Tag: No YOU Tell It! Anthology

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!

Queens Artist Connection

No, YOU Tell It! has thrived due to the open spirit and fantastic support of the Queens creative community. How wonderful to have our ten-year anthology in such great company at The Astoria Bookshop.

We are planning some great Queens events this spring, but first, check out this amazing resource of Queens artists, organizations, funding resources, and space/venues organized by Hit The Lights and the Queens Artist Connection.

View the QUEENS ARTIST CONNECTION DATABASE LINK HERE!

Want to find out more about the Q.A.C. Spring Meet-Up and upcoming NYTI plans?

Message noyoutellit@gmail.com and we’ll keep you in the loop!

New Jersey Anthology Event

On top of our September show, we’ll also be out in Montclair on Saturday, 9/23 at the Montclair Book Center for an anthology event. Save the date and come hang, New Jersey!!

Switch up your story with the producers of No, YOU Tell It!

No, YOU Tell It! storytellers work together to develop true tales on the page, then swap stories to embody their partner’s culture, identity, and life experience on stage. In 2022, the series celebrated 10 years with the launch of a vibrant anthology detailing its development over the past decade.

Join producers Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and Tim Lindner for behind-the-scenes insights on creating a new kind of nonfiction series. Hear anthology selections from contributors Heather Quinlan and Tazio Ruffilo. Followed by story trivia for fun literary prizes.

Plus, generate and trade your own tiny true tale!

Follow @noyoutellit for more.

Summer Reading!

Looking for some summer reading? Check out our 10-year anthology for story swaps from over the years and behind-the-scenes insights from the people involved.

Available to order online or in person at The Astoria Bookshop and WORD Brooklyn.

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

Give the Gift of Storytelling!

There’s still time to give the gift of storytelling and support our series! Follow @noyoutellit on Insta as we highlight story swaps featured in the anthology this holiday season.

Grab your copy now, available at The Astoria Bookshop and on Amazon.

Featuring:

December 15, 2022 Post Comment News Tags:

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:

Episode 68 – Legacy Anthology Reboot

In anticipation of our forthcoming ten-year anthology from Palm Circle Press, we are flashing back to 2014 when we participated in The Brick’s Comic Book Theater Festival in Brooklyn.

For this show, we tried something new. Usually, we give our storytellers a theme to inspire their true tales. This time, we only provided the theme “Legacy” to comic artist Sha-Née Williams and asked her to interpret it into a visual prompt. Then we gave this image to our storytellers without the word “Legacy” or any further context.

After they completed their first drafts, Sha-Née joined our story meetings and drew unique illustrations for each of their true tales. In spite of the fact that we didn’t share the theme, our storytellers ended up thinking about the personal legacies we leave behind. Give a listen to the results and don’t forget to follow us on Insta @noyoutellit to check out more of Sha-Née’s “Legacy” artwork

Top left: Sha-Née Williams and Nicole Greevy with “Nerd: The Next Generation” artwork. Bottom left: Sha-Née’s “Legacy” image. Bottom right: E. James Ford with “League of Absence” artwork by Sha-Née Williams.

 

Stories were performed live on June 8th, 2014 at The Brick:

“League of Absencewritten by E. James Ford and performed by Nicole Greevy.

“Nerd: The Next Generation written by Nicole Greevy and performed by E. James Ford.

 

Episode 67 – No Regrets Anthology Reboot

As we’re readying the release of our ten-year anthology this fall from Palm Circle Press, we’re rebooting some of the podcasts with improved audio so you can listen while you read.

Here’s our first ever tri-flip at Fairleigh Dickinson’s MFA in Creative Writing summer residency, featuring stories by Letisia Cruz, Tazio Ruffilo, and Heather Lang-Cassera.

Original artwork by Letisia Cruz inspired by her performance of Tazio Ruffilo’s story, “In Spite of Ourselves”

Keep an eye out for these No Regrets stories in the anthology, along with a special introduction from series creator, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, describing how this FDU show represents one of the core values of our series: Cooperation over Competition.  

NO REGRETS performed on August 14th, 2016

Fairleigh Dickinson University | New Jersey

“The First Tattoo” written by Letisia Cruz and performed by Heather Lang-Cassera

“In Spite of Ourselves” written by Tazio Ruffilo and performed by Letisia Cruz

“A Midwestern Purgatory” written by Heather Lang-Cassera and performed by Tazio Ruffilo

 

 

 

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