Writer, Educator, and Storyteller
Love this feedback from last month’s “Snapped!” show. All the work that goes into every installment of No, YOU Tell It! is well worth the results.
Interested in bringing a camaraderie-building experience like no other to your school, office, or organization? Contact me, I’m happy to chat.
4 storytellers, 3 creative team members, 2 two-hour story workshops to develop the pieces on the page, 1 personalized rehearsal session with each storyteller to help them best embody their partner’s story on stage = an unforgettable evening of No, YOU Tell It! “Snapped!” stories for a PACKED house at Dixon Place.
HELP us keep the switched-up storytelling going by donating via our sponsored artist page with The Field. Click here to find out more about what we do, our goals, and to make your tax-deductible donation.
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Thank you again to our amazing audience last night and a special shout out to Lambda Literary for helping us curate this invigorating evening of Queer Storytelling with a Twist.
Happy Pride everyone!! Keep the storytelling going!
Get lit(erary) for Pride 2019 as fellows from Lambda Literary team up with my storytelling series No, YOU Tell It! for a night of queer nonfiction with a twist: Each participant develops their own true-life tale on the page and then trades scripts with a partner to present each other’s story on stage.
These four storytellers have been working with the No, YOU Tell It! creative team for the past month to turn out and trade tales inspired by the theme “Snapped!”
Mariam Bazeed, Lambda Literary Fellow
Kent D. Wolf, The Friedrich Agency
Robb Leigh Davis, Meditation on a Theme
Naomi Gordon-Loebl, Lambda Literary Fellow
Don’t miss this special night of queer story swapping coming up on June 11th at Dixon Place! Doors/Drinks at 7 pm. Stories start right at 7:30.
It’s FREE and oh have we got some stories for you…
Yesterday, I was one of two writers to kick off Holes in the Wall Collective‘s new 360 writing residency. Six hours, 360 minutes, in a space chosen for you and your project.
“Make it real, make it plain, and tell the whole story.” Congressman John Lewis presented this as the mission statement for March a graphic novel trilogy that brought the civil rights movement and Lewis’s own incredible story to life.
When I arrived at Housing Works Bookstore and discovered that my writing perch wasn’t within reach of an electrical outlet (the horror… the horror…), I found this March journal in the “For Sale” stacks near the register. What a treasure!
Yesterday, I clicked 360 minutes closer toward the completion of my memoir. Having struggled to “tell the whole story” for years, I’ve also found a new writing mantra for when the task at hand feels too daunting.
Make it real. Make it plain. Tell the whole story!
Honored to be a returning as a teaching artist this spring at Madison Junior School in New Jersey for their memoir unit.
Here’s a fun shot from my first day working with 200+ 7th graders! Started the wheels spinning to generate seed ideas for their personal narratives.
By the end of the unit, each student will draft, revise, and polish a personal story. This summer, I’ll edit and publish the finals into an anthology of their work. Such a thrill to help these young writers become published authors.
Crafting Mythic Quests: Myths represent the ways that ancient cultures sought to explain the origins of the world and of existence itself. Sounds like a killer creative writing prompt to me! Through a mixture of discussion and writing exercises, we will explore the mythic realm of quests, break down the hero’s journey, and write into a time before time began.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper.
Some pics from a lovely night at the 2019 Queens Council on the Arts Awards Ceremony.
Honored to celebrate my “switched-up” storytelling series No, YOU Tell It! (noyoutellit.com) alongside these amazing Queens artists.
Click here to listen to our recent “Crafty” show at The Astoria Bookshop made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Subscribe to the No, YOU Tell It! podcast on iTunes or AudioBoom for more switched-up storytelling from our live shows.
Wacky Revision Techniques! All writing is rewriting. Well, great, but how does a writer approach their first, third, twelfth revision from a fresh perspective? In this workshop, we’ll go through a series of fun, bizarre, and efficient methods to tackle those tough revisions. Feel free to bring in something you’ve been working on already and/or practice materials will also be provided.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper.
Lovely NYC day crafting and sharing stories with the Public Affairs team at Success Academy Charter Schools. So happy to hear they enjoyed the session as much as I did!
Huge shoutout and thank you to Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons for her amazing storytelling workshop today. My team can’t stop talking about how great it was!!! ✍️ – Heather Kirtland Tsonopoulos, Chief of Staff, Success Academy Charter Schools
