It!, and we’ll send you an electronic copy of Annie’s zine, “The Flying Flapper,” that we gave out to the audience at the show so you can learn more about Elinor Smith and her historic flight.
No, YOU Tell It! “Fly By” was on September 28, 2023, at Grove 34 in Astoria. Podcast introduction by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and features:
- Connecting Flights by Robin Gelfenbien, performed by Lowell Stephens, directed by Erika Iverson
- Liquid Mercury by Lowell Stephens, performed by Robin Gelfenbien, directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons
SPECIAL THANKSNo, YOU Tell It! “Fly By” was an OFFICIAL 2023 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
Did you know that two 16-foot-tall stainless-steel statues once stood atop the Astoria Pool locker rooms? Or that thousands of visitors to the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens signed a book that was included in the Westinghouse Time Capsule designed to endure for 5,000 years?
Learn more about the storytellers and the Queens history from the archives of The Greater Astoria Historical Society that inspired this story swap from the second half of our “Here & Gone” show hosted by Ellie Dvorkin Dunn.
My Book About Water by Olena Jennings, performed by Rosalie Chandler
*Peace Through Understanding by Rosalie Chandler, performed by Olena Jennings
*As Ellie noted during the show, we want to let you know that the latter story contains themes related to sexual assault.
Left to right: Story partners Olena Jennings, Rosalie Chander, and host Ellie Dvorkin Dunn. Photo: Sachyn Mital
Stories directed by Erika Iverson. Plus, a special shoutout to Broadway Silk in Astoria!
Congratulations to Olena for receiving a Pushcart Prize for her translation with Oksana Lutsyshyna of Kateryna Kalytko’s collection Nobody Knows Us Here, and We Don’t Know Anyone from Lost Horse Press.
Learn more about the Queens history highlights below. The narratives were written by storyteller Rosalie Chandler with special insights from Bob Singleton of The Greater Astoria Historical Society.
- Westinghouse Time Capsule
- North Beach
- Astoria Pool Sentinels
- The First Photocopy
These four highlights also inspired the Queens “Here & Gone” artwork by Yelena Tylkina.
**
Special thanks to Rosalie Chandler, Bob Singleton, and Ava Vitali for helping us create these Queens “Here & Gone” highlights. The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.
In the first half of our show, story partners Lakshmi Gandhi and Dan Jessup swap stories about the culture of mutual agitation that bonds Mets fans and a mid-life move to Astoria blocks away from where inventor, Chester Carlson, created the world’s first photocopy. These stories were directed by show host, Ellie Dvorkin Dunn. For […]
Celebrating 10 years of No, YOU Tell It!, the second half of our “Punch Up” show starts with the story of a waitress getting a visit from a former co-worker who looks happier and healthier than seems possible. Trying to match her glow-up, she seeks out the same Shaman but finds the visit … less than inspiring.
Enjoy “Shaman Says,” Written by Jenn Wehrung and performed by Aida Zilelian.
Switching it up, our final story also starts in a bar, where an old frenemy creeps back into every corner of the narrator’s life, causing her to reflect on why some friends are better left in the past.
“One Final Lesson” was written by Aida Zilelian and performed by Jenn Wehrung.
Top left: Jenn Wehrung; Top right: Story partners Aida Zilelian and Jenn Wehrung; Bottom left: Ellie Dvorkin Dunn and Jenn Wehrun; Bottom right: Aida Zilelian
This story swap was directed by our wonderful guest host for the evening, Ellie Dvorkin Dunn.
You can also WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab, LIC. Or, watch “Punch Up” and other past shows on the NYTI YouTube channel.
Returning as a Bookend Event for the Brooklyn Book Festival, our “Punch Up” show also celebrated the release of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology from Palm Circle Press.
Here’s how to check out ALL THE THINGS:
- Click here for the full “Punch Up” Program.
- Follow @noyoutellit on Insta for upcoming fun.
- Don’t forget to check out Ellie’s fabulous podcast Circling the Drain, to have fun learning about all things perimenopause. (Who knew?)
Lose yourself in school-age nostalgia in our first story, “Confection Resolution,” written by Matt Storrs and performed by Maria Rubio, which finds our hero fighting the same childhood foe … three times.
Switching it up, “The Great Unknowns,” written by Maria Rubio and performed by Matt Storrs, follows an exhausted nurse in the middle of the global pandemic who carves out time for herself with a surfing lesson.
Top left: Matt Storrs; Top right: Maria Rubio; Bottom left: Ellie Dvorkin Dunn interviews storyteller Matt Storrs
Huge thank you to alum and guest host Ellie Dvorkin Dunn! Give a listen as she punches up the evening with her warmth and humor.
Returning as a Bookend Event for the Brooklyn Book Festival, our “Punch Up” show also celebrated the release of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology from Palm Circle Press.
You can also WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab, LIC. Or, watch “Punch Up,” and other past shows on the NYTI YouTube channel.
Here’s how to check out ALL THE THINGS that Ellie mentions in the show:
- Click here for the full “Punch Up” Program.
- Follow @noyoutellit on Insta for upcoming fun.
- Don’t forget to check out Ellie’s fabulous podcast Circling the Drain, to have fun learning about all things perimenopause. (Who knew?)
In anticipation of our forthcoming ten-year anthology from Palm Circle Press, we are flashing back to 2014 when we participated in The Brick’s Comic Book Theater Festival in Brooklyn. For this show, we tried something new. Usually, we give our storytellers a theme to inspire their true tales. This time, we only provided the theme […]
As we’re readying the release of our ten-year anthology this fall from Palm Circle Press, we’re rebooting some of the podcasts with improved audio so you can listen while you read. Here’s our first ever tri-flip at Fairleigh Dickinson’s MFA in Creative Writing summer residency, featuring stories by Letisia Cruz, Tazio Ruffilo, and Heather Lang-Cassera. […]
As we’re readying the release of our ten-year anthology this fall from Palm Circle Press, we’re rebooting some of the podcasts with improved audio so you can listen while you read.
Here’s our first ever tri-flip at Fairleigh Dickinson’s MFA in Creative Writing summer residency, featuring stories by Letisia Cruz, Tazio Ruffilo, and Heather Lang-Cassera.
Original artwork by Letisia Cruz inspired by her performance of Tazio Ruffilo’s story, “In Spite of Ourselves”
Keep an eye out for these No Regrets stories in the anthology, along with a special introduction from series creator, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, describing how this FDU show represents one of the core values of our series: Cooperation over Competition.
NO REGRETS performed on August 14th, 2016
Fairleigh Dickinson University | New Jersey
“The First Tattoo” written by Letisia Cruz and performed by Heather Lang-Cassera
“In Spite of Ourselves” written by Tazio Ruffilo and performed by Letisia Cruz
“A Midwestern Purgatory” written by Heather Lang-Cassera and performed by Tazio Ruffilo
Our first story reminds us that a two-week middle school love is the equivalent of several lifetimes of adoration, and when our hero’s girlfriend slips him a break-up note, they all come crashing in.
In celebration of 10 Years of No, YOU Tell It! enjoy this 2013 throwback swap of “You’ve Been Noted,” written by Justin Klose and performed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons. Click here to listen to the other half of the evening in Episode 30.
Original Artwork by Allison Gazdik Our second story takes us on the road with Shakespeare & Company’s spring tour of Hamlet, where, backstage, Ophelia befriends the infamous skull prop to vent her frustrations, share her loneliness, and reveal her secret escapades. Switching it up here’s “Alas, Poor Bob!” written by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and performed by Justin Klose. You can also give “Alas, Poor Bob!” a read in Hypertext Magazine!
Artist Allison Gazdik designed the original artwork for our “Noted” show, which was performed live at Jimmy’s No 43 on June 3rd, 2013, and here is what she had to say about the theme and how she devised this fantastic image:
The idea behind this piece for the “noted” theme was one of lessons learned. The first image that came into my head was of someone in the rain, as some of our most valuable lessons come from painful experiences. The well-known quote people usually think of is “that which does not kill us makes us stronger” by Friedrich Nietzsche. I wanted to take a colorful and slightly humorous approach to the idea by depicting a gray Nietzsche under a rain of colors, a fitting blend of optimism and pessimism towards life’s lessons.
Breakups can be confusing at times, especially when your heart parts ways with a city. Our first story takes us over the Hudson from New York City to New Jersey as our narrator reflects on what it means to move on from the place that she’s always loved.
In celebration of our 10 Year Anniversary here is a throwback swap. Part of our first alumni storyteller show at The Astoria Bookshop. “A Breakup Story” was written by Julia Granacki and is performed here by Molly Touger.
Top left: Julia Granacki; Bottom left: Molly Touger Prompted by a social media challenge to replace your profile picture with your celebrity look-a-like, our next storyteller leans into her own definitions of beauty and identity as she starts to appreciate her likeness to Cher.
Switching it up, here’s “On Becoming Cher” written by Molly Touger and performed by Julia Granacki.
These stories were performed live on July 17th, 2014. Give a listen to the first half of the evening in Episode 5 of our podcast. Thank you to The Astoria Bookshop!
Visit them online at www.astoriabookshop.com.
This Sunday, May 8th, marks the 10-year anniversary of No, YOU Tell It!
Left to right: Erika Iverson, Jorge Cordova, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Jeremy Holmes, and David Harrell Help us celebrate by giving a listen to this original set of four switched-up stories from Erika Iverson, Jorge Cordova, Jeremy Holmes, and David Harrell.
Support 10 more years by sharing our series with a friend! Big thanks to Mike Dressel and Anton Kreisl for producing and engineering this podcast of our first show with music from Tiny Animals.
Since May 2012, we’ve produced 46 shows, working with over 160 artists, and you can listen to hundreds of live story swaps on the No, YOU Tell It! podcast.
Available on Audioboom and your favorite podcasting platform.
This May, please help us raise $2,300 to support 10 more years and in celebration of our own Kelly Jean’s BIRTHDAY on the 23rd. Donate here!
Plus, your donation is tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor The Field.
This first story takes us on the painful and isolating journey of struggling with stubborn fibroids. Kicking off the second half of our “What I Know” show, our storyteller must find the strength to physically and mentally overcome the enemy inside. Here’s “Knowing is Half the Battle,” written by Sheria Mattis and performed by Michele […]
When the healthcare system fails to provide information and resources on how to handle perimenopause, the narrator of our first tale takes matters into her own hands. Give a listen to No One Told Me written by Julia Granacki, performed by Hannah Leland, and directed by Marcos Stafne. Click here to give a listen to […]
We opened our ten-year anniversary season with a virtual tri-flip of stories from across the country. Listen now to hear about a picture-perfect day at Vacation Bible School gone wrong, a revealing trip down Death Road to the Amazon, and an evolving mother-daughter relationship. We also asked our authors to present their answer to this […]
The second half of our “Defiant” show drops us back into the peak of the pandemic, where our hero is taking Zoom calls and setting office policies from the solitude of his home. As he struggles to define what’s right and what’s wrong while navigating a breakup and suburban judgment, he finds someone he’s willing […]
This first “Defiant” story finds us, as described by the narrator, “on the precipice of Real Teen Shit.” In a small New York town, a teen explores his identity while working at the local Serenity Sweets Cafe developing friendships with the town rebels and navigating questionable adults in and around the shop. Balancing his good-boy […]
Ever Google, “What to do when an ex-boyfriend rejects your extended olive branch?” the first storyteller in our Valentine’s Day throwback podcast did, before peeling herself off the floor to attend a book signing in an attempt to get her groove back—or at least to get moving. First up from our alum on-the-spot story swap […]
Kicking off the second swap from our Precious show, our narrator time travels between Brooklyn and Oklahoma where she cares for her aging mother after her father’s death. Confronted with memories and physical artifacts from her past, she gains a new perspective on the hometown she had so desired to escape as her two worlds […]
The top five answers are on the board – name something that is Precious. Our first story delivers us right into the mind of its author. But this seemingly humorous daydream leads her to recollect lost lives and haunting memories that have shaped the way she lives and copes. Written by Heather Quinlan and read […]
The first story in our second “Coming and Going” swap places us in a New England suburb during the COVID-19 pandemic. A woman leaves her city life and is thrust into the role of caretaker for her elderly parents where, much like the pandemic, there is no end in sight. Experiencing a role reversal with […]
Have you ever wanted to be someone else? The opening story of “Coming & Going”— our second team-up show with Lambda Literary — follows Calvin…or as he’d like to be known, Craig, as he travels to Florida to become someone new. This journey to overcome grief caused by a death, a breakup, and an unforgiving […]
Our first story transports us to Lake Sunapee on a summer afternoon. Sounds peaceful enough, right? Except, once there, we find the narrator and his brother plotting over how to bait a porcupine (read: wild turkey hunter). The afternoon of googling best practices for said task leads to an examination of fear and how similar […]
Our first story finds a dyed-in-wool New Yorker facing unforeseen suburban horrors. Negotiating neighborly encounters that make her question whether to recalibrate her moral barometer to keep up with the Joneses. Or, in this case, the Weavers. Kicking off the second half of our special Brooklyn Book Festival event at The Astoria Bookshop, here is […]
First up, Pichchenda Bao’s “Speak, Muse” contemplates the roles we are assigned in life and the roles we adopt: refugee, American, daughter, mother, artist, citizen; the compromises we make for survival and the ways we interpret silence, and ultimately how we can expand, not contract, our relationship to each other and the world. Read for […]
In celebration of Pride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, for this, our 50th podcast episode, we wanted to share some of our favorite LGBTQ stories from years past. First up, from our recent “Snapped!” show at Dixon Place, a drag queen offers handy advice about standing one’s ground in “Lessons from The […]
What begins as a simple cab ride to the airport becomes a shifting contest of power, imagination, and identity in Naomi Gordon-Loebl’s “Can I See It?” read by Kent D. Wolf in the first half of this special team-up show with Lambda Literary in celebration of Pride and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. […]
Restoring old chairs and cooking dinner may first appear to be common creative acts but stripped down resides a pair of stories about life, death, near death, and second chances. First up, celebrated author Rebecca Chace (Leaving Rock Harbor, June Sparrow and the Million Dollar Penny) revisits a true-life tale she previously thought of as […]
The stress of planning and executing a family vacation to Las Vegas leaves the narrator of Vaughn M. Watson’s story with a need to escape, resulting in a low-key cannabis caper. From the first half of our “Crafty” show performed live at The Astoria Bookshop, whoosh of the nearby N train and all, here is […]
Since our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons started No, YOU Tell It! six, WOW, yes, six years ago one of her favorite things has been going out to Fairleigh Dickinson University to switch-up stories with students, faculty, and alums from their Creative Writing MFA program. Earlier this summer, authors Tiffany L. Berryman, Andrew Condouris, and Eliot […]
Angela Cobb’s story is a romantic liaison set against the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy. After the storm subsides, she finds the attempt to recapture that intimacy fraught and even the best-laid plans might require a “Plan B.” Kicking off the second half of our “Mayday” show, recorded live at The Astoria Bookshop on May 10th, […]
In the first half of our “Mayday” show, recorded live at The Astoria Bookshop on May 10th, Allison Escoto is forced to listen to an unexpected SOS of the heart. Here is M. Skye Holly reading, “Vessel in Distress.” Switching it up, M. Skye Holly goes back to school to receive her MFA in Creative Writing from […]
A young man’s obsessive quest to complete a set of Batman trading cards embroils his extended family in a hunt across the borough of Queens. First up, from our Wild Card show, Raquel Penzo presents Roger Nassar’s story “The Elusive Card #66” Switching it up, author Raquel Penzo’s mother once warned her that the second […]
Give a listen to this alternate No, YOU Guess It?! version of our show featuring switched-up stories from students, faculty, and alums of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA in Creative Writing program. Plus, our own Kelly Jean talks about her inspiration behind creating No, YOU Tell It! These six stories, inspired by the theme “My First,” […]
After switching up stories at Jimmy’s No. 43 for the past five years, we were saddened to hear that influential East Village beer and cider bar has quietly closed its doors. Read the full story here. In celebration of Jimmy’s No. 43, here is one of nights that has really stuck with us – even though it was […]
When we asked No, YOU Tell It! alums to bring in stories for an impromptu switch-em-up as part of our four-year-anniversary celebration, Mike Dressel and Alexandra Gray – who also happen to be birthday twins – came through in a big way. Mike Dressel is an integral part of the No, YOU Tell It! creative […]
We’re thrilled that No, YOU Tell It! is once again part of the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Our own Kelly Jean is in Madison, NJ right now working with the MFA students, alums, and faculty for a special No, YOU Tell It! “My First” show on Sunday, August 6th. […]
A simple neighborly gesture plus an ill-advised night of drinking leads to stalking, harassment, and an ever-escalating sense of danger. Kicking off the second half of our “Blowback” show, here is Courtney Frances Fallon’s story “Wine Wednesday” read for us by Gabriel Berezin. After another failed coupling spawned in the dumpster fire commonly known as […]
A superfan desperately wants to connect with the Wonderful Wizard of YouTube, Todrick Hall, in Ariel Mahler’s story “Under the Rainbow, Over the Sea” read for us here by Molly Touger. Switching it up, when Molly Touger spends the summer as an intern at a local newspaper, she has to figure out which words to […]
After years of staying on the fringes, Erika Iverson finds community and comfort through the intricate act of folding paper cranes in Union Square. Kicking off the second half of our “Migration” show, Ken Crossland reads, “September 18, 2001 or How I Became a New Yorker.” They say breaking up is hard to do. But […]
After a devastating loss, an heiress comes to terms with the one thing that money can’t buy. First up from our “Migration” show, Leslie Malaika Lewis asks the big questions in “A Broader View” read for us by Elisa DeCarlo. What are the things we truly need in life? The things that we aren’t willing […]
What begins as a letter to a long-lost childhood friend leads to meditation on the fragments of memory that linger after a person passes through our lives at a crucial stage… Kicking off the second half of our special TLR team-up at the AWP conference in Washington D.C., Jessie Vail Aufiery reads “Unsilencing, Or, I […]
We were excited to team up with the editors of The Literary Review to present a special switched-up storytelling panel at the 50th AWP Conference & Bookfair in Washington D.C. Our first true-life tale was written by No, YOU Tell It!’s own Mike Dressel who experiences the opposite of “ghosting” when an overseas fling takes a dark […]
A gig playing the role of mystery woman at the bar – part of a scavenger hunt team building exercise – has the narrator of “Agent Hotpants” questioning what it means to play games. From our “Alter Egos” show, here is Katherine Barron performing “Agent Hotpants” written by Debra Disbrow. Do we carry ourselves throughout the day […]
It’s the Fiction Edition! For this special anniversary show, we invited a few of our favorite storytellers back to experiment with a change from our usual true-life tales. Spending time with your family over the holidays? It isn’t always as perfect as we hope it will be. An attempt to re-capture the past backfires in […]
First up from our “Noted” show is a story about accepting your accomplishments and honoring your failures. Of gratitude in the face of disappointment. Of learning to take the note as they say in the theatre – when to wear the mask and when to let it fall away. Here is Jim Cairl performing Stephanie Willing’s “Anybodies […]
Our recent show fell the day after the presidential election and was a special evening of swapped stories, welcome laughter, and free hugs. Kicking off the night, which featured a tri-flip of three true-life tales inspired by the theme – Yep, you guessed it – ELECTED, Nick Martorelli takes his role as snack food judge […]
Free Only want to be free We huddle close Hang on to a dream Iracel Rivero contemplates her life in America and her first trip back to Cuba after leaving as a small child, and along the way tries to answer the question –Where are you from? Miriam Lipner reads “I Came Over on a Boat.” […]
Listen up for a story of online dating and childbirth, the contrast between big moments and small gestures, and lives moving at different paces — where a near stranger knows the right words and sometimes you get blood on your shoe. From our “Just Desserts” evening, here is Nicole Greevy performing Julia Granacki’s “Dessertbeforedinner78.” Switching […]
Did you ever get a song stuck in your head? What about a place? Or a moment in time? Kicking off the second half of our recent “Blanked” show, Tobias Carroll contemplates the quirks of the mind in “Ambient Spaces.” Read for us here by Alex Rubin. We’re excited to share that “Ambient Spaces” was […]
What exactly happens at No, YOU Tell It! show? Give a listen to the first half of our recent “Blanked” night at Jimmy’s No. 43 featuring a story swap from Ryan Donovan and Jennifer Harder and all will be revealed… Ryan Donovan grew up rootless, born outside of San Francisco to parents from other […]
We give our storytellers a new, evocative theme for each No, YOU Tell It! and ask them to come into our into our initial story meeting with a first draft inspired by that theme, allowing wide space for interpretation. For our “In Transit” show, Colby Black and Brian Hutchinson brought in distinct, yet perfectly parallel, stories […]
Does the internet bring us together or keep us isolated? When you learn about the death of a loved one via Facebook, the answer isn’t simple. Flashing back to our second show, ironically themed “Firsts,” Todd Faulkner reads “Confirmation: Or Mourning Becomes Electronic” written by our own Mike Dressel. (pictured left to right: Todd Faulkner […]
Was she my first diva? What else fell out of my vagina along with my kid? These kinds of questions are best tackled at a literary bar crawl. We were thrilled to be part of the Queens Book Festival’s Q-boro Lit Crawl in Long Island City this past April as 10 of our alumni storytellers came […]
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our “Uproar” show at Jimmy’s No. 43 on November 18th, 2014. Minna Zallman Proctor is an editor, essayist, and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University where she is the Editor of The Literary Review. Here, Minna contemplates the stories we tell about ourselves and to […]
Starting out the second half of our recent “No Vacancy” show at Jimmy’s No. 43, Sydney Beveridge learned that the space between two college roommates is often more than the physical 12 feet separating their single beds. Here’s Liz Simons reading Sydney’s story “Brochure Worthy.” (pictured left to right Liz Simons and Sydney Beveridge) Finally, […]
Beginning our recent “No Vacancy” evening at Jimmy’s No. 43, a semester abroad is nearly ruined by one aggressive, sloppy, dim-witted, and perpetually horny housemate in Laura Forer’s story of her time in Spain. Give a listen to Bard Hovenga reading “No Comprendo.” Switching it up, Bard Hovenga’s inaction results in an less-than-ideal roommate set-up, one […]
Today’s Two on Tuesday stories were performed live as part of our “Dark Woods” show. Were you ever told you had an over-active imagination? When you have an older sibling who loves to tease, it can be a tricky business. Chris Gebauer writes about the joys and terrors of childhood in “The Wolfman Cometh” read […]
Today’s pair of “Two on Tuesday” stories comes from our show LOCK & KEY. In “What Am I Doing Here?”, Ryan Holmes risks jeopardizing a new-found sense of security by being true to himself. It’s a story of negotiating friendship, and Los Angeles traffic, with bonus relationship advice from none other than the singer Tony […]
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories were performed live at Jimmy’s No. 43 as part of our WILD CARD show. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. Can you be unlucky at both? And what if the cards are being dealt by a psychic? Her story “All in the Cards” was the first time writer Shelley Gazes’ […]
A year ago, we expanded No, YOU Tell It! by offering workshops at QED: A Place to Show & Tell in Astoria. These workshops are open to writers of all levels looking to switch-up their story. (pictured left to right: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Jessica Cannon, Carrie Haugh, Alessia Donati, Violet Olds, Katie Johnston, and Erika […]
This episode we’re featuring a pair of stories from our LOCK & KEY show.
In our first story, author Stella Kaufman has devised a coping mechanism for dealing with the sleights, pain, and humiliation life can deal out. It’s a story of how we negotiate memory, especially in our current internet age – who we share with, and how, and what we keep private.
Here’s Stella Kaufman’s “The Vault” as performed by Richard Lovejoy.
Switching it up, “The Locked Door Puzzle” confronts a childhood home dominated by a narcissistic mother, where refuge comes in the world of computer games.
It’s a story of how something viewed as childish might actually provided the tools to negotiate self-hood and the adult world – how to solve the riddle of our families, and perhaps free ourselves from the dungeons of the past. Here’s Stella Kaufman with Richard Lovejoy’s “The Locked Door Puzzle.”
These stories were performed live on February 17th, 2014 at Jimmy’s No. 43. Here are the storytellers bios from that evening:
Stella Kaufman is honored to be working with the inspiring creative team and the talented writers at NYTI! Stella’s first book, Lots of People We Need, was written circa 1964, on laundry shirt cardboards from her dad’s uniforms. Stella has wanted to be a writer ever since. In order to keep her bulldog in dog treats and argyle sweaters, Stella is presently employed as a proposal writer. Past occupations include elementary school teacher and a brief stint as a clown. After a nearly three decades of taking the scenic route, she is making a return to the creative written form. Stella does freelance blogging and editing, and is a regular contributor to markfisherfitness.com.
Stella is currently working on a non-fiction book and an accidental collection of poetry. Stella’s goal is to become living proof of the George Eliot quote: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
Story: The Vault
Richard Lovejoy is a Brooklyn-based writer and actor. He wrote and starred in the feature film The Widowers (www.the-widowers.com), a comedy about grief set to premiere in 2014. He has been featured in All My Children, We Cause Scenes, Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Right’s Movement, and numerous shorts. On stage, Richard has recently been seen in The Dark Heart of Meteorology by Stephen Aubrey, Eric Meyer’s The Scavengers, and Willy Nilly by Trav SD. He also wrote and appeared in A Brief History of Murder and Adventure Quest, which helped spark a movement of video game based theater.
He was the head writer for BrainExplode! Richard is a 2009 NYTheater.com Person of the Year. He is the Creative Director of Charred Oak Films (www.charredoakfilms.com).
Story: The Locked Door Puzzle
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories were first read during our evening titled BUYER BEWARE. With the discovery of a lover’s secret sex blog, the only rational thing to do is turn away from the screen and run. But once that first thread pulled begins to unravel, the sweater of crazy that was his secret online […]
Our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons was interviewed about how our series might help a fiction writer. Read the interview on About.com here. Then give a listen to our special “Fiction Edition” show to hear firsthand how No, YOU Tell It! works across genres.
These stories were recorded live on June 17th at Jimmy’s No. 43 and feature two alums who came back to kick-off the summer by switching-up fun, frightening, and for the first-time ever FICTION stories.
We opened up our special show with an unsettling tale written by Jim Cairl that may keep you up at night wondering if, and more importantly, WHEN you will wake up. Read here by Raquel I. Penzo is “The Sleeping Season” written by Jim Cairl and directed by Erika Iverson.
Switching it up, a young girl confronts spending what’s left of her youth behind bars due to a violent act. But, by focusing on the recipe for her Nana’s farina, she brings a bit of comfort to her prison sentence.
Jim Cairl performs “Breakfast with Nana in the Small Visitor’s Room” written by Raquel I. Penzo and directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.
Bios:
Jim Cairl is an actor, writer, and does a mean karaoke of It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Some of the more recent shows he’s appeared in are Richard III, Death of a Salesman, Flowers of Uptown and Himmelreich. Jim also penned a (very) short film that will be shot in July. Jim won on the television quiz show Jeopardy!, which is a story that he will tell to anyone who listens until the day he dies. Lastly, he’d like to thank Madeline, Ava, and Finn (his three lovely children) and Victoria (his very patient wife) for putting up with his odd schedules and needing to be alone in a quiet room for a while.
Raquel I. Penzo is a Brooklyn, NY, native of Dominican descent who has carved a career for herself as a writer, editor, and literary event curator. She hosts the New Voices Reading Series each quarter in NYC and works as a copywriter at Brooklyn Public Library. Raquel authored the self-published My Ego Likes the Compliments…And Other Musings on Writing, and the short stories, “Grey Matter” (Blue Lake Review), “Perspective on a Murder” (Mason’s Road), “On a Blue Day” (You Should Be Here), and “Enfermos” (Rose Red Review). An anthology of works from participants of her reading series was released on April 2014. Visit Raquel online at RaquelPenzo.com.
For this special episode, you can LISTEN to these switched-up stories from our live show and READ Molly’s story at The Literary Review via TLR SHARE.
In “Song Lines,” a singer/songwriter has an adventure in Ireland and finds all sorts of new doors opening for her. The remarkable Rebecca Hart will be appearing in The Civilians’ “Rimbaud in New York” at BAM in March, a development for which we can take absolutely no credit.
Read for us by Molly Touger, please enjoy “Song Lines” written by Rebecca Hart.
(pictured left to right – Molly Touger and Rebecca Hart.)
Switching it up, a young person leaps to conclusions in what should be a carefree setting, but all is not as it seems… Molly has just returned to New York from a year living and working in Mexico, which you can read about in her blog at MuchasDonas.wordpress.com.
But before you do, give a listen as Rebecca Hart performs “SeeyouinthemorningIloveyougoodnight” by Molly Touger.
This episode was recorded live on a particularly rocking night at Jimmy’s No. 43 as part of our IN TRANSIT show on July 30th, 2013. The stories were directed by Erika Iverson.
Bios:
Molly Touger is a Bostonian turned Brooklynite who has, over the course of her career, worked as a journalist, barista, publicist, instructional designer, and busboy. She recently returned from a year serving as communications manager and kayak guide for a nonprofit language school in Mexico’s Zona Maya. Among her favorite things about that job were apprising visitors of the fact that the Maya aren’t dead.
NY-based actress and songwriter Rebecca Hart once accidentally won a comedy contest in Dublin Ireland while appearing as musical guest. Born into a theatre family, she was onstage for the first time at nine months old and has been writing and performing music for only a slightly shorter time. Recent credits include ‘At the Vanishing Point’ & ‘Luna Gale’ at Actors Theatre of Louisville and ’10 Out Of 12′ at Soho Rep, all with director Les Waters. Hart is an Associate Artist with The Civilians and will be composing/performing with them in ‘Rimbaud in NY’ at BAM this March. She is currently at work on a new recording with acclaimed cellist & songwriter Ben Sollee. Everything else at www.rebeccahart.net
At first Vicki Cabrera said to us, I’ll take the class, but I’ll never do the show. She was in our very first No, YOU Tell It! workshop and with a little coaching by director Erika Iverson, she gave one of the most moving performances we’ve seen. Here she is performing “Say Hi to Ellie,” written by Ellie Dunn.
(Pictured left to right Vicki Cabrera and Ellie Dunn)
Switching it up – Ellie Dunn is one half of the hilarious comedy music duo Mel & El, whose latest creation, “The Mommy Show,” can be seen in venues all over NYC and beyond. Visit them at welcometothemommyshow.com, but before you do listen to her perform Vicki Cabrera’s story “Hitting the Wall” about the harsh consequences of what happens when procrastination is the only thing you exercise.
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our GLORY show, recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43 on 2/18/2013.
Here are the switched-up storytellers bios from that evening:
Vicki Cabrera works in education for the College Board, a nonprofit organization, where she is responsible for online tools and resources that help over a million students prepare for the SAT college admissions exam each year. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the College of New Jersey and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. When she’s not working, Vicki likes to collect new hobbies and seek out creative pursuits, which is why she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to participate in No, YOU Tell It! She is also an avid eater, explorer, and photographer. Check out her photoblog and follow her at vickisee.com. Story: Hitting the Wall
Ellie Dvorkin is one half of the hilarious comedy music duo Mel & El. She is thrilled to exercise her storytelling muscles with the NYTI peeps. In recent years, her writing skills have mostly been used to pen lyrics for funny and often naughty songs as well as the occasional rap, but she has also written educational puppet shows and musicals for The New York Hall of Science museum. Watch clips of her funny stuff and listen to songs at MelAndEl.com. Story: Say Hi to Ellie
It’s our first Tri-flip! And our first “Three on Tuesday” episode featuring switched-up stories from Gloria Beth Amadeo, Morgan Pielli, and Elizabeth Jaeger. Click here to meet our storytellers. Plus, special guest Colby Black started our show off strong with some stand-up. Here is our full ‘Temper, Temper’ show recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43 […]
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our show UPROAR. Peter Tinaglia is a graduate of the master’s program in voice at Manhattan School of Music. In this story, he reflects on a horrifying undergraduate experience where a mere slip of the tongue led to unintended consequences. Merritt Minnemeyer performs “Ms. Lorimer… If You’re Nasty.” […]
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” story swap is from our ‘Fear Itself’ show – Edward Campbell finds himself across the globe on the search for the perfect symbol to ink on his body, only to return home with something more meaningful. First up is “Tattoo” written by Ed Campbell and performed by Dana Klinek. Meanwhile, Dana Klinek’s “Eddie […]
Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our ‘Revival’ show recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43. How much should we reveal about ourselves? And what exactly do we leave behind? Jessica Cannon contemplates these questions for the digital era in her story “Internets is Forever,” performed here by Matthew Trumbull. How often have you found yourself in the midst […]
This episode features a pair of stories from our first No, YOU Tell It! alumni reading at The Astoria Bookshop, written and performed by returning participants Marcos Stafne and Jeff Wills (pictured left to right). We’ve all had to deal with erratic, uncooperative co-workers. But when that co-worker is Fantasia, a 20-foot, 300-pound albino Burmese […]
Citizens of Earth! Episode 4 features a pair of sweetly geeky swapped stories from E. James Ford and Nicole Greevy. Part of The Brick’s Comic Book Theater Festival, for this special edition our ‘Legacy’ storytellers based their true-life tales around this stunning piece of comic art created by Sha-Nee Williams. In turn, the fantastic Sha-Nee attended […]
In the second half of our ‘3 Strikes’ show, Daniel Mahler and Jenn Wehrung swap stories about a first love and many, many lives not content to stay in the past. Did you know that part of the fun at our lives shows is to ask the author a personal question before their partner performs their […]
Episode 2 of our new weekly No, YOU Tell It! podcast features the opening half of our team-up with TLR show. Listen to switched-up stories inspired by the theme ‘3 Strikes’ from The Literary Review’s Kahle Alford and Tim Waldron. The second half of our ‘3 Strikes’ show will be available soon. Don’t miss a dynamic […]
From our Urban Dwellers show, here is a pair of switched-up stories about love, loss, and leaving your punk rock youth behind. Monograph Series written by Alexandra Gray & performed by Fred Backus written by Fred Backus & performed by Alexandra Gray GG Allin Says Goodbye Stories were directed by Erika Iverson as part […]