Tag: Culture Lab LIC

No, YOU Did It! Celebrating 2022

Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons here! Sending out accolades for all YOU helped us accomplish this year. Heck, over this past DECADE (wow…), with your love and support.

Keep us in mind for your end-of-year giving to support 10 more years! Click here to make your tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor The Field.

Want to make a donation via a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? Yes, you can do so in support of No, YOU Tell It! through The Field. Contact us at noyoutellit@gmail.com for all the info.

Now, let’s take a look at 2022! Starting with this fantastic 10-year anniversary logo designed by alum storyteller, Zoom guru, and the all-around fabulous Noah Diamond.

JANUARY
WATCH No, YOU Tell It! “Anniversary Apart”

Kicking off our anniversary season, storytellers Chris Crowthers, Gaby Martineau, and Jenna Struble swap tales for our virtual show, “Anniversary Apart,” with support from Tim Lindner & Amanda Sisk as story coach(es) and director! And, of course, the aforementioned Noah Diamond.

All of our story trivia winners received a donation in their name in support of our friends at Friends with Four Paws. Plus a puppy named after them!

MARCH
WATCH No, YOU Tell It! “What I Know” 

In celebration of women’s history month, storytellers developed true tales inspired by the theme “What I Know” on the page. Watch them step into each other’s life experiences on stage. Featuring: Michele Carlo, Julia Granacki, Hannah Leland, and Sheria Mattis

Big thanks to our “What I Know” directors, Erika Iverson and Marcos Stafne.

Fun fact: Sheria Mattis and Michele Carlo’s swap is the most recent pair in the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology 2022, featuring a beautiful introduction by their director, Erika. Give it a read!

Special shoutout to Lee Anderson and Palm Circle Press for making the No, YOU Tell It! anthology a reality.

SEPTEMBER
WATCH No, YOU Tell It! “Punch Up” 

For our September Brooklyn Book Festival “Book End” Event, storytellers who write for the page and the stage developed true stories inspired by the theme “Punch Up.” Featuring: Jenn Wehrung, Aida Zilelian, Matt Storrs, and Maria Rubio.

Plus, guest host and director Ellie Dvorkin Dunn and fab story coaches Tim Lindner and Pichchenda Bao. 

No, YOU Tell It! was proud to receive a 2022 Queens Art Fund (QAF) grant. Both of our live shows at Culture Lab LIC were made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Thank You, QCA!

NOVEMBER
We celebrated the launch of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology 2022 from Palm Circle Press with the first in-person event at The Astoria Bookshop since March 2020!

Thank you to contributors Ellie Dvorkin Dunn and Jeff Wills, who read that evening, and to everyone who came out.

Get or GIFT a copy of our anthology to read through ten years of stories and behind-the-scenes insights for the series. Local to NYC? We encourage you to purchase it through The Astoria Bookshop to support a small, local business.

DECEMBER
Just when you thought all of our anniversary fun was done…
Last week we were honored to receive one of THE BIG GIVE 2022 “Pay Your People” Grants from IndisSpace!

Check out this blog post on IndieSpace website with the links to the names and websites of all of the Pay Your People grant recipients at The Big Give 2022. Please visit their websites to learn more about their work and upcoming productions.

WHEW!! I’m so excited to tell you about the exciting No, YOU Tell It! plans for 2023, but I think I need a nap first…

All my love and gratitude for the support from our amazing No, YOU Tell It! friends and alums all these years. What an amazing journey; I can’t wait to see what the next decade brings.

Happy Holidays and wishing you a bright new year!
Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons

Episode 70 – Punch Up (Part 2)

Celebrating 10 years of No, YOU Tell It!, the second half of our “Punch Up” show starts with the story of a waitress getting a visit from a former co-worker who looks happier and healthier than seems possible. Trying to match her glow-up, she seeks out the same Shaman but finds the visit … less than inspiring.

Enjoy “Shaman Says,” Written by Jenn Wehrung and performed by Aida Zilelian.

You can also WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab, LIC. Or, watch “Punch Up,” and other past shows on the NYTI YouTube channel.

Switching it up, our final story also starts in a bar, where an old frenemy creeps back into every corner of the narrator’s life, causing her to reflect on why some friends are better left in the past.

“One Final Lesson” was written by Aida Zilelian and performed by Jenn Wehrung.

Top left: Jenn Wehrung; Top right: Story partners Aida Zilelian and Jenn Wehrung; Bottom left: Ellie Dvorkin Dunn and Jenn Wehrun; Bottom right: Aida Zilelian

This story swap was directed by our wonderful guest host for the evening, Ellie Dvorkin Dunn.

Returning as a Bookend Event for the Brooklyn Book Festival, our “Punch Up” show also celebrated the release of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology from Palm Circle Press.

Here’s how to check out ALL THE THINGS:

Episode 69 – Punch Up (Part 1)

Lose yourself in school-age nostalgia in our first story, “Confection Resolution,” written by Matt Storrs and performed by Maria Rubio, which finds our hero fighting the same childhood foe … three times.

Switching it up, “The Great Unknowns,” written by Maria Rubio and performed by Matt Storrs, follows an exhausted nurse in the middle of the global pandemic who carves out time for herself with a surfing lesson.

Returning as a Bookend Event for the Brooklyn Book Festival, our “Punch Up” show also celebrated the release of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology from Palm Circle Press.

You can also WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab, LIC. Or, watch “Punch Up,” and other past shows on the NYTI YouTube channel.

Top left: Matt Storrs; Top right: Maria Rubio; Bottom left: Ellie Dvorkin Dunn interviews storyteller Matt Storrs

Huge thank you to alum and guest host Ellie Dvorkin Dunn! Give a listen as she punches up the evening with her warmth and humor.

Here’s how to check out ALL THE THINGS that Ellie mentions in the show:

Watch “Punch Up” to Win!

Have you watched our “Punch Up” show yet? Don’t miss out on these stellar story swaps! There is also still a chance to win the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology 2022.

Watch the show on YouTube, play along with the story trivia at the end, follow @noyoutellit on IG, and DM us three correct responses to win a free copy!!

Left to right: Ellie Dvorkin Dunn, Tim Lindner, Maria Rubio, Matt Storrs, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Aida Zilelian, Jenn Wehrung, Pichchenda Bao

THANK YOU for another amazing show!

Thank you to:

The storytellers for sharing and performing your work.
The creative team and story coaches for making this event possible.
Ellie Dvorkin Dunn for hosting!
Culture Lab LIC for the venue and all your help.
Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends Committee and Coordinator Stephan Herrera for having us for another #BKBF Bookend Event.
Queens Council on the Arts for helping make this possible.
Palm Circle Press for taking on the challenge of getting the anthology out into the world.

And everyone that came or live streamed the show! We couldn’t have made it 10 years without this community!

Look! “Punch Up” Program (In-Person and Virtual Show)

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Our Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event hosted by Ellie Dvorkin Dunn is tonight! In-person at Culture Lab, LIC or WATCH HERE virtually via YouTube.

Doors 6:30 / Show starts at 7 pm!

FREE but we’ll be collecting donations for Friends with Four Paws with a match for the first $50. Want to donate directly? Venmo @friendswith-fourpaws or via their website.

Plus, a chance to win the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology 2022, now available to order in paperback and eBook (with links to listen to all the stories via our podcast).

Take a look at these four storytellers who have been developing their “Punch Up” tales on the page with guest story coach and NYTI alum Pichchenda Bao. Tonight, they’ll step into their partners’ shoes and perform each other stories on stage.

TONIGHT’S STORIES!

Confection Resolution written by Matt Storrs, performed by Maria Rubio, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

The Great Unknowns written by Maria Rubio, performed by Matt Storrs, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

Shaman Says written by Jenn Wehrung, performed by Aida Zilelian, and directed by Ellie Dvorkin Dunn

One Final Lesson written by Aida Zilelian, performed by Jenn Wehrung, and directed by Ellie Dvorkin Dunn

Thank you, thank you to everyone who made this night possible!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2022 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

This show is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
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Want to support 10 more years of No, YOU Tell It! Here are 3 great ways:

  1. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter for updates.
  2. SHARE the No, YOU Tell It! Podcast far and wide. Available on our website and your fav podcasting platforms.
  3. DONATE through our fiscal sponsor The Field. Plus, it’s tax-deductible.

Event Information

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Culture Lab LIC, (5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101)

Meet “Punch Up” Storyteller Matt Storrs

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Rehearsals start tomorrow for Monday’s show. Our storytellers have worked together over the past weeks to develop their true tales on the page. After trading tales, they each work one-on-one with a NYTI director to help embody their story partner’s experience on stage.

Before they begin, let’s meet our final “Punch Up” storyteller, Matt Storrs!!

Matt Storrs is a comedian and storyteller based out of NYC and originally from Phoenix, AZ.

Matt created and performed his one-person show “Portly Lutheran Know-It-All” (Frigid Festival, Denver Fringe Festival, Providence FringePVD). 

He has also been featured in Vox. Matt brings his religious and legal background to the stage with his sharp stories and esoteric comedy. 

Matt Storrs is a humor person.

RSVP via FB or email noyoutellit@gmail.com. You can also watch a live stream of the show here!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2022 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

This show is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Event Information

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Culture Lab LIC, (5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101)

Meet “Punch Up” Storyteller Aida Zilelian

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Our storytellers are busy revising their true tales on the page before flipping scripts to rehearse each other’s stories this weekend. We are so excited about our Bookend Event on Monday and can’t wait for you to meet our next storyteller, Aida Zilelian!

Aida Zilelian is a first-generation American-Armenian writer, educator, and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her debut novel The Legacy of Lost Things was published in 2015 and was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. Aida has been featured on NPR, The Huffington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Poets & Writers, and various reading series throughout Queens and Manhattan. She is also the curator of Boundless Tales, which was one of the longest-running reading series in Queens, NY. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for the 2018 Katherine Anne Porter Award. Aida’s most recently completed novel, All the Ways We Lied, is forthcoming in January 2024 (Keylight Books). 

RSVP via FB or email noyoutellit@gmail.com. You can also watch a live stream of the show here!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2022 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

This show is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Event Information

Sep 26 2022 @ 7:00PM

Culture Lab LIC, (5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101)

Episode 63 – What I Know (Part 2)

This first story takes us on the painful and isolating journey of struggling with stubborn fibroids. Kicking off the second half of our “What I Know” show, our storyteller must find the strength to physically and mentally overcome the enemy inside. Click here to watch a live stream of the show via YouTube.

Here’s “Knowing is Half the Battle,” written by Sheria Mattis and performed by Michele Carlo.

What better way to celebrate Women’s History Month and 10 years of No, YOU Tell It! than this stellar storyteller swap introduced by their director Erika Iverson.

Story partners: Michele Carlo and Sheria Mattis

Switching it up, our final storyteller reflects on her youthful battle to control her hair in an attempt to redefine her identity.

“Viva La Curlvolution!” was written by Michele Carlo, performed here by Sheria Mattis.

The first in-person show of our 10-year anniversary season took place at Culture Lab, LIC, in Queens on March 7th, 2022.

Episode 62 – What I Know (Part 1)

When the healthcare system fails to provide information and resources on how to handle perimenopause, the narrator of our first tale takes matters into her own hands.

Give a listen to No One Told Me written by Julia Granacki, performed by Hannah Leland, and directed by Marcos Stafne. Click here to give a listen to Julia’s perimenopause podcast Circling the Drain!

Click here to watch a live stream of the show via YouTube.

Story partners: Julia Granacki and Hannah Leland

Switching it up, our second story takes us on a journey of exploring womanhood and femininity, with all of the tension of expectations, reality, and identity in between.

Finally Arriving was written by Hannah Leland, performed by Julia Granacki, and directed by Marcos Stafne

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the first in-person show of our 10-year anniversary season took place at Culture Lab, LIC, in Queens on March 7th, 2022.

Watch “What I Know”

Happy International Women’s Day! We’re so grateful these amazing people shared their stories with the world yesterday. With this year’s #breakthebias theme, we’re celebrating the women, gender non-conforming individuals, and allies across the world fighting to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination.

Couldn’t make the show last night? View the Culture Lab live stream below (show starts at 2:10 min) and keep an eye out for our podcasts in the coming weeks. If you feel moved, consider donating here to help us keep bringing stories like these into the world.

Event Information

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