Rebecca Adler has performed at local theatres including Attic Playhouse and Clockwise Theatre, where she also served as Managing Director during its formative years. She spends her days as an instructional designer, writing classroom and e-learning courses for companies across the country. She has been writing since the day she learned to read.
Lois Baer Barr lives in Riverwoods with her husband Lew and golden doodle Aggie. Her two chapbooks of poetry and one of fiction have been published. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Highland Park Poetry’s Road Trips due out in August, web zines like Alimentum and Southern Women’s Quarterly, and print journals such as Rattle, Last Stanza Literary Journal, Valley Voices, and East on Central. If you want to know more about her very short mother, read her recent novel The Tailor’s Daughter.
Ellen Blum Barish has been telling stories on a variety of Chicago-area stages for the past ten years. She is the author of the memoir, Seven Springs, an essay collection and a contributor to two Chicago Storytellers anthologies. You can find her essays in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Tablet, Lilith, and hear them on Chicago Public Radio. She founded the literary publication Thread, which earned four notables in Best American Essays. Ellen has taught writing at Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago and Story Studio Chicago and works privately with writers on essay collections and memoir.
David Barish has told stories all over the Chicago area for a decade – from Libertyville to Homewood and from the lake to Naperville. He was a co-host of “Do Not Submit” in Evanston before the pandemic. David has had stories published in Stitch, Chicago Story Press and Story Club Magazine. A lifelong bike rider, he was the host at last year’s Tales from the Trails, hosted by Skokie Bike Network. He will reprise that role this summer on July 14 at Sketchbook in Skokie. When he is not telling stories, he is listening to them in his day gig as a lawyer representing injured workers and Social Security Disability claimants.
Bruce Bertucci was born and raised in Highland Park. His family comes from Pievepelago in the province of Modena, Italy. Grandfather Bertucci came to Highwood in 1907. Bruce attended Highland Park High School and Miami-Dade JC. He owned Rainbows Bar and Grill and along with his wife Lynne, Bertucci’s Italian Steakhouse in Highwood. Now in semi-retirement, Bruce writes the weekly blog “The Bruce Report.” Bruce also has been doing the very successful Highwood Historical Cocktail Tours every Wednesday for Celebrate Highwood.
Anthony Bilotti lived in a suburb of Philadelphia as a child, moved to Philadelphia as an adult and then Chicago in 1976 after meeting his wife, Emma Kowalenko. He and Emma have worked together for 25 years, following his education in environmental studies and public health. He holds a Ph.D. in Health Policy Analysis from UIC, where he managed a training and research center before joining Kowalenko Consulting Group, Inc. in 1993, providing environmental planning and engineering services for private clients and government agencies at all levels. He has served on boards of professional, community service, and non-profit organizations for many years. He loves living in Highwood, where he and Emma moved from Highland Park in 2014. He and Emma have traveled throughout their 40 + years of marriage and continue to do so. He enjoys bicycling with the Chicago Kibitzers (yes!). He takes pleasure in sharing his life experiences with friends and family. This year he and Emma took part in the University of Iowa Writing Festival. This and Emma’s storytelling have inspired him to share the unique experiences that all of us have in our minds.
Holly Birnbaum worked for the late, great Dick Orkin in the ‘70s, producing comedy radio and syndicated shows like the legendary “Chickenman.” When they moved to LA, she moved to Paris. Starting out as a nanny, she worked many jobs, and volunteered with a non-profit that sent her to visit Refuseniks in the USSR in 1979, bringing books, mail and hope. Upon her return, she worked as a writer and strategist in public-interest PR. In 2005 she co-founded Thoughtly Crew, providing creative thinkers to power up ideation teams. She told her first story with Short Story Theatre after she rewired in 2018, and since then has told stories with 2nd Story and Do Not Submit, inspired by classes with The Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations series.
Susan Block, a co-founder of Short Story Theatre, has dual talents. She is a painter and an actress. Susan has shown her paintings all over the world and has had thirty one-woman painting shows. She has also starred in about thirty plays, garnering a Joseph Jefferson nomination for best actress for her portrayal of Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” at Red Wolf Theater Company in Chicago, where she was the Artistic Director. She learned about writing stories at The Writer’s Loft.
Rick Bolnick is a Clinical Psychologist, married with two children and four grandchildren. When he got to his 60s, Rick decided to take risks and try some new things. He took his first improv class up in Libertyville with Nicole Frier, took more improv classes in Chicago with Jimmy Carrane and ended up a founding member of the improv troupe “ImprovBus” which has performed regularly for the last 10 years. Then he took a Storytelling class from Scott Whitehair. After just one class, Rick took another risk and volunteered to tell a live story at Janna Sobel’s “Here’s Chicago” where he won the award that night for “Best Story.” He’s told many life stories since then at various venues. Several years ago, Rick took another risk – participating in a Clinical Trial to stop a condition from progressing into Multiple Myeloma. That, too, was a risk worth taking as it brought down his numbers. In addition, Rick is in a member of a Victories Men’s Group, he bikes and plays in a Pickleball league, enjoys genealogy, singing in his congregational choir and he’s committed to getting stretched every week at Stretch and Strides in Lake Bluff. He doesn’t want to take any risks with his 76-year-old body.
Adam Bottner is a former litigator and for the past 17 years has been Director of Business Development for a legal technology company. Born in New York, lived in Pittsburgh, and raised in unincorporated Des Plaines (“the Third City”), he is a frequent Moth story teller, 3-time StorySLAM winner, and has been featured several times on the Moth Story Hour radio show and podcast. He is a graduate of the Second City Training center and has written multiple screenplays, including his most recent, “Searching for Frenchy Fuqua”. Adam is the father of two amazing sons and lives in Buffalo Grove.
Gayle Brandeis is the author, most recently, of Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, the Body, and Loss. Earlier books include the memoir The Art of Misdiagnosis, the novel in poems, Many Restless Concerns, shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award, the poetry collection The Selfless Bliss of the Body, the craft book Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write, and the novels The Book of Dead Birds, which won the PEN/Bellwether Prize, Self Storage, Delta Girls, and My Life with the Lincolns, chosen as a state-wide read in Wisconsin. Her short story collection The Three States of Rice is forthcoming from Jackleg Press. Gayle’s work has appeared in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and dozens of literary journals, and has received awards including The Columbia Journal Nonfiction Prize and the QPB/Story Magazine Short Story Award. Gayle teaches for the low residency MFA program at University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe, Story Studio Chicago, and other academic and community writing programs. She currently lives in Highland Park and owns Secret World Books with her husband Michael.
Liza Blue: Elizabeth Brown was a fine and sturdy name for her career as a pathologist, but as she transitioned to writer and storyteller, she wanted a more distinctive and peppier name, fit for her focus on curiosity and irreverent humor. She has rebranded herself as Liza Blue, which is really just a different color for her last name. Her essays range from quirky memoirs to curiosity-driven explorations of whatever catches her fancy, including a discussion of what it was like to retake the SAT exams after a 45-year hiatus. Her essays and podcasts are posted on her website www.lizablue.com. Other interests include racquet sports and birdwatching.
Maggie Cain has spent over 40 years bringing stories to life. She has performed on Chicago’s top stages, playing everyone from little young ladies to little old ladies. You may have seen her on Chicago Fire, her COVID TIME YouTube series, or Watching Game of Thrones with Your Mom. She writes song parodies, and sings tight harmonies in an award-winning barbershop chorus. She’s a wife, a mom, a sister, a swimmer, a standardized patient and a knitter. Now, as a new grandmother, she’s stepping into yet another chapter of her life.
Barry Chessick has appeared in non-equity and community theatre plays around the Chicago area and in numerous film and print commercials. Several of his short stories have been published, and he has written a murder-mystery novel, which he hopes to have published by year’s end. Barry has a BA in English from Roosevelt University and did post-graduate work in accounting, law and finance at Roosevelt and Northwestern Universities. After working for a prestigious national accounting firm for seven years, he joined an international distributing company as a V.P., later becoming a full partner. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers of Metropolitan Chicago. Using a sailboat donated by the Donnelly Family, he organized a sailing program for Chicago area scouts. For fifty-plus years, Barry cruised and raced sailboats on Lake Michigan, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. Barry has lived his entire life in the Chicago area, currently residing in Northbrook with Annie, his beautiful wife.
Jan Cook is retired from the following: bi-lingual legal secretary, bookkeeper for nursing homes, legal assistant, comptroller for architects, engineers and contractors, event planner for spousal programs, assistant to financial consultant, actual financial consultant, and operations manager for party stores. She now spends her time attending the theatre, playing word games, and correcting people’s grammar on Facebook posts because she’s a “typochondriac.” (Credit to Mike Lubow for creating that word.)
Patrick Curtin is a native Chicagoan who discovered improv and storytelling in his mature years. His role models are Grandma Moses, Quentin Crisp and Betty White. He is a native Chicagoan that lives with his spouse, Armand. He hones his storytelling skills at Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations program and the Irish American Heritage Center. He shares stories in a variety of venues including Steppenwolf Theater, Second City and The Moth. Kevin Davis is the author of the nonfiction books Defending the Damned (Atria/Simon & Schuster, 2007) and The Wrong Man (Avon, 1995). His most recent book, The Brain Defense, was published in 2017 by The Penguin Press. His award-winning writing has appeared in Utne Reader, Chicago magazine, The Rumpus, Writer’s Digest, and many other publications. He has taught creative nonfiction writing at Loyola University Chicago and at the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Marc Davis is a former newspaper reporter and the author of three highly-acclaimed novels: Spector, Dirty Money, and Bottom Line.
Craig Davishoff grew up in Skokie, and now lives in Deerfield. He is a physician, specifically an interventional radiologist, practicing in Waukegan for the past 16 years. He is looking to expand his creative side through his involvement with Short Story Theatre.
Marla Davishoff lives in Deerfield with her husband and two teenage boys. She is a clinical social worker and has a private practice in Bannockburn. Her writings have appeared in 3 anthologies as well as several magazines such as Chicago Parent, Special Parent and several Pioneer Press publications. You can learn more about her at www.marladavishofflcsw.com.
Al Day has performed in clubs and colleges throughout the United States and on such radio and TV shows as WFMT’s “Midnight Special,” WFMT’s “Studs Terkel Show,” WBEZ’s “The Earth Club,” and WTTW/Channel 11’s “Sound Stage.” Hailed as most “Most Promising Songwriter” by Chicago Magazine when he entered the music scene, his songs have supplied many other artists with original material. Additionally, Al has composed several concert theater pieces and wrote the libretto for the opera Two Soldiers, which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Eileen Donohue studied with Nancy Beckett at the Lakeside Writing Studio for seven years, where she completed a first draft memoir about her family and her mother’s terminal illness. “Now,” she says, “it’s on to the endless revisions.” In the meantime, she also enjoys writing personal essays. She lives in Evanston with her husband, Gene, and their two children.
Jennifer Dotson earned her MFA in drama from the University of Virginia and followed the siren song of Chicago’s vibrant storefront theater scene shortly after. Since then she has focused her creative energy into poetry. Her second book of poetry, Late Night Talk Show Fantasy & Other Poems, was published in 2020 by Kelsay Books. She is the founder and program coordinator for Highland Park Poetry, now celebrating its 13th year.
David Edler is more comfortable talking to an audience than a stranger. His journey began at age 11 doing stand-up in a Junior High Talent show. This led to an MFA in acting and performances in Milwaukee, Upstate New York, Ohio, and Chicago, where he even directed a couple of shows. Eventually, his day job in Vision Care evolved into a 40-year career. His favorite roles include husband, father, youth sports coach, cyclist, runner, and musician who played briefly in a neighborhood garage band. David, a Moth Story Slam Winner, has been sharing his experiences through storytelling since 2014 and is eager to connect with new audiences.
Michael Ellman is a retired University of Chicago rheumatologist and writer making his debut with Short Story Theatre. He is a lifelong Chicago area resident: Delano, Hibbard, Von Steuben, and the University of Illinois. His collection of published short stories, Let Me Tell You About Angela, was an Eric Hoffer Award Finalist. He is also the author of a novel: Code-One Dancing. He lives with his wife Penny in Wilmette.
Michele Feinberg, aka Mitchie, is new to the storytelling world, for about five years now. Who knew that journaling during one of life’s difficult transitions would lead to an untapped wealth of stories and essays just waiting to be written? Michele writes about personal things both big and small, silly and serious, and tries to tap into a sense of humor that she didn’t know she had. She blames working over 30 years in corporate America for dulling that sense! She’s hoping that one day she’ll publish her stories…her life in pieces…as a gift to her daughters and grandchildren to remind them that this Nana isn’t some old granny sitting in a rocking chair and knitting. But she does confess to knitting!
The late Arthur M. Feldman was a professional appraiser (fine and decorative art) and museum consultant with degrees in art history and archaeology. He held positions as Curator/Director at several museums: Victoria and Albert, London; Smithsonian Institution, DC; Spertus, Chicago, and the Miller, Tulsa, OK. A second-generation Philadelphia antique dealer, he was a Highland Park merchant for nearly 25 years and lectured, taught and was a guest on several TV shows.
Nadia Felecan grew up in Romania, Transylvania. Born in 1976, the year when Nadia Comaneci earned the first- ever perfect score in gymnastics, she was named in her honor. Fun fact: Nadia Felecan is the least coordinated person (Go out dancing with her!) In 1997, at age 21, she moved to Chicago where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in French and two Master’s Degrees, one in Special Education and one in Linguistics. She is a fluent speaker of four languages. A mother of three boys and two cats, she is a teacher by day, striving to become a storyteller by night.She has been telling her stories at the Story Lab, Pour One Out, The Moth, and Soul Stories. She LOVES cake and motorcycles!
Robin Finesmith, a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, has spent much of her career in public radio. Her arts features and environmental reports have been heard frequently on NPR, and her work has won honors form the Voice of America and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She also teaches creative writing and serves as a freelance writer for educational testing companies.
Tracy Fowler survived 40 years of teaching, but after 6 months of retirement found herself in the right seat of a car teaching teenagers how to drive. When she’s not working with kids, you can find her outside hiking in the woods, feeding squirrels in her backyard or driving her race car. When she’s stuck inside, she engages in post-pandemic bread baking and story writing – this time for an audience over the age of 12. She’s always on the lookout for opportunities to work with kids, especially on storytelling.
Barry Freydberg spent 56 years in the dental world, perfecting smiles by day and punchlines at chairside. When he and his partners sold their practice, he agreed to stay on for just one more year… and somehow, 17 years later, he’s still not quite 100% retired. A lifelong teacher and world-traveling lecturer, Barry sharpened his storytelling skills in dental offices and on conference stages across the globe. Off the mic, he’s an avid golfer, cyclist, traveler, budding pianist, reluctant exerciser, and enthusiastic photographer. Most of all, he loves time with his family — especially as a proud grandfather (and yes, even a great-grandfather).
Beverly Friend, PHD, Emeritus Professor of English and Journalism at Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL, also served as adviser to the student newspaper. Friend is the author of Science Fiction, the Classroom in Orbit and The Science Fiction Fan Cult (Doctoral Dissertation, Northwestern University,1975). Formerly a theater reviewer for Pioneer Press, she is currently a reviewer for www.ChicagoOnline.com and a member of the American Theater Critic’s Association. Friend is co-author (with Professor Xu Xin) of Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng. She wrote book reviews and was a Science Fiction Columnist for the Chicago Daily News and is a freelance writer, lecturer, and scholar. She is a regular contributor to Engage (the publication of the North Shore Senior
Center), The Insider, the Township Citizen, and the Sun Sentinel, in Florida. She is active in several writer’s groups and has self-published an autobiography, No Girls in the Marching Band (2007) and several books of essays including The Girl Who Takes Diagonals (2019) and Banished to Paradise. In addition, she is Executive Director of the China/Judaic Studies Assn., a Board Member of the Sino Judaic Institute and an Honorary Director of the Glazer Institute for Judaic and Israeli Studies at Nanjing University. She is also an artist and a percussionist with the North Shore New Horizons Band and most recently with the virtual Congaree New Horizons Band of the Music School of the University of South Carolina.
Gale Gand is a pastry chef and chef and was a co-founder and partner in the Michelin two-star restaurant, Tru, in Chicago. She hosted Food Network’s long running show “Sweet Dreams”, is the author of 8 cookbooks, and worked with Julia Child on her book and PBS series, “Baking with Julia.” Gale teaches cooking classes all over the country and is an artisanal soda pop maker producing Gale’s Root Beer which is sold nationally. She has received two James Beard Awards, has been inducted to the American Academy of Chefs and the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame and was schooled in Paris at La Varenne. Gale appears at many Food and Wine festivals across the country and is a professional Pie and Food Competition Judge. Last year she volunteered to cook in Poland and Ukraine with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen and taught a Chocolate and Vanilla Master Class in Derry, Northern Ireland. She is the mother of 3, has a BFA from RIT in Metalsmithing, and plays the ukulele. Fun fact-She once made a Peach Cobbler for Aretha Franklin. For more info on Gale go to: www.galegand.com
Pamela Geyer is retired from a 34-year career in Special Education. Gardening, creating landscapes, experimenting with various art mediums, reading, and volunteering are the activities that keep her busy and out of trouble. Mary Lou Gilliam was an English teacher for three decades and used both music and drama to engage her students. In addition to performing in musical comedies and singing in the church choir, she has been a wedding soloist for many years. Her writing credits include nationally distributed educational materials, user guides, and magazine articles. Retired in theory only, she continues the educational journey in an extensive private tutoring practice. When she is not writing or tutoring, find her engaged in international travel—the source of endless story material. Mary Lou started telling stories with Short Story Theatre but has since branched out to tell stories in Chicago and the suburbs
Larry Glazer has always found a way to work in entertaining jobs that amuse him and inspire creativity. In college, Larry was a disc jockey and newscaster at several radio stations. He made a career selling broadcast advertising for over 200 U.S. radio and TV stations. Some of his creative writings have been published in 2 national magazines, the Skokie Northlight Theatre magazine and on the White Sox scoreboard. Retired now, Larry works at a golf course part-time and golfs part-time, and once a week he’s a volunteer tutor for inner city 3rd graders. Larry wants to translate those skills into helping students who may be challenged to help themselves. It didn’t hurt to enlist major name stars to assist him as you’ll see in his story. Larry won a Marshall Field’s $10,000 marriage proposal writing contest. He won the loot and the girl (ask him).
Fred Gold moved to Buffalo Grove from Ohio about 13 years ago with his wife June. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. Fred worked for an international manufacturer for 37 years holding various positions such as National Training Manager, Product Manager and Director of National Accounts. Fred’s duties required that he travel extensively throughout the country on a regular basis, so he has many stories to tell regarding his traveling experiences. When Fred retired, he became involved with several volunteer opportunities in the area. He currently works in the green house at the Chicago Botanic Garden and is a member of several camera clubs where he has won awards for his images. Several galleries have regularly exhibited his work, which focuses on street photography and emphasizes people living in various parts of the world. Fred is also a dedicated runner and enjoys participating in area races.
Beth Goldberg has worked with Theatre in the Woods, Oil Lamp Theater, North Shore Theater of Wilmette, and Deerfield Family Theater playing various roles, in various productions, and has thoroughly enjoyed pursuing the “acting bug” she’s always had.
Leslee Goldman was a closet storyteller until she got up in front of her first audience. Now she’s outed and hooked. During Covid she became a certified personal trainer with women over 50 after retiring from a 32-year career in the field of Art Therapy. Past and present experiences provide an opportunity to laugh at herself and find meaning in her imperfections. She’s convinced she’ll need another lifetime in order to continue sharing her zany exploits and adventures.
Louis Greenwald was dragged to the National Storytelling Festival by his wife Susie in 1985. Since then he has attended ‘millions’ of storytelling events, produced 7 concerts and tells stories as often as audiences will put up with him. He has won 2 Moth Story Slams, and has told stories in Chicago, Highwood, Highland Park, Glencoe, Madison and Phoenix, AZ. His mentor is world-famous Storyteller Donald Davis. The first story he told was under the direction of Donna Lubow of Short Story Theatre.
Susie Greenwald was an English teacher and Future ProblemSolving coach for three decades. She believes storytelling greatly enhances a sense of community in the classroom and encourages students to research their own family stories as well.
Benita Haberman has been with Short Story Theatre since our premiere performance. She began journaling in grammar school and put her joy of writing to good use during a ten-year career in Special Events fundraising before “retiring” to be a stay-at-home mom. She began writing creative non-fiction while studying with Nancy Beckett at the Lakeside Writing Studio, and later re-entered the work force as a Special Education Student Aide. Benita lives in Vernon Hills with her husband, Marc, and her two teen-age children.
Julie Isaacson lives in Highland Park with her rescue pup, Ziva. She is happy when she is teaching, baking, writing, walking at the Botanic Gardens and visiting dear ones, including her new grandson in LA. Julie has been a frequent flyer at Short Story Theatre since 2015, both in the audience and at the podium, where she launched her anthology, The Angry Chef: Satisfying Recipes Inspired by Unsatisfying Relationships.
Judith MK Kaufman, poet and memoirist, began writing creatively in mid-life. Now retired, Judith was Editor-in-Chief of the journal, East on Central, for 23 years. Her work has been published in Poetica, Collage, and the Journal of Modern Poetry and on several online sites. A family memoir, Caught Laughing: the Esther and Bernie Story, was published in Story, was published in 2017. Now in the works is a collection of poetry about her grandchildren, tentatively titled The Cookie Jar.
Lauren Kee is a project manager by day and a storyteller by night. She shares heartfelt stories about girlhood, growth, and the messy moments in between. Lauren’s hope is that her stories leave you feeling a little less alone and full of hope. She gets inspiration from her fellow storytellers in Chicago and from Taylor Swift. Tonight, she’ll be sharing part of her upcoming solo show called DEALBREAKER, which will be performed in 2026 at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Bistro, the Solo Sunday event run by Scott Whitehair.
Denise Kirshenbaum learned to write as a member of Nancy Beckett’s Lakeside Writing Studio. A one-on-one writing coach herself, Denise blends her writing experience with visual and production skills honed during a 20-year photography career to help clients of all levels achieve their writing goals. Her essays have appeared in literary journals, on the web, and in national magazines, including More and Bark.
Marcia Kittler has been a personal narrative storyteller for six years. She discovered the magic of storytelling in high school freshman year Speech class, where her spider stories elicited satisfying squeals of revulsion. She finds presenting personal narratives far more relaxing than the presentations she delivered for 20 years while competing for contracts as a national sales executive and compliance professional. Since 2021, Marcia has shared her stories in a number of shows including Voicebox, Is This A Thing, This Much Is True, two annual Fillet of Solo festivals, and
The Goodman Theatre’s Lobby Stories. She is a member of The Goodman’s GeNarrationcommunity of tellers on the better side of age 55 and a frequent participant in Scott Whitehair’s Do Not Submit events. An Illinois Extension Master Naturalist, Marcia tells stories about the Forest Preserves, in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. She is excited to participate in Short Story Theatre’s evening of storytelling.
Emma Alexandra Kowalenko founded Kowalenko Consulting Group (KCG) in 1988. At KCG located in Highland Park, Illinois, she is strategist, environmental planner, and change management implementer. Of eastern European heritage, born in Casablanca, Morocco, Ms. Kowalenko at the age of 11 emigrated to the U.S. with her parents. Fluent in six languages, small business advocate, oral historian, poet, and mixed media visual artist, she is passionate about giving visibility and voice to the unseen and the unheard. She believes that storytelling represents the human lifeline to the past and the future. Currently serving as an emeritus board member, she is one of the founders of East on Central Journal of Arts and Letters, currently in its 18th year of publication, based in Highland Park, Illinois and an active member of the Sister Cities Foundation of Highland Park. Emma promotes cultural and educational exchanges with Sister Cities Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Modena, Italy, and Jerucham, Israel. Other active civic and nonprofit involvement includes the Highland Park and Highwood Historical Societies, the Modenese Mutual Aid Society, and the Highwood Bocce Club.
Mike Leonard was the Feature Correspondent for NBC Today and is the author of The Ride of Our Lives – Roadside Lessons of an American Family. Mike joined NBC News in October 1980 and, using the small town of Winnetka, Illinois as his base, has traveled across the country and around the world in search of stories that define our lives. In addition to his regular Today assignment, Mike’s stories have appeared on NBC Nightly News, Dateline, NBC Sports, MSNBC, Showtime and PBS. He has covered political conventions, Presidential Inaugurations, the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, championship boxing, etc. International assignments have taken him to Australia, China, Korea, Europe, The British Isles and many other countries. Most often though, he can be found roaming the overlooked territory of everyday American life, exploring all 50 states for the true characters and humorous situations that color our day. In January of 2004 Mike took his aging and eccentric parents on a one-month, cross-country RV adventure that became the basis of a four-part Today show series, then a New York Times Best-Selling book as well as a twelve-part Public Television series. Mike was nominated for a prestigious Quill Award in the category of Debut Author of the Year. He has also written articles for major magazines and newspapers and in October of 2009 reached a significant broadcasting milestone by filing his 1,000th network story. Mike and his wife Cathy have two daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren.
Wayne Lerner is a retired healthcare executive and an associate professor of health systems management. A lifelong Chicagoan and White Sox fan, Wayne lives in the northern suburbs with his wife, Sandye, of 35 years. Together, they have five married children, five grandchildren and five grand-dogs. He has published many articles in professional journals and even edited a book on a major hospital merger. Upon retirement, he has been writing short stories and will tell you about one of his favorites on March 22, 2026.
Rick Leslie is a co-founder of Short Story Theatre, and has been telling stories for more than 40 years, from composing songs and writing ads to producing network news and making TV documentaries. In his travels he has shared Thanksgiving with the Navajos, ridden with the Canadian Mounties and been exposed to Cosmic Dust at NASA. His creative non-fiction has appeared in various literary magazines, including the Connecticut Review and Confluence. Rick’s story is from his book: “I Pissed in Some Guy’s Bottle of…”, which will be available soon at Amazon.
Ron Levitsky is a retired educator who currently serves as a trustee for West Deerfield Township and the Lake Forest Library. He also hosts a public access TV program in Highland Park. Ron has published several mystery novels and short stories. His story “Rimbaud” appears in the latest edition of East on Central, Highland Park’s journal of arts and letters.
Peggy Lewis is a graduate of Northwestern with a major in Theatre Education. After graduation she worked in television production in NYC. In the early 80’s, she started a children’s theatre program at the Buffalo Grove Park District. After moving to Deerfield more than 40 years ago, Peggy worked in residential real estate and corporate relocation. Happily retired, and the grandmother of 6, her days are filled with books, theatre, travel, film and attending kids’ baseball and basketball games!
Rino Liberatore began a career in advertising in 1982. He received local and national acclaim for his creativity for such clients as Chevrolet, the Chicago Cubs, Loop Radio, the Illinois Lottery, and WGN-TV. Rino formed his own film production company in Chicago in 1995 and directed numerous projects with the most celebrated athletes of our time including Michael Jordan and the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears, Harry Caray and many others. Rino has produced short films and co-directed an Independent Feature titled “The Opera Lover.” The film aired on Showtime. A Chicago native, Rino recently produced a feature-length documentary “Iron Five” chronicling the 1963 Loyola Rambler College Basketball Team. It premiered in the Black Harvest Film Festival and is scheduled to air on WGN-TV in February and again in March.
Rich Logan has been performing musically since vinyl was still popular. He has done sound design for theatre as well as live performance for improv and staged readings. He managed a theatre space called the School Street Cafe for 8 years in Chicago in the 90’s, providing essentially free space for over 100 productions. He has graced many a Chicago stage over the years as an actor (Trap Door, Oracle, Famous Door, Victory Gardens, and Touchstone). He is excited to be invited to share “the sound track” to the stories that inspired them.
Donna Leslie Lubow co-founded Short Story Theatre 12 years ago. She has taught drama to all ages, and has directed over 30 shows for various theatres. A former high school English teacher, magazine editor, and copywriter, a co-founder of Highland Park Players, Theatre in the Woods in Riverwoods, and ARTicuLIT Readers Theatre, she also enjoys reading and writing stories and poetry, and doing mosaics, collages, and other art projects. During the pandemic, she created a neighborhood newspaper, which was featured in The New York Times. Donna and her husband Michael, who assists behind the scenes with Short Story Theatre, reside in Riverwoods, but often travel to New York, Miami, and LA, where their children and grandchildren live.
Mike Lubow, veteran writer and creative director of New York and Chicago ad agencies, has authored feature articles and the weekly column “Got a Minute” for The Chicago Tribune. His short stories have appeared in magazines around the world, including Playboy, Barcelona Review, Carve, Amarillo Bay Literary Magazine, Blue Moon Review, Etchings of Melbourne Australia, Bravado (Tauranga, N.Z.), and many others. Mike’s stories have been anthologized into many books, and he is the creator and author of the online nature journal “Two-Fisted Birdwatcher.” Husband, father, and grandfather – he divides his time between his hometown of Chicago with
frequent sojourns to Miami and Los Angeles.
Judy Markey spent twenty years co-hosting WGN Radio’s “Kathy and Judy Show,” and she’s back on the air on Saturdays! The show won both state and national awards. She has published two novels and two collections of her nationally syndicated Sun-Times columns. She is a born talker, a born writer, and a born lover of storytelling, but…she’s still scared of screwing up. Judy recently won one of NPR’s “THE MOTH’S” Story Slams.
Claudia Maru: When not telling stories about family dysfunction or oddball encounters with strangers, Claudia enjoys stopping to pet any dog she may come across. She is also co-host of Do Not Submit, a storytelling open mic in Libertyville held on the third Wednesday of every month.
Karrie McDermott is the founder of In Their Own Words, LLC. She honors women with helping them develop their personal narratives. She is a storyteller and performs in the Chicago area on the stages of Do Not Submit, Teller’s Night, First Person Live and The Moth. Her
favorite storytelling event of the year is the one she hosts in her backyard each August. Karrie is a Professional Coffee Brewer and was honored in 2023 with being named Coffee Legend of the Year.
Errol McLendon is a three-time Moth winner. He’s told stories in St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Orlando, and at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee. He has taught storytelling workshops in Chicago, Berwyn, LaGrange, Skokie, Houston, and Dallas. He is an actor, director, teacher, coach, and former ghost hunter. You can hear his stories streamed on The Moth podcast.
Bob Meyers blames his friend Michael for getting him interested in writing personal observations about the human condition, and now he can’t stop! He writes his memories in interesting story form for his children and grandchildren, and hopes that over time they’ll add their own stories, creating a family chronicle. Hopefully, this chronicle will be read and reread by future generations. Bob: “It’s wanting to know, that makes us human.”
Sarita Miller was involved in a variety of aspects of community theatre for many years. She performed in a number of plays including California Suite, The Diary of Anne Frank, Talking With, Fiddler on the Roof, and Peter Pan. She started an after-school drama class when her own children were in elementary school, and she directed several plays in the middle school where she currently teaches 7th grade language arts and where she is known as the “storytelling lady.”
Murphy Monroe is an autistic storyteller, speaker, and disability advocate who serves as Managing Director of The Actors Gymnasium, a nationally treasured circus school in Evanston. He also co-owns the True REST Float Spa in Skokie with his sister Heather, where he has spent more than a thousand hours in sensory deprivation, though not all at once. His stories invite audiences into the world as he experiences it, with honesty, vulnerability, and insight into the autistic mind. His special interests include pacifism, donuts, and the Grateful Dead.
Terry Moritz is a lawyer with more than 50 years of experience. In 1980 he left a white shoes law firm as a young partner and with several colleagues formed and built a significant law firm in Chicago. Terry is consistently recognized as one of Illinois’ best business litigators. For the last 10 years Terry has spent an increasing portion of his time functioning as an arbitrator and mediator engaged in resolving commercial disputes. Terry is active in a variety of charitable and legal organizations and he teaches alternative dispute resolution at Loyola University’s School of Law. Terry was an avid skier for over 40 years until one of his misadventures crushed a knee and ended that career. He continues to be an avid cyclist but notes that his rides are getting shorter and the post-ride coffee time is getting longer. Terry and his wife Carol have been residents of Highland Park for 47 years.
Sahar Mustafah is a writer, editor, and teacher from Chicago. Her work has appeared in Great Lakes Review, Word Riot, Flyleaf Journal, Hair Trigger, and elsewhere. She was named one of “25 Writers to Watch” by the Guild Literary Complex and recently returned from Norway where she served as a creative ambassador at the Kapittel International Festival of Freedom of Speech and Literature in Stavanger. She is the proud co-founder of “Bird’s Thumb,” an online literary journal devoted to publishing new and emerging voices. The Late Jim O’Connor, along with his wife Lynda, founded O’Connor Communications, Inc., in 1989. The firm specializes in promoting authors and their books and has won three national awards for the Best Book Publicity Campaign of the year. Jim was the author of CUSS CONTROL, The Complete Book on how to Curb Your Cursing.
Susie Perkowitz is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago with degrees in Communications and Theatre. Most recently she appeared in Improv Playhouse/GreenStick Theater Company’s production of A Christmas Carol. Currently she narrates Cozy Corner Podcast, a guided relaxation and bedtime story for children, but in a previous life she worked for Clear Channel Communications Chicago. Susie enjoys singing, writing, painting, guitar and doing improv. She is also a Toastmaster and an outdoor enthusiast on a mission to visit all of our national parks.
John Petlicki used to be a techy but, since retiring from AT&T and his teaching career at DePaul University, he has been focusing on standup comedy. John performs throughout Chicago and the suburbs, as well as in Wisconsin, sharing his humorous take on aging. He was a finalist in the Clean Comedy Challenge in Aurora in 2018 and also at the Clean Comedy Challenge in Nashville in 2019. John won a competition against 19 other standup comics at the Brauer House in Lombard in December. He will compete against the winners of the seven other weeks in the competition for a chance to be the opening act for a nationally-known comic. John is also an avid gardener who earned the title of Master Gardener from the University of Illinois Extension Program. His main job, however, is keeping his wife Myrna amused.
Myrna Petlicki is an arts columnist and feature writer for the Chicago Tribune’s Pioneer Press and Doings newspaper chains. She is also a producer of comedy shows. In 2023, she produced “Comedy Tonight,” “Comedy Tonight 2,” and “Tales and Tunes with Comic Sonya White and Folk Singer Mark Dvorak.” Myrna is also a musical theater bookwriter and lyricist. She wrote lyrics for “Black, White, and Gray,” a full-length musical that was produced at Theatre Building Chicago. Her 10-minute musical, “Ribbit!,” was the audience favorite at the Skokie Theatre’s Short Play Festival. Myrna is an exercise enthusiast who takes five virtual exercise classes each week. She undoes the benefits of all those exercise classes with her other hobbies–cooking and baking.
Jonathan Plotkin is a nationally published editorial cartoonist and illustrator whose art can be found on the pages of The Chicago Tribune, The American Bystander and other national and regional publications. He is past Chairman of the Cultural Arts Commission and Board President of The Art Center Highland Park. He is currently a Trustee of the Highland Park Community Foundation. Coming of age in the 60’s and early 70’s allowed Jonathan to witness first hand some of the more socially and culturally impactful experiences of the times, from crossing the Berlin Wall on foot to driving a school bus across Nebraska and Iowa filled with a dozen cats. Over the past few years, Jonathan has been at work on his memoirs entitled “Yellow Jacket Blue” consisting of various hitchhiking and other impactful encounters he experienced travelling across the United States and Europe.
Noah Plotkin is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who blends musical mastery with the art of storytelling. Whether on percussion, guitar or beyond, each performance is a journey, woven with vivid narratives, heartfelt lyrics, and dynamic musicianship. Driven by a passion for connecting with audiences, Noah transforms every stage into an intimate space where music and story become one. Noah, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, is a life- long resident of Highland Park. He and his wife Nana welcomed their first child Jema in March of this year
Anne Purky attended the MFA program in Writing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has performed at Louder Than a Mom, Tellin’ Tales Theatre, Filet of Solo, Live Bait Theatre, and many more. Her blog, “The Gilded Forest,” was launched in 2015.
Joel Ramsey has been a speech and communications instructor for over 5 years. He has been onstage and performing throughout his life as a speaker, instructor, actor, murder mystery dinner performer, stand-up comedian and improvisational comedian. Joel currently resides in Northern Illinois with his children and teaches speech, communications, English and marketing both in online and onsite university classrooms.
Janet Reed earned a bachelor’s degree in music education for the love of it and a J.D. to earn a living. Featured in dozens of area musical and theatrical productions, she also directs youth musical productions and tours area schools and senior facilities with her one-woman themed musical programs.
Marjorie Rissman grew up on Long Island surrounded by duck and potato farms but made her escape at 14 when she went to boarding school, then college, then graduate school. After her sister passed away several years ago, Marjorie found solace in writing poetry. More recently she has begun to write memoirs under the wings of Jennifer Dotson. When she is not writing, Marjorie sells residential real estate and enjoys solving jigsaw puzzles. She has two sons and four wonderful grandchildren. She serves as treasurer of East on Central Association, which publishes a journal of art and literature from local authors.
Bob Rubin worked as a buyer for Montgomery Ward, was marketing director in the musical instrument field and then ended up in his own import/marketing business for 25 years. Since then Bob has been a commercial real estate broker for Berkshire Hathaway and participates in competitive senior tennis. He insists that it isn’t too late to fulfill his secret dream of becoming a Hollywood screenplay writer.
Sheryl Rue-Borden is not your typical retiree. After a powerhouse 30-year career as a premier residential realtor in Lake and Cook Counties, she traded the “sold” signs for a mission centered on connection, cannabis, and community. A lifelong “dreamer who does,” Sheryl has launched eleven successful business ventures, proving that reinventing yourself isn’t just a possibility—it’s a spiritual calling. As a medical cannabis advocate and a practitioner of energy healing for over four decades, Sheryl has always navigated life by aligning her chakras and trusting her gut. In 2023, while sharing a bong at a dispensary grand opening, a lightning-bolt realization struck: the social, strategic world of American Mah Jongg was the perfect companion for the cannabis lounge experience. Today, through MahJonggBong™, Sheryl teaches students of all ages (21 and older) how to master the tiles while fostering an environment of laughter and wellness. Whether she’s teaching in private homes or developing her upcoming twelfth venture, Sheryl is a living testament that passion doesn’t have an expiration date. She resides on the North Shore, where she continues to meditate daily, teach manifestation, and prove that when you listen to your soul’s whisper, magic follows.
Steve Sadin is a freelance journalist writing primarily for Pioneer Press where he covers events ranging from municipal meetings to youngsters doing productive things at school to farmers markets to elections to sports to political events and more. He enjoys the wide range of folks he meets and variety of stories he gets to write. He started out in Skokie, moved to Highland Park in fifth grade, spent 10 years in California after college and returned to Highland Park where he still lives now. He gets a thrill out of finding a unique story in a situation which begins as bland. “Dig deep enough and one is there.”
Martie Sanders is a Chicago actress and writer /performer with the Sweat Girls. Sanders’ solo show “The Me, Mom & Dad Show!” played in Goodman Theatre’s Women Taking the Stage Festival. Her favorite acting roles have included: Mae West in Dirty Blonde (Madison Repertory); Lina in Singin’ In The Rain (Theatre at the Center); Janis Joplin in Love, Janis (Royal George); Jenny Diver in The Three Penny Opera (ATC); Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (Chicago Shakespeare). Martie founded Green Scene Chicago and brings performing arts education into school and urban gardens: www.greenscenechicago.org.
R. Craig Sautter is author, co-author or editor of 10 books, including Inside the Wigwam, Chicago Presidential Conventions 1860-1886, with Alderman Ed Burke, and The Wicked City: Chicago from Kenna to Capone with Curt Johnson. For the past three decades, he’s taught courses in philosophy, politics, history, literature, and creative writing at DePaul University. He was the 47th president of the Society of Midland Authors.
Holly Schaefer has a varied past. She has been an actress, a mom, a teacher, the founder of a school for children with special needs, an artist, and a writer. Holly had a difficult time deciding what she wanted to be when she grew up. She’s still deciding.
Jim Scott has been a lover of theatre, music, and the pursuit of humor since his school days. He has partially satisfied these passions by playing his guitar, singing in various choirs, performing in theatre productions (most recently Sabrina Fair and Squabbles) and attempting to entertain anyone within earshot.
Kristen Scott enjoyed many Short Story Theatre performances as an audience member before joining us on stage. She is a parent of two adult children, and has served as Town Clerk for West Deerfield Township since 2011. Her writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Parent, Pioneer Press, TheMighty.com, and two book anthologies. Kristen founded and led a support group for parents of children with disabilities for seven years, focusing on the emotional impact of raising extraordinary children, and has spoken on autism to various groups. She blogs at Good Marching: Experiences in Autism and the Rest of Life.
Madelyn Sergel is a playwright, freelance writer, and producer. Productions include The Party in the Kitchen and Special Needs (Clockwise Theatre), Another Piece of Cake (Citadel Theatre). Her award-winning YA play Totally Okay, Right Now is published by YouthPLAYS, and her plays have had public readings at American Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, Gift Theatre, Clockwise Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, and Gurnee Theatre Company. The founding Artistic Director of Clockwise Theatre, she also co-produced the company’s first 13 productions. Recent and upcoming projects include the reading of her play Throwing Rice at Chicago Dramatists Saturday Series and the reading of her one-act comedy Dogs Are People Too at Clockwise Theatre in April.
Frank Shapiro was born in New York City, grew up on Long Island and moved to the Chicago area more than half his life ago. Frank has had his life turned upside down a number of times including one time on a mountain bike (literally) while descending in Kettle Moraine and recently in his current job when it was announced eight days after he started that the company had been acquired. Luckily he survived both events and is currently a Tier 3 Support Agent at Salesforce. Frank enjoys telling stories, riding bicycles, making bad puns and good food.
Bonnie Hillman Shay had a life-changing experience in July, 2019. She feels the experience is a gift that keeps on giving as she has tweaked her life personally and professionally and treasures what each day brings. Professionally, Bonnie is a Photo Organizer, who works on clients’ photo and video collections. As Short Story Theatre demonstrates, life is all about stories. Bonnie is honored to help a client with their photographic story and makes sure a family’s photos and videos are manageable, enjoyable, shareable, safe and secure for now and generations to come. Since parents pass their photo collections on to their kids and grandkids, Bonnie considers the results of her work to be priceless. When Bonnie isn’t curating family photo collections, she enjoys bicycling, walking her dog, cooking, and doing crossword puzzles.
Anne Shimojima has been telling stories from her Asian heritage and around the world for forty years. She was a New Voice Teller at the National Storytelling Festival in 2017 and has been a Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center. Anne’s CD Sakura Tales: Stories from Japan won a Storytelling World Resource Honor Award in 2019. Her signature piece Hidden Memory: An American World War II Story, describes her Japanese American family’s experience in World War II, and in 2022 she received the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, conferred by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, for her work in promoting Japanese culture in the United States. In 2024 Anne received the Circle of Excellence ORACLE Award from the National Storytelling Network.
Tony Smith is a semi-retired accountant living in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He has three adult sons and spends his time reading, volunteering, working around his house and yard, making furniture, maintaining a couple of small wooden boats, and writing essays. He grew up in Libertyville, Illinois. His father was a journalist and his mother a librarian. He has four brothers and four sisters. He reads his stories on a regular basis at an open mic setting called “Writers’ Night” in Sturgeon Bay.
Nancy Solomon has made a lot of questionable decisions in her 86 years. Luckily, many of them make great stories, which she’ll tell anyone who shows even the slightest interest in listening to them – including at This Much is True, Story Lab, various Do Not Submit open mics, Is This a Thing, Story Vroom Vroom, Fillet of Solo, Story Sessions, Lobby Stories at the Goodman, Voice Box, Tellers’ Night, Charmers, National Racial Justice Week, Let Me Tell You, and Wine & Stories. Nancy’s been a member of GeNarrations since 2018, a free storytelling program sponsored by the Goodman Theatre for people 55 years old and older, and has learned a whole lot at workshops presented by Scott Whitehair and Errol McLendon.
Kirk Steinhaus has been an employee of Catholic Charities since 1994. He worked his way through college and is a graduate of DePaul University. He worked at the Chicago Sun-Times for several years, joined the Sun-Times Speaker’s Bureau and became a designated speaker for DePaul. He spoke to students at the elementary, high school and college levels about the newspaper business. He then worked with his wife in her public relations business as a photographer, writer, and proofreader. He was founder and president of C.A.P.S. Beat 2411, Inc., and was the Beat Rep for beat 2411 in the CAPS program for the Chicago Police Department for 4 years. He also studied Mediation at Northwestern University, and was trained by Archdiocesan mediators. Kirk studied music for many years and learned to play piano, trumpet, tuba, some violin, and studied voice for opera. He is also a serious student of the sinking of the Titanic and World War II. Kirk lives with his wife and two children in Wilmette.
Bill Stewart taught Social Studies at New Trier High School from 1966-2000, including Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, World History, but mostly United States History, Advanced Placement U.S. History, American Studies and Economics. Bill coached Girls Cross Country and Track, placing many individuals in the State meets. As a Volunteer Leader for Boy Scouts of America from 1983-2023, he specialized in training leaders, and also served on the Cub Scout Leader Training Faculty at Philmont Scout Reservation 3 times. Bill honed his storytelling skills by telling tall tales around campfires. In 1989, Bill won second place in the Liars Contest at the Illinois Storytelling Festival. From 2006 to the present, Bill has led horses at Equestrian horseback riding therapy for special needs populations. He summers in Northern Wisconsin and bowls in 2 leagues averaging 154. He and his wife Sally have two children and four grandchildren.
Nancy Siegel Streifler (Production Assistant) is excited to be working with Donna again after years of collaboration with the Highland Park Players and Attic Playhouse. A retired Geriatric Care Manager, she loves working with Short Story Theatre.
Amy Sumpter is a comedic actress who has been doing stand-up for a few years. She can tell you crazy stories about her jobs past and present. Amy has been a wench of the realm, a trolley driver/tour guide, a school photographer as well as a bartender and Avon lady. Amy is also in a Beastie Boy cover band called “She’s Crafty.” Follow them and her on twitter @amy_sumpter and @ShesCraftyChi.
Paul Teodo is a retired healthcare executive. He has been telling stories on stage in and around Chicago the past 14 years. He is the winner of multiple Moth Story Slam and Grand Slam championships and has been featured on the CBS TV show “Sunday Morning,” sharing his story “A Dangerous Person,” which he also told for Short Story Theatre last year. Paul is also the co-author of 2 novels: PASTAMAN and Call Me Z, and a book of short stories South of Cermak: Chicago Stories.
Susan Thompson is a Chief Human Resources Officer and Certified Mediator. In her spare time, she is a Wilmette mom of two teenage boys. Susan’s stories explore modern family dynamics and can be found on her website www.susanveronica.com. Her boys have requested she use this pen name to protect the guilty and their reputations on the North Shore.
Elizabeth Ury has told stories since middle school. During summers, Elizabeth reinvented children’s stories and acted them out with full costumes, cast, and sets alongside the neighborhood kids. During college, she told stories through dance. Once school was over and she started working in the eldercare industry, she told her stories in assisted living communities while encouraging residents to tell their own stories. Once her children came along, she helped them write and record stories for other family members. She is now back to telling her own stories and is thrilled to be sharing another one with Short Story Theatre. Elizabeth Ury has told stories since middle school. During summers, Elizabeth reinvented children’s stories and acted them out with full costumes, cast, and sets alongside the neighborhood kids. During College, she told stories through dance. Once school was over and she started working in the eldercare industry she told her stories in assisted living communities while encouraging residents to tell their own stories. Once her children came along she helped them write and record stories for other family members. She is now back to telling her own stories and is thrilled to be sharing another one with Short Story Theatre.
Avinash (Avi) Vaidya is Executive Vice President of Product Development and Chief Technology Officer at Shure Incorporated, the world’s leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. He holds nine U.S. patents, has published numerous technical papers, and has received several awards for technical excellence. Dr. Vaidya has a Master’s in Engineering Electronics from the Netherlands Universities Foundation, a Master’s in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Avi loves to travel on business and for pleasure and has traveled to more than 60 countries including Israel, Finland, China Japan, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka to name a few.
Nutan Vaidya, as a lifelong academician and administrator, has spent a considerable amount of time recognizing and cultivating talents of resident and faculty members and helping enhance their teaching and academic skills. A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, she is certified in the subspecialty of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatric education. Dr. Vaidya is the co-author of two textbooks: Descriptive Psychopathology and Psychiatry Rounds and has authored several peer-reviewed articles.
Cyn Vargas’ short story collection is being published by Curbside Splendor Publishing in Spring 2015. She was named one of Guild’s Literary Complex’s 25 Writers to Watch, won the 2013 Guild Literary Complex Award in Fiction, and has received two top citations in Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers contests. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing-Fiction from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Word Riot, Split Lip Magazine, Hypertext Magazine, and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing workshops around Chicago and online.
Karol Verson has had many incarnations and transformations from children’s theater performer, to manager of Older Adult Programs at the College of DuPage and the Jewish Community Centers in Chicago and Skokie, to director, teacher and special lecturer at Oakton Community College. She directed a touring company of older adults called Acting Up! for 8 years as well as several touring companies of students and many plays for the OCC theater department, including some performance pieces which she created. She is currently working on 2 writing projects: her own lifetime journey of poems, family recollections and ruminations on life, and compiling the writings of many older adults who have been in her writing workshops. Karol is also re-starting a video service called LEGACY of LIFE to capture the life stories of older adults for their children and grandchildren. She has four daughters and 8 grandchildren and lives in a very old family manse in Niles with many works of art collected from her travels to achieve enlightenment. “Life can only be understood backwards, but has to be lived forwards.”
The Late Lorrie Weinberg was a lab technician, a meeting and event planner, and an administrative assistant. Toward the end of her work life she referred to herself as downwardly mobile as she took jobs with less and less responsibility! She was a mom, a grandmother, and included her “granddogs” in her family. She played a lot of Canasta, exercised, read, napped, and loved life, her family, and all her friends. Lorrie was in the audience of Short Story Theatre one night when Donna pointed her finger out toward the audience and said, “Maybe you have a story.”
Scott Woldman is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and storyteller based in the Chicago area. His work has been produced at theaters including Chicago Dramatists, Redtwist Theatre, The Artistic Home, and The Auditorium Theatre, and his play Beautiful Autistic earned the Edgerton National New Play Award. He has served as a resident playwright at multiple theaters, teaches playwriting and comedy, and is a company member with 2nd Story Chicago.
Christine Wolf is a memoir coach and founder of Writers’ Haven Evanston, a cozy, inspired workspace for women. While raising her kids in Evanston, Christine earned a Master’s degree in teaching, then launched her professional writing career from her kitchen table. Focused on navigating life’s challenges, her writing has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Runner’s World, Medium’s Better Humans & Invisible Illness, and many other publications. Last year, she launched a free newsletter on Substack, Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf. She’s performed live with Mortified Chicago, Louder Than A Mom, and at The Moth — where she was named StorySLAM champion in June 2022. Christine is hard at work on her own memoir about sisterhood lost and found, and she’ll travel this spring to facilitate and host a series of workshops and retreats about writing to heal. www.christinewolf.com
Judy Yacker retired after a long career as a speech-language pathologist and, previously, a high school English teacher. She has spent the past year learning Spanish, taking (and facilitating!) writing workshops, and traveling; in short, doing all the things she didn’t have time for when she was working. She lives in Highland Park with her husband Scott, and her dog Kiwi. She is honored and humbled to have an opportunity to tell her story with such talented storytellers.
Sarah Zematis is a performer, writer, director & producer. She is a company member with 2nd Story and was also in the Chicago cast of “Listen to your Mother,” a nationwide storytelling event, giving Motherhood a microphone. She has worked throughout Chicago with companies such as Porchlight, Emerald City & Strawdog. Some of her more interesting performance credits include being a maiden at the Bristol Renaissance Faire, singing with an Andrews Sisters trio at Green Dolphin Street, and giving voice to deaf actors at Centerlight Theatre. But, far and away, her favorite gig is being Mom to her Wee Three. Not only do they fill the days with fun – they make for some excellent story material!
Edward Zifkin lives in Highland Park with his wonderful wife, Sue Fieldman. Almost every day they walk their dog, Indie, together. Sue spends each day productively while Ed starts his day as he has for decades, by going out for coffee. When he returns home, he lays around napping, listening to books, thinking about the size of the universe and watching Jeopardy! Several times a week, he drops in unannounced at his friends, Uri and Amy, who don’t seem to mind. On Wednesday, he has a standing lunch appointment with Jim, an old friend, and has an unstanding lunch with his friend, Jon. Occasionally he goes grocery shopping and makes dinner. Like a great number of septuagenarians, Ed has a history of back issues. Which he generally doesn’t talk about.