I'm reading about LOVE at Steppenwolf! Tickets HERE.

Andy and I will be sharing a tandem story for Karen and Willy's anniversary show! And it's at a bookstore. I love bookstores!

Jeremy Owens, host of You're Being Ridiculous, is the perfect human and a masterful curator of the perfect live lit show. I'll be reading the essay recently published on Shondaland for this event. More info about YBR HERE.

In celebration of Henry Darger’s 125th birthday, NON:op Open Opera Works, Bodies of Work, and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art present FEED: to play, to be happy, and to dream. Local performing artists present an eclectic range of short works to honor Henry Darger's legacy from a disability culture perspective.

The evening’s performances will include five courses of food by Eric May/Easy Eats and beer courses by middle brow beer, all within a lavish visual environment.

Performers include Matt Bodett, Louis DeMarco, T.J. Gordon, Michael Herzovi, Sarah Hollenbeck, and Arlene Malinowski.

Would I lie to you? Find out at this suspenseful reading series!

I'm returning to one of my favorite shows to read a new piece...if I can write one in time! This event is held at a cool indie bookstore that serves booze! Learnmore about Essay Fiesta HERE.

I'm challenging myself to write something new for this lovely reading series that happens every other month at the Riverview Tavern. Learn more about Sunday Salon!

What's ridiculous is this incredible line-up of people I LOVE! See who I'll be reading alongside and get your tickets: http://yourebeingridiculous.com/tickets

The good people of Tuesday Funk have asked me to read my stuff at their November show. The Funk is a delightful series hosted by Andrew Huff & Eden Robins and held at an awesome drinking establishment that's within walking distance of my place of work. So, done!

Every once in a while, I agree to do something that scares the crap out of me. Agreeing to perform in this year's Chicago 20x2 is definitely one of those things. The show consists of 20 Chicagoans answering the same question. The twist is that each performer only has 20 minutes. This year, the question is "What's next?" When it comes to storytelling, brevity has never been my thing. Let's see how this goes. Learn more about the show HERE.

Will I try my hand at fiction--for the first time ever--or stick to the trusty truth. Learn more about this series, hosted by Sarah Terez Rosenblum HERE.

This show just became more of a badass by moving to Great Lakes Tattoo and adding the always appreciated BYOB feature.

This show, hosted by another Sarah, sounds lovely.

True hilarity hosted by the charming Jeremy Owens. The show's website is also kickass.

I'll be reading along with Simone Muench, Christine Sneed, and Peggy Shinner. 

Who can resist a "fiesta"? I'm looking forward to making my debut at this writerly reading series hosted by Karen Shimmin and Willy Nast. Check out their website to learn more. 

Potluck & Stories hosted by the glorious Janna Sobel. 

This woman-centered reading series is loads of fun--even more so because it's BYOB!

Valentine's Day can only be celebrated one way: with Andrew Marikis and I sharing our deepest secrets about our initial meeting and the tumultuous, ultimately redemptive, aftermath. Check out this fabulous show, produced by Jill Howe and Rachael Smith, and hosted by Deanna Moffitt at Story Sessions. 

In honor of Valentine's Day, actor, writer, and love of my life, Andrew Marikis and I will be reprising the tandem story that details what happened between when we first met and when we fell in love--a period we refer to as "The Before Times."

I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that Story Club founder Dana Norris changed my life. When she invited me to her show three years ago, I sat comfortably in the back of the room, watching as performer after performer shared true stories from their actual lives. Back then, there was not a single shred of me that wanted to get up there with them. I believed that the only habitat for my writing was on the page. Dana (along with a few other friends) convinced me that not only could my essays live aloud, they needed to. That's why I'm thrilled to be in the November line-up of Story Club, where the theme, appropriately, is "THANKS."

Be sure to check out Story Club's new website and see how this once tiny show is now reaching across the US, with satellite shows in Minneapolis, Boston, and on the Southside of Chicago.  

I'll be performing at THE ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA hosted by JH Palmer and Angela Benander. This lovely dose of  Live Lit is a two-fer: FREE and BYOB! 

For this high-octane storytelling show, I will be collaborating with actor, writer, and love of my life, Andrew Marikis. We will be tandem-telling a sordid tale that chronicles the first months of our relationship, a period that we refer to as "The Before Times."  

I'm honored and terrified to be participating in one of the most cringe-inducing, hilarious, and brave storytelling events in Chicago. I'll be reading a very intimate essay concerning my history with kissing.  Donations benefit PAWS Chicago and 826CHI. It's Free. It's BYOB. There is nothing not to love.

As a prelude to Todd Bauer's staged reading of The Birdfeeder Doesn't Know, I'll be sharing a short essay grappling with issues of gaze as it relates to invisible vs. visible disability. I'll also serve as a panelist during the post-show talkback ​

Part of the annual Bodies of Work Fesitval, this event will feature women poets and writers exploring the theme of "Uncommon Bodies."​ I will be sharing an essay about the often disorienting relationship between physical disability and magical thinking.

​Check out the other amazing works being presented throughout the festival here!

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