Gina DeLuca is a comedic essayist and performer living in Chicago. Self-effacing and cynical, Gina's writing speaks to the American zeitgeist with relatability and ease. She has read her pieces at Steppenwolf Theater, iO Theater, Essay Fiesta, and other venues...  read

C. Russell Price is an Appalachian genderqueer writer originally from Virginia. They are a Lambda Fellow in Poetry, Ragdale Fellow, Literary Death Match champion, Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree, and a Pushcart nominee. They are the author of...  read

JH Palmer is a writer, performer, and post-it note artist. Her superpowers include the ability to smoke just one cigarette and not want more, communicating with small animals, and using public transportation - but not all at the same time....  read

Juan Martinez is the author of Best Worst American, a story collection published by Small Beer Press and the inaugural winner of the Neukom Institute Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. He lives in Chicago and is an assistant professor at...  read

William Shunn, a former Tuesday Funk co-host, is author of the memoir The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary, not to mention more than three dozen short stories. His poetry has appeared in Sunstone, Analog, and Asimov's, and is...  read

Mare Swallow is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Writers Conference. Her essays have appeared in Story Club and Hypertext magazines. She is a contributor to Pop Mythology, and she tells her stories live at events such as Tuesday...  read

Mare Swallow is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Writers Conference. Her essays have appeared in Story Club and Hypertext magazines. She is a contributor to Pop Mythology, and she tells her stories live at events such as Tuesday...  read

Gina DeLuca is a comedic essayist and performer living in Chicago. Self-effacing and cynical, Gina's writing speaks to the American zeitgeist with relatability and ease. She has read her pieces at Steppenwolf Theater, iO Theater, Essay Fiesta, and other venues...  read

Kimberly Dixon-Mays is a poet, playwright and performer. A Cave Canem, Callaloo and Ragdale fellow, her poetry has been published in journals and anthologies including Reverie, Trigger Warning, Rhino and Consequence. She also released her first poetry collection, SenseMemory, with...  read

Dayna Bateman is an ecommerce strategist who sometimes writes for obscure trade publications like MultiChannel Merchant and Integrated Solutions for Retailers. Once in a while she tells true stories at live lit shows around Chicago, and once took home the...  read