Scott Whitehair is an international storyteller, producer, and instructor. He is the producer of long running personal narrative series This Much Is True, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 450+ new tellers on stage since 2011, and director...  read

Lori Rader-Day, author of The Day I Died, The Black Hour, and Little Pretty Things, is the recipient of the 2016 Mary Higgins Clark Award and the 2015 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Lori's short fiction has appeared in...  read

Elizabeth Gomez is a comedian, writer, and a free bleeder. She performs all over the city, but you may have seen her on Check Please, which means she is Chicago famous now. She is the founding writer of Drinkers with...  read

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is the author of the memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, about her IVF challenges and the healing power of hope. Her infertility story has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Today's Parent, and Chicago Health Magazine, among others. She...  read

Juan Martinez was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and has since lived in Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He now lives in Chicago. He's an assistant professor at Northwestern University. His work and has appeared in various literary journals and...  read

Mary Anne Mohanraj is author of Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins), The Stars Change (Circlet Press) and ten other titles. Bodies in Motion was a finalist for the Asian American Book Awards, a USA Today Notable Book, and has been translated...  read

Mare Swallow is the Executive Director of the Chicago Writers Conference, and as such was named to NewCity's Lit 50 list twice. Her writing has appeared in Story Club Magazine, Brevity, and Hypertext Magazine. She is the author of 21...  read

Alicia Swiz is a professor, performer and professional feminist. Drawing from her personal experience and her academic training, Alicia Swiz facilitates conversations about gender, sex and pop culture. She is the host of the monthly comedy showcase, Feminist Happy Hour,...  read

Mikki Kendall, a writer and occasional feminist divides her time between two careers, a family, and brunch. She commits acts of fiction largely focusing on black people in every situation under the sun, and a few under undefined celestial bodies....  read

Anne Elizabeth Moore was born in Winner, SD and grew up in St. Paul, MN. She is the author of Unmarketable from the New Press (2007 Best Book, Mother Jones) and Cambodian Grrrl from Cantankerous Titles (2012 Best Book, Lowell...  read