Tag: Brooklyn Book Festival

“Prom Queens” Night to Remember

Left to right: Jane Salvador, Erika Iverson, Ricki Richards, Vegas K Jarrow, Tim Lindner, Kelly Jean Fizsimmons and Pichchenda Bao.

Still reeling from our spectacular “Prom Queens” show last week! Follow us on Insta and FB for more photos and new podcast episodes coming soon.

Huge THANK YOU to:

  • Everyone who came out to experience the show. (We SOLD OUT again!)
  • Our four storytellers – Jane Salvador, Vegas K Jarrow, Ricki Richards, and Tim Lindner – for sharing their beautiful stories.
  • Kelly Jean Firzsimmons for her amazing After After Prom reading and hosting.
  • Erika Iverson, Pichchenda Bao, and Kelly Jean for their incredible directorial and story support.
  • A. King McCarty for the KILLER original song “Zombie Prom Queen” and performance (and fab trivia prizes!!)
  • Zach Rothman-Hicks for everything he did with the workshops and to support the show.
  • Olena Jennings for her beautiful textile art and for helping bring these stories and more to the world with Poets of Queens and the forthcoming anthology.
  • Grove 34 for providing us with the perfect venue.
  • Greater Astoria Historical Society for their continued support. Join us back at Grove 34 on 10/15 for the GAHS 40th Anniversary Party!! Tickets here.
  • Flushing Town Hall, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York Foundation for the Arts for helping make this show a reality.
  • The Brooklyn Book Festival for the opporunity to be a Bookend Event once again.
  • Sachyn Mital for the beautiful photos.

Until next time!

As you can see, it takes a village to produce each new No, YOU Tell It! show.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation (or set up a recurring one!) to support new shows and our commitment to compensate all of our artists.

Left to Right: Erika Iverson, Olena Jennings, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Pichchenda Bao, Zach Rothman-Hicks, and Tim Lindner

September 24, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Look! “Prom Queens” Program

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Our Queens Bookend Event is tonight! Get your tickets here and check out all the amazing Bookend Events across the five boroughs in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Take a look at the four contributors to the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens who will step into each other’s prom stories on stage at Grove 34 in Astoria.

The anthology and tonight’s stories stem from a series of Prom Queens: Prom Story and Portrait Trading Workshops held in May and June as part of a 2025 Queens Art Fund New Work Grant.

During these free generative workshops, participants were invited to share their prom story through a series of written and visual prompts from Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and Zach Rothman-Hicks.

Plus, textile artwork by Olena Jennings, special musical performance from A. King McCarty, reading by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons from her memoir After After Prom, and story trivia for fun Halloween prizes!

Stories

  • A Prom Story by Jane Salvador, performed by Vegas K Jarrow, and directed by Erika Iverson
  • Prom Night 1996 by Vegas K Jarrow, performed by Jane Salvador, and directed by Erika Iverson
  • Prom Night With Rain by Tim Lindner, performed by Ricki Richards, and directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons
  • Terre de Feu: Land of Fire by Ricki Richards, performed by Tim Lindner, and directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons

Creative Team

  • Pichchenda Bao – Story Coach, Prom Queens Anthology Editor
  • Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons – NYTI Producer, Story Coach, Story Director, Prom Queens Workshops
  • Erika Iverson – Story Director
  • Olena Jennings – Poets of Queens and Prom Queens Anthology Curator
  • Tim Lindner – NYTI Co-Producer, Social Media, Prom Queens Anthology Editor
  • Zach Rothman-Hicks – Prom Queens Workshops

Storyteller Bios

Tim Lindner is a Writer and a Project Manager based in Jersey City, NJ. He’s been working with No, YOU Tell It! as a story coach and co-producer since 2020. Tim has published poems in The Northern Virginia Review, Awakenings Review, the Artemis Journal, and more. He is also the editor of The Book of Life After Death, a collection of stories and poems about death and grieving, published by Tolsun Books in September 2023.

Vegas K Jarrow is the rebirth of Vijay R. Nathan, who is the pen name of Vijay Ramanathan. This particular stream of human consciousness grew up in Staten Island in New York City. He is a two-time Master’s degree earning poet and is a full-time PhD student at Saybrook University. His published books include Escape from Samsara, Celebrity Sadhana, and Breakdown Dancer, the last published by Poets of Queens Press. He worked for 15 years with Queens Public Library and appreciates the diverse flavors of all the neighborhoods in Queens.  Go to his linktree, handle Vegas Jarrow, to explore the rabbit holes that represent what he has become. 

Jane Salvador (she / they) is from Queens NY and won’t ever let you forget it. By day she teaches English to the youth of the city and by night she enjoys what her hometown has to offer.

Ricki Richards made her life debut in California and moved to New York to obtain a nursing degree at NYU. Professionally steeped in soapy water, her career has been dedicated to teaching young minds the murky art of hand-washing through her service as a Youth Public Health Educator in the Peace Corps and many years as School Nurse in New York City. She is the co-creator and co-Race Director of the Queens based “Bridge and a Slice Half Marathon” and “Hot Dog Eater 50 Kilometer” races and has completed multiple ultra-marathon distances. A believer in the healing power of stories and storytelling, Ricki built and maintains a free community “Mosaic Your Mind” mini library and as an amateur documentarian, is in the process of making a documentary about running entitled “Bruised Toes.”

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

September 17, 2025 1 comment Live Shows Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Meet “Prom Queens” Storyteller Tim Lindner

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Our final storyteller is a longtime No, YOU Tell It! story coach and champion. Don’t miss Tim Lindner’s debut on the stage next week. Get your tickets here and meet Tim!

Tim Lindner is a Writer and a Project Manager based in Jersey City, NJ. He’s been working with No, YOU Tell It! as a story coach and co-producer since 2020. Tim has published poems in The Northern Virginia Review, Awakenings Review, the Artemis Journal, and more. He is also the editor of The Book of Life After Death, a collection of stories and poems about death and grieving, published by Tolsun Books in September 2023.

 

 

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall.

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

September 12, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , ,

Meet “Prom Queens” Storyteller Jane Salvador

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Our second story meeting is tomorrow night! Excited to hear the “Prom Queens” revisions, but first meet our next storyteller Jane Salvador. Get your tickets here.

Jane Salvador (she / they) is from Queens NY and won’t ever let you forget it. By day she teaches English to the youth of the city and by night she enjoys what her hometown has to offer.

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall.

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

September 9, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , ,

Meet “Prom Queens” Storyteller Vegas K Jarrow

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Meet our second storyteller and come to the show to learn the origin story behind the name Vegas K Jarrow!

Get your tickets here.

 

Vegas K Jarrow is the rebirth of Vijay R. Nathan, who is the pen name of Vijay Ramanathan. This particular stream of human consciousness grew up in Staten Island in New York City. He is a two-time Master’s degree earning poet and is a full-time PhD student at Saybrook University. His published books include Escape from Samsara, Celebrity Sadhana, and Breakdown Dancer, the last published by Poets of Queens Press. He worked for 15 years with Queens Public Library and appreciates the diverse flavors of all the neighborhoods in Queens.  Go to his linktree, handle Vegas Jarrow, to explore the rabbit holes that represent what he has become. 

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall.

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

September 8, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: ,

Meet “Prom Queens” Storyteller Ricki Richards

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Fantastic first story meeting this week! The show is less than two weeks away and we can’t wait for you to meet our four storytellers.

First up, is Ricki Richards. Meet Ricki below and get your “Prom Queens” tickets here.

 

Ricki Richards made her life debut in California and moved to New York to obtain a nursing degree at NYU. Professionally steeped in soapy water, her career has been dedicated to teaching young minds the murky art of hand-washing through her service as a Youth Public Health Educator in the Peace Corps and many years as School Nurse in New York City. She is the co-creator and co-Race Director of the Queens based “Bridge and a Slice Half Marathon” and “Hot Dog Eater 50 Kilometer” races and has completed multiple ultra-marathon distances. A believer in the healing power of stories and storytelling, Ricki built and maintains a free community “Mosaic Your Mind” mini library and as an amateur documentarian, is in the process of making a documentary about running entitled “Bruised Toes.”

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

September 5, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , ,

Get Your “Prom Queens” Tickets!

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Tickets are available for our PROM QUEENS show. Get your tickets here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this Bookend Event, four contributors to the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens will step into each other’s prom stories.

Storytellers

  • Vegas K Jarrow
  • Tim Lindner
  • Ricki Richards
  • Jane Salvador

Creative Team

  • Pichchenda Bao
  • Zach Rothman-Hicks
  • Erika Iverson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus, artwork by Olena Jennings and A. King McCarty, special reading by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons from her memoir After After Prom, and story trivia for fun literary prizes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall

Event Information

Sep 17 2025 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Queens, NY 11106)

August 11, 2025 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Next Show: NYTI “Prom Queens” 9/17

Save the date for our next show: 9/17. This is going to be a super fun one! Get your tickets here.

  • No, YOU Tell It! “Prom Queens” is AN OFFICIAL 2025 BOOKEND EVENT, part of a week of literary events across all five boroughs leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival.
  • YES! The show is in Queens at Grove 34 in Astoria and features contributors to our forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens.
  • Our own Tim Lindner is stepping up as a storyteller for the first time!
  • NYTI Alums Olena Jennings and A. King McCarty are creating original artwork.
  • Kelly Jean is reading from her memoir After After Prom.

Plus, other PROM QUEENS surprises! Save the date and see you in September.

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the
Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation
administered by Flushing Town Hall

August 5, 2025 Post Comment News Tags: , , ,

“Hell Gate” Part 2: Alicia Lieu and A. King McCarty (Episode 76)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

After the main arch was completed, a writer for the New York Tribune said: Perhaps never in human history has a mechanical triumph of such magnitude been launched with so little fanfare.

In the second half of our Hell Gate show, founding member and story director Erika Iverson interviews the authors before their story partners take the stage so that we can learn more about them and the inspiration for their true tales, the history of the Hell Gate Bridge from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives.

Listen to Part 1 here.

Story Partners Alicia Lieu and A. King McCarty

Featured Stories

THE BRIDGE TO THE BRIDGE, by Alicia Lieu, performed by A. King McCarty, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

UNDER THE HELL GATE, by A. King McCarty, performed by Alicia Lieu, and directed by Erika Iverson

Bios

Alicia Lieu, Jackson Heights/Elmhurst based composer/conductor hails from San Jose, California. As a composer, she has been awarded grants from QCA and City Artist Corps. She is the creator of Dance-it-Yourself Nutcracker and co-founder of nonprofits Composers Collective, Pitches Brew, and New York Conducting Institute. She spent two years living abroad in Shanghai, China, before moving to NYC and conducting has taken her to Russia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. She earned her B.A. in Music Composition from UC Santa Barbara, M.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from UT El Paso.

A. King McCarty (Ashley King) is an artist, writer, actor, musician and founder of Artstoria New York with her husband and fellow creator, Graham McCarty. She is a two-time recipient of the Queens Community Art Grant and an Art Hotel resident artist. She lives near the Hell Gate Bridge with her husband, son and lots of plants and comic books. Visit her on Instagram at @artstoriany and @akingmccarty

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

October 22, 2024 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , , , , ,

“Hell Gate” Part 1: Jackie Sherbow and Mia Arias Tsang (Episode 75)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“With a regular coat of paint that bridge can last as long as the pyramids.” – Bob Singleton, Executive Director, Greater Astoria Historical Society from Hell Gate Bridge, an Astoria icon, turns 100 years old in AMNY, March 27, 2017

Our September Hell Gate show at Grove 34 in Astoria was a Queens-based Bookend Event for the 2024 Brooklyn Book Festival. Four Queens storytellers traded true tales inspired by the history of the Hell Gate Bridge from the archives of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.

Before their story partner takes the stage, story coach Pichchenda Bao asks the authors a Hell Gate-themed question to learn a bit more about the iconic bridge and the writer. The full program is here.

Story partners Jackie Sherbow and Mia Arias Tsang. Photo credit Yui Kitamura.

Featured Stories

CROSSING THE BRIDGE by Jackie Sherbow, performed by Mia Arias Tsang, directed by Erika Iverson

REAWAKENING by Mia Arias Tsang, performed by Jackie Sherbow, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

Bios

Jackie Sherbow is the Woodside, Queens-based author of Harbinger (Finishing Line Press, 2019), publisher at THRASH Press, and senior managing editor of Ellery Queen’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazines. Their poems and stories have appeared in places like The Sierra Nevada Review, Luna Luna, Mystery Magazine, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. They are the former editor-in-chief and currently serve on the board of directors of Newtown Literary, the journal and organization dedicated to the writers of Queens.

Mia Arias Tsang is a writer and freelance editor based in New York City. Her work explores themes of queer desire, intimacy, and disconnect. A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, her work has appeared in Copy, Autostraddle, Half Mystic Press, Fatal Flaw Magazine, and Broad Recognition Magazine, among others. She is a copy editor for the literary magazine Identity Theory and program coordinator at the literary nonprofit House of SpeakEasy, and writes a newsletter called Overripe Peach. She lives in Queens with her cat, Peanut, and is currently working on a novel.

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

October 14, 2024 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , , , ,
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