Cover reveal! Check out the amazing artwork by A King McCarty for the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens Press. Launching May 8!
Tag: Poets of Queens
Prom Queens Anthology
No, YOU Tell It!, in partnership with Poets of Queens, is proud to announce the forthcoming anthology, Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers, coming in the spring of 2026.
Prom Queens team. Photo credit Sachyn Mital.
Sharing stories about going or not going to prom allows us to find commonalities within each other’s unique cultures and identities. This anthology aims to help people, including future prom-goers, celebrate each other’s prom stories instead of feeling pressured to live up to what pop culture has taught us prom is supposed to look like.
What better place to give voice to a diverse range of prom stories than The World’s Borough!
Learn more about the anthology here.
Zombie Prom Queen
Happy Halloween! Fun preview of our forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers from Poets of Queens in spring of 2026.
WATCH anthology contributor and artist A. King McCarty perform “Zombie Prom Queen” at Grove 34 as part of our “Prom Queens” Bookend Event.
Follow us (and tell a friend!) @noyoutellit for updates.
“Prom Queens” Part 1: Jane Frances and Vegas K Jarrow (Episode 83)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Everyone has a story about going (or not going) to prom.
For this special Bookend Event for the 20th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival, four contributors to the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens stepped into each other’s prom stories.
Before we hear the first pair, give a listen as story director Erika Iverson gets to know the storytellers a bit better.
Jane Frances and Vegas K Jarrow. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital
Stories were performed live on September 17, 2025, at Grove 34 in Astoria. Full show program here.
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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
“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
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)
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)
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
