Tag: Sunnyside Arts

Happy 12-Year Anniversary

We are excited and grateful to celebrate 12 years of switched-up storytelling. Click here to read how it all began on May 8, 2012, in the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology foreword and take a look at NYTI “Over the Years” highlights below.

CELEBRATE with us this Saturday, May 11, at ART HEART: STORYTELLING AND PORTRAIT TRADING pay-what-you-wish community event at Sunnyside Arts from 2 to 4.

Meet and share stories with the No, YOU Tell It! “Left My Heart” storytellers. Then GRAB YOUR TICKETS HERE for our June team-up show with the Greater Astoria Historical Society at Grove 34 in Astoria.

Keep it going! Click here to donate in support of a new decade of No, YOU Tell It!

May 8, 2024 Post Comment News Tags: , , ,

Next Show! NYTI “Left My Heart”

Jun 05 2024 @ 7:00PM

Grab your ticket for our next show! Four curated storytellers will trade tales inspired by the music and history of Astoria native Tony Bennett from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives. Plus, story trivia for fun literary prizes.

Want to meet the storytellers and share your story before the show? Join us on May 11 for ART HEART: STORYTELING AND PORTRAIT TRADING at Sunnyside Arts. All are welcome at this pay-what-you-wish community event. Register here.

Storytellers:

Carl Banks

January Yoon Cho

Catherine Kapphahn

Zach Rothman-Hicks

 

NYTI Creative Team:

KJ Fitzsimmons

Pichchenda Bao

Erika Iverson

Tim Lindner

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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.

Event Information

Jun 05 2024 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Astoria)

May 1, 2024 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , , , , , ,

Art Heart: Storytelling and Portrait Trading

Join us for Art Heart: Storytelling and Portrait Trading on Saturday, May 11th (2-4 pm) at Sunnyside Arts. Register here.

Participants will engage with the music and history of Astoria native Tony Bennett from the archives of the Greater Astoria Historical Society to inspire and trade personal stories with a partner.

Then, the story partners will trace each other’s faces on transparency paper and incorporate what they heard in their stories to create a composite portrait of their partner.

All are welcome to this pay-what-you-wish Queens community building event and kick-off for our June No, YOU Tell It! “Left My Heart” show. Questions? Contact noyoutellit@gmail.com.

Workshop Facilitators

Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons is a writer, educator, and storyteller. Her recent work has appeared in HiLoBrow, Marie Claire, Hippocampus Magazine, and numerous anthologies. She designs and teaches college essay writing workshops through The Center for Fiction, House of SpeakEasy’s SpeakTogether program, and at high schools nationwide. She is the producer of No, YOU Tell It!, a nonfiction series that brings storytellers together to trade tales, speak each other’s words, and empower voices on the page and stage. Kelly Jean is also the editor of the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology, available from Palm Circle Press. Follow @noyoutellit for more.

Zach Rothman-Hicks is an educator and multimedia conceptual artist who creates interactive performances and projects intended to spark reflection, dialogue, and action. He has been a New York City Public School teacher since September 2009 and an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College since 2012 and Queens College since 2022. In April 2020, while a student in the PIMA MFA Program at Brooklyn College, he initiated Gabbing with Gays, a project that explored Emotional Intimacy in the LGBTQIA+ community. This project inspired future interactive art pieces, which were presented at the Staten Island Museum, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Newhouse Center, Alice Austen House, Easton Mountain, Queens Public Library, Hunters Point Park Conservancy, Chashama, Culture Lab, and the 14th Street Y.

André Knights is a Health and Wellness Instructor and certified LMT. He has worked with at-risk youth in an alternative school setting in the New York City Department of Education for more than 20 years. Prior to this, he worked in the Adult Literacy Program at the Brooklyn Public Library. He and Zach have collaborated on numerous social practice art projects since 2021.

 

April 17, 2024 Post Comment News Tags: , , , , ,

Queens Community Events and New Show

Save the dates for these upcoming Queens community events open to all and our NEW SHOW at Grove 34!

Register here for the Queens & Me: Personal Writing Workshop at The Astoria Bookshop. Writers of all levels welcome!

Follow us on FB and Insta for more details on our Art Heart event and upcoming “Left My Heart” show.

March 12, 2024 Post Comment News Tags: , ,

Show, Workshops, & Alum Updates!

Our next show is June 5th at Grove 34 in partnership with the Greater Astoria Historical Society. SAVE THE DATE!

But first… Come tell your story at writing workshops led by NYTI producers Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and Tim Lindner. Kelly Jean leads a monthly Sip & Scribe at Sunnyside Arts.  Register HERE for Friday, March 1.

Plus, don’t miss her “Queens & Me: Personal Writing Workshop” at The Astoria Bookshop on 4/17.

Tim leads a monthly Write with Flights at Departed Soles Brewery in Jersey City. Click HERE to register for this month’s, which is coming up fast on Thursday, February 22.

What have our NYTI Alums been up to? So happy you asked! Here are some fun updates.

Monique Peterson performs at Jimmy’s No. 43 in 2013. Photo by Gili Getz.

SPECIAL WEST COAST SHOUT OUT to MONIQUE PETERSON from our “Alter Egos” show, who will be the only spoken word story performer in the upcoming Center for the Arts open mic showcase in Nevada County, California, this Wednesday, February 21.

 

GABRIEL BEREZIN produces and hosts the podcast FUGUES.

Gabriel Berezin swaps stories with Courtney Frances Fallon in Ep 38: Blowback Part 2. Give a listen here!

 New episodes coming out next month! What is Fugues? The quick answer – it’s The Moth with neuroscience and music (and a bit of sci-fi…) 

More details at:

 

ROSALIE CHANDLER is stepping up to perform her “Here & Gone” story from our first team-up show with the Greater Astoria Historical Society next month for RISK!

Rosalie surprises her fellow storytellers with Westinghouse Time Capsule buttons at our “Here & Gone” show at Grove 34.

Helmed by “College Try” storyteller Kevin Allison, RISK! is a live show and weekly podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public. Come join us to see how Rosalie’s story has grown now that she’s doing the telling.

RISK! Live in NYC & Online 

Thursday, 3/21/24

Caveat, 21 A Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

9:30 PM  / Doors 9:00 PM

Tickets: http://risk-show.com/live

 

CHRIS CROWTHERS (center square) opened up a shop with his husband last year in Narrowsburg, NY!

Project Weekend: Weekend Goods for Good Weekends. Check it out HERE.

Give a LISTEN or WATCH Chris’s story “Watermelon Sugar” in our Anniversary Apart online show from January 2022!

They sell Men’s Clothing + Accessories and Outdoorsy + Weekend Inspired Goods. Follow them on IG: @projectweekendny

 

Founding member MIKE DRESSEL recently profiled the Choreographer Bruno Isakovic for the Gay & Lesbian Review. Note: The piece hasn’t gone up yet, but it will run HERE soon. Maybe even by the time you check!

Mike Dressel hosts our 2019 “Snapped!” show. Give a listen and read Mike’s intro about our special Stonewall50 story swap at Dixon Place in the NYTI Ten-Year Anthology.

He also has a Bookshop.org affiliate site where he’s curated some reading material. Check it out and shop through the link: https://bookshop.org/shop/Dressel

 

MATT STORRS was recently on The Moth (2/13), and you can listen to the episode (available 2/19) here!

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

Give a listen to Matt’s “Punch Up” swap or WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab.

Matt also filmed Stories from the Stage in Boston on 2/14, and last but not least, keep an eye out for him at the NYC Fringe in April! We’ll share more info as it becomes available.

 

Congratulations to AIDA ZILELIAN for her newly released novel All the Ways We Lied, which explores the commonality of sisterhood through the eyes of four unforgettable women who have nothing in common except that they are bound by Armenian blood and history.

Upcoming Book Events!

New York/Queens

Boston/Somerville

Rhode Island

  • April 19 – Riffraff Bookstore 
  • April 20 – Watertown Library
  • April 21 – St. Sahag Church

Back in NYC/Queens!

  • April 27 – Lincoln Center: Key speaker for Genocide Awareness
  • May 9 – LIC Book Culture

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

Give a LISTEN to Aida’s “Punch Up” swap or WATCH the full show live-streamed from Culture Lab. You can also watch other past shows on the NYTI YouTube channel.

Still Reading? THANK YOU for your support. Keep it going!
Spread the word about all these alum updates.
Tell a friend to follow No, YOU Tell It!
CLICK HERE to make a donation through The Field.

That’s all for now. Follow Insta and Facebook for more. NYTI Alums, feel free to send us your news for our next update!

February 19, 2024 Post Comment News Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meet “Fly By” Artist Annie Shi

Sep 28 2023 @ 7:00PM

I never drew more planes in my life! – Annie Shi

Delighted to meet artist Annie Shi at the Astoria Bookshop during the Queens Art Fair organized by Sunnyside Arts; we commissioned her to create this animated image of Elinor Smith’s 1928 flight under four East River bridges – Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg … and Queensboro!

Our storytellers’ true tales were inspired by Annie’s artwork, and we asked her about the experience:

When Kelly Jean first told me about this project, I was ecstatic that I could take part in such an important show but also worried that I wouldn’t be able to do Elinor Smith justice as I’m not used to working with historical figures. But with the help of Kelly Jean, Tim Lindner, and Bob Singleton of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, I learned a lot about Waco planes, barnstormers, and, most importantly, Elinor. We wanted to illustrate her story and achievements, which I’ve worked into a gif and short zine. I never drew more planes in my life!

Learn more about Annie below and get your tickets to receive your copy of her Elinor Smith-inspired Zine at our show!

I’m an artist based in Queens who loves storytelling, the supernatural, and cats! I also enjoy making bite-sized, cozy gifs and participating in art fairs during my free time!

 

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2023 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.

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.

Event Information

Sep 28 2023 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Astoria)

September 18, 2023 1 comment Live Shows Tags: , , , , , ,

Next Show! “Here & Gone”

May 18 2023 @ 7:00PM

SAVE THE DATE for our next show at Grove 34 in partnership with The Greater Astoria Historical Society.

For this special QUEENS show, our four storytellers are working with the NYTI team to create modern-day true tales inspired by the rich and, at times, unknown history of the borough.

Want to tell your “Queens & Me” story? Join our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons for a personal writing workshop at Sunnyside Arts on 4/21. Open to writers of all levels! More info and register here.

Event Information

May 18 2023 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (3183 34th St., Astoria)

April 12, 2023 Post Comment Live Shows Tags: , , ,