Writer, Educator, and Storyteller
Crafting Mythic Quests: Myths represent the ways that ancient cultures sought to explain the origins of the world and of existence itself. Sounds like a killer creative writing prompt to me! Through a mixture of discussion and writing exercises, we will explore the mythic realm of quests, break down the hero’s journey, and write into a time before time began.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper.
Some pics from a lovely night at the 2019 Queens Council on the Arts Awards Ceremony.
Honored to celebrate my “switched-up” storytelling series No, YOU Tell It! (noyoutellit.com) alongside these amazing Queens artists.
Click here to listen to our recent “Crafty” show at The Astoria Bookshop 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.
Subscribe to the No, YOU Tell It! podcast on iTunes or AudioBoom for more switched-up storytelling from our live shows.
Wacky Revision Techniques! All writing is rewriting. Well, great, but how does a writer approach their first, third, twelfth revision from a fresh perspective? In this workshop, we’ll go through a series of fun, bizarre, and efficient methods to tackle those tough revisions. Feel free to bring in something you’ve been working on already and/or practice materials will also be provided.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper.
Lovely NYC day crafting and sharing stories with the Public Affairs team at Success Academy Charter Schools. So happy to hear they enjoyed the session as much as I did!
Huge shoutout and thank you to Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons for her amazing storytelling workshop today. My team can’t stop talking about how great it was!!! ✍️ – Heather Kirtland Tsonopoulos, Chief of Staff, Success Academy Charter Schools
SENSORY BLITZ! How often have you heard this famous refrain: Show, don’t tell. But how exactly? Most writers interpret it to mean that one should write vividly with detailed images and sensory information (show) rather than dull summaries (tell). Working through the series of writing exercises designed to blitz your and, thus, the readers’ senses, we’ll explore the show, the tell, and what they both mean in writing.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper.
Have you heard about #WorldReadAloudDay? Now you have! More answers next Friday, Feb 1st at 7 pm when The Astoria Bookshop hosts a World Read Along Day event, with four local authors including me!
Celebrate and curate a love of literacy and storytelling with community members and loved ones (and, if you like, bring a story of your own).
Story Starters! Give your new year of writing a strong start by playing with a variety of ways to begin your short story, chapter, or personal essay. Feel free to bring in a previous piece you’ve been working on to give it a new start. We’ll also work together to create multiple story starters for the same tale.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO Pen & Paper!
Join us for this month’s drop-in creative writing workshop at The Astoria Bookshop: Holiday Cookies and Characters!
Back away from your manuscript, enjoy a holiday cookie (or 3), and spend the afternoon getting to know your characters outside of the world you’ve created. What would happen if you took your overachieving protagonist out for bottomless mimosas brunch or got stuck in an elevator with your ennui-filled villain? Through a mixture of discussion and out-of-the-box prompts, we’ll uncover surprising things about the people you’ve imagined and/or create new ones.
$10 suggested contribution. BYO pen & paper. Cookies provided!
Recently spent a spectacular weekend at Otherworld Theatre in Chicago seeing my play
ALL I WANT IS ONE MORE MEANWHILE…
Reserve your pay-what-you-can seats now at otherworldtheatre.org. Runs through Oct. 28!
To read the full reviews above, click here and click here.
Otherworld Theatre, which recently opened the world’s first venue dedicated to the performance of Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, will produce the Midwest premiere of All I Want is One More Meanwhile… a superhero comedy written by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and directed by ensemble member Nathan Pease. Performances are September 26, 2018 – October 27, 2018 as the first mainstage show of its first season at its newly acquired theater location, 3914 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613. CLICK HERE to learn more…