. At 6:30 

Lisa Colleen loves the sharing of stories because they connect, empower and INSPIRE! As a mother, grandmother and coach, she has an endless supply of stories to tell. Rarely does she make it through the telling of one story without wanting to interrupt herself with another story. 

Nancy Heffernan's always been drawn to folk music. A lover of lyrics, she’s found inspiration in the music of Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison. Nancy appreciates other women singer/songwriters such as Canadian artists: Frazey Ford & Kathleen Edwards; Irish artists: Sinéad Lohan & Mary Black; U.S. artists Tracey Chapman and yes...Taylor Swift! 

When not playing guitar, Nancy helps clients near and far heal in a variety of ways through her work at www.spiritstrength.com

Storyteller and Executive Coach, Lee Melchior started telling stories as a kid growing up in the Mississippi River Valley, then as a peace activist who immigrated to Canada, an inn keeper on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba and later as a communication consultant in New York and Chicago. She has appeared as a storyteller at Story Sessions at City Winery, Truth or Lie Reading Series, The Moth, The Back Room in Oak Park and This Much is True. She hosts three shows: Do Not Submit Open Mic in Edgewater, Chimera Loft in Evanston and the Story Rug at Evanston Farmers’ Market.  

Victoria Reeves, Writer, Storyteller and Creativity/ Coach, loves to explore 3 questions. Who are you? Why are you here? What is the story you came to tell? Most afternoons you can find her sipping on an espresso, playing with words and happily contemplating the meaning of life. Her funny and reflective stories open the discourse on race, identity, border hopping, creativity and living on the edge. She has performed at Louder than a Mom, Story Lab, This Much is True, Is This a Thing? and Do Not Submit. www.ProsperityCareerCoaching.com 

R.C. Riley is a queer warrior woman, writer, performer, and storyteller who began writing as a means of healing after a sexual assault.  R.C.'s work challenges heteronormative views and seeks to find justice for and liberate those who have felt left out, forgotten, ignored, and unloved by our society.  Her 1-woman show, Wrong Way Journey delineates her personal journey of healing from trauma to triumph. When she's not performing her solo show, R.C. can be found telling short stories around the Chicagoland area.  Check out her next performance dates at www.rcrileyempowers.com.

Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck is an actor, dancer, singer, writer and most importantly, a Mom. She’s a Belgian girl raised in Detroit, but thanks to her highly useful Bachelors degree in Theatre and Dance, she has appeared in numerous productions across this great land of ours; from A Chorus Line, Forbidden Broadway, Always, Patsy Cline, Forbidden Hollywood, Motherhood, the Musical, to the long running, highly successful and all too relatable show, Menopause, the Musical. Kimberly has been fortunate enough to be apart of story telling events all around the Chicagoland area; such as, Filet of Solo, Chicago Story Sessions, Voicebox, Homewood Stories, Miss Spoken and Louder Than A Mom.

Rachal Brooks, Lisa Colleen, Amy Heiting, Chris Trani, and Scott Whitehair

“Writing poetry and stories gave me the voice I never realized I had. My poems and writing are evidence of living, healing, falling, and rising - shared to help others do the same. I’m a runner, writer, listener, occasional farmer, and adventurer. I love all kinds of music, traveling and being near the water.” 

-Rachal Brooks

Lisa Colleen loves the sharing of stories because they connect, empower and INSPIRE! As a mother, grandmother and coach, she has an endless supply of stories to tell. Rarely does she make it through the telling of one story without wanting to interrupt herself with another story. 

Amy Heiting has shared her love of stories and obsession with words throughout her years teaching high school English as she helped her students find their voices, explore their identities, and make sense of their histories through storytelling.  She recently stepped away from the classroom and, as a stay-at-home mom, is set on making sure her daughter is as captivated by stories and language as she is.  Her passion for reading and writing led her to pursue a doctorate in literacy which she will finish this May. 

Chris Trani is a fantastic up-and-coming stand-up comedian from Chicago, IL who strives to integrate all forms of comedy into his act: stand-up, storytelling, crowd work; and if need be, he can do it all in Spanish (kinda)! Winner of National Public Radio's The MOTH and the SNUBFEST Comedy Festival for Storytelling in 2015, Chris has shared the stage with TJ Miller, Roy Wood Jr. of The Daily Show, and Dov Davidoff of HBO’s CRASHING. Chris is the house emcee at The House of Blues Chicago and can be seen performing at clubs all throughout the region, including The Comedy Bar, Zanies, Laugh Factory, and Crackers Comedy Club Indianapolis, and his hometown venue, Helium Comedy in St. Louis, MO.

Scott Whitehair is a storyteller, producer, and teacher from Chicago,IL.  He is host of This Much Is True, one of the city's longest running personal narrative series, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 600+ new and first time tellers on stage since 2011, and director of Do Not Submit, a citywide network of open mics with the goal of creating empathy among neighbors. He tells stories anywhere someone will listen, which has included The National Storytelling Festival's Exchange Place,  and on NPR and The Risk Podcast.. Scott teaches a perpetually sold out monthly class, and trains corporations, non-profits, and individuals to find their voices. In 2014, he was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week, headlined by David Sedaris,  

Lily Be, Margaret Burk, John Capaul, Lisa Colleen, and Patrick Curtin.

Margaret Burk co-produces and co-hosts two monthly storytelling events in Oak Park/River Forest: BACK ROOM STORIES at Hamburger Mary's, and Do Not Submit Oak Park at the Eastgate Cafe.  After a career in fundraising for arts organization, Margaret returned to her love - the spoken word.  She performs throughout the Chicago area and believes in the power of story, not only to entertain, but to touch the heart, spark the imagination and embolden the spirit.

John Capaul  is a storyteller, essayist and playwright.  John has performed at Pour One Out, Three Cats Cabaret, Bughouse, Tenx9, The Stoop, Chicago Dramatists, Ice House, Story Club, Duly Noted, Story Jam and Truth or Lies. 

For money he's a marketing professional at a large, independent, Chicago-based marketing innovation agency. 

For almost three years, he was the organizer for Chicago Theater Meetup and board member and fund raiser for Interrobang Theatre Project, where they earned fourteen Jeff nominations and won four awards in last two years. 

John is an enthusiastic and unskilled dancer, and loves Irish whiskey, fruit-filled butter-crust pies, and his dogs, Hank and Gabby. 

Quoting John:  "If you buy me good Irish or Scotch whiskey, I will gladly talk about my zeal for writing, my love of my dogs, my love for blues music, and what being deaf in one ear means to me."

Patrick Curtin is a Chicago native that incorporates storytelling as a celebrant for weddings, memorials and other moments in life that should be celebrated. Patrick has shared stories at the Irish American Heritage Center, Steppenwolf, Second City and the Goodman Theater.

Ada Cheng, Lisa Colleen, Beatriz Gartler, Karen Genelly, and Randy Kim