Join us for a beautiful winter night of live, true storytelling according to this 7-year-long Chicago potluck tradition. Here, Chicago was born in the early twenty-teens, and December 15th will be our last show of the decade! Join us for a night of diverse and vital creative community: people from all different industries, backgrounds, ages, life experiences and perspectives coming together over arts that belong to everyone~ great storytelling and delicious food. Our show takes place on the beautiful stages of Stage 773, so you’ll have a comfy seat and an excellent view.
If you want to bring a potluck dish to share, you get in free! If you want to share a true story from your life, we have 5 open open-mic spots! For suggestions on bringing a dish or preparing a story, please see here. We also feature 5 guests who we’ve invited to share a personal story with you because we have the feeling it will be an excellent one.
For our last show of 2019, a wonderful group of people are gathering to tell you their stories. Read on to learn more about them.
Wendi Nelson was born and raised in Chicago, and is currently in the process of locating to Fort Meyers Beach, Florida, which she loves because of the weather! Wendi uses storytelling in her work as a Sales Trainer and Management Consultant, where she helps people work together in more creative and productive ways. Her career has been an amazing journey that’s allowed her to support people by using humor, insight, generosity, and– our most valuable resource– time. Lately she’s been taking storytelling to a new level, sharing humorous personal moments from her life with public audiences, and she is loving it. She has participated in 2 Moth Slams (Miami and Chicago), coming in 2nd place both times! She is committed to working her way to a Moth Ball invite in New York City, and is thrilled and honored to have been asked to appear at Here, Chicago.
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Myron Laban is a visual artist and pharmacist most known for his CTA Project and Uplift pieces. His “Uplift” series represents the ability to keep moving forward during struggle, while maintaining hope that things will be okay. In 2017 he was named “best new visual artist” by The Chicago Reader and has been featured on WGN and WCIU. Myron has incorporated his art into the community with organizations such as Sip of Hope, SocialWorks, and Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. For more information, visit www.myronlaban.com or instagram @myronlaban
Dr. Nisha Mehta is an Endodontic surgery specialist… which is a bit of a dirty job with a bad rap, but let’s face it: people couldn’t go on without her skills. Nisha was raised in South Bend, Indiana, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Purdue University and a Doctoral Degree from Indiana University School of Dentistry. She discovered her love for endodontics while working alongside her mentor, Dr. John Dale, and was excited to pursue her passion and obtained a Master of Science and Certificate in Endodontics from Saint Louis University in Missouri. Outside of the surgery suite, her interests include hiking in the mountains, biking, skiing, and kayaking, spending time with family members, and helping with animal rescues. She values experiences and wants to learn how to share them in a more meaningful and creative way. This is her first time telling a story in public and it is a bit nerve-wracking!
Matt Fleming has lived in Chicago for 19 years. He works as a litigation paralegal at Sperling & Slater. He has 3 children, ages 18, 16 and 14, who are the inspirations of his storytelling. Matt first attended Here, Chicago in 2015, where he told a walkup story about the impending arrival of his second child, Maeve. Since then, he has occasionally told Here, Chicago walkup stories, and in 2017 became Sound Master and Podcast Designer for the show. Matt also volunteers at CircEsteem, a social circus in Uptown where his children have been active members and, occasionally, when time permits and the stars align, pursues his original passion: acting. Matt has a bachelors degree in theatre from the University of Northern Iowa and a masters degree in acting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can seen him this April in Theatre Evolve‘s production of Kruzogor, where he will play not 1, but 2, dads!
Anthony Vasquez is our Audience Favorite Walk-Up Teller from September’s story slam! And he wants you to know he is not a good man. He is simply a man, who tries to do more good than harm in his life but isn’t always successful. By day he is a fundraiser, mediocre jiujtsu practitioner and half-assed activist. He moonlights as a passionate lover of words, a seeker of light and truth and an explorer of mystery. Mostly he’s just a dog dad to an infinitely lovable Chihuahua named Rocky.
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Carly Oishi is joining Janna Sobel as co-host of Here Chicago on December 15th! Carly is Janna’s friend, and Director of Financial Capability at Ladder Up, a non-profit organization that provides hardworking people with the financial resources they need to move up the economic ladder. It provides free programs to help clients secure tax refunds, gain knowledge to navigate complex financial systems, and obtain financial aid to make college dreams a reality. Carly is also a respected Chicago writer and blogger who has produced and performed for the better part of seven years. She co-created and produced Solo in the 2nd City, and co-founded and hosted the women’s reading series Miss Spoken. She recently bought a house in Beverly, a car because her other one broke down unexpectedly, and a puppy just to complicate her life. Catch her at The Paper Machete at 3pm at The Green Mill on Saturday, Dec 21st.
Join us on Sunday night, December 15th at 7:30 pm for a good ol’ time. The doors open at 7:30 for the potluck, and stories start at 8. Our whole reason for being is to come together with good people, learn something new, find common ground, and make something joyful. We’d love to have you with us one last time in 2019. <3
Here, Chicago on December 15th
7:30 Potluck | 8pm Show
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont
Save Seats! (both FREE Potluck & $11 General Admish seats at this link.)
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