Our March line-up is off the hook! We’ll also be debuting our new “One Word Memoir” audience participation project.
ABOUT OUR STORYTELLERS:
Geleni Fontaine
Robin Cloud
Taueret Manu
Paul Blore
Kate Bovitch
…
GELENI FONTAINE
Warning: This bio relentlessly and awkwardly resists gender pronounery! Geleni Fontaine is a fat, queer, Latina/o transperson; has been living and thriving in Park Slope, Brooklyn in the same apartment since the age of four; and has been witness to many layers of gentrification. As a lifelong poet Geleni has studied with Eileen Myles and other seasoned writers, and at many workshops including the Writer’s Voice at the West Side YMCA, but has been AWOL from the NYC poetry and writing landscape for many years. A licensed acupuncturist and registered nurse, Geleni is working to integrate a background in human rights and anti-violence activism with hands-on healing and empowerment work. Geleni is a former board member of the Audre Lorde Project, the first queer people of color center for community organizing in the U.S., and current board member of NOLOSE, an organization dedicated to ending the oppression of fat people and creating vibrant fat queer culture. Today Geleni practices out of home, treating folks in a living room clinic and working to help them create personal and social change toward a loving and more just world.
ROBIN CLOUD
ROBIN CLOUD is a New York City based comedian, writer and actor. Robin can be seen sharing her comedic observations to the masses at Caroline’s, Gotham Comedy Club, The Broadway Comedy club and many more; at times in the form of characters Jerri Beige, Angela Davison and Super Cunt. Robin is also called upon to be the master of ceremonies and is proud to have teamed up with fantastic artists such as Toshi Reagon, Doria Roberts, and Brown Girls Burlesque Performance Group.
Robin’s sassy, politically charged delivery coupled with her on point character work has gotten the attention of the press and Robin was just included in GO NYC Magazine’s Top 100 Women We Love.
Robin’s solo show “Tales from the Big House” has been in the Fresh Fruit Festival, Emerging Artist Festival, and the Hot! Festival at Dixon Place. Tales is a comical coming of age story about a young African-American woman who gallantly claims her lesbian identity at the age of 16 only to find that coming out is only the beginning. Robin’s writing was highlighted in Time Out New York’s Gay Pride Issue as the quote of the week and feature story about comedians telling their hysterical coming out stories. In the fall of 2008, Robin was awarded a month long writing residency at the Hedgebrook. During her time there she developed a new solo show, which will debut later this year.
TAUERET MANU
Taueret Manu is a New Yorker to the marrow. She loves the divine, sriracha, pitbulls, friction, hibiscus juice, pink prosecco, sexual currency, poetry, and rioting. She dislikes White Santa/White Jesus/White Male God, the prison industrial complex, and the NYPD.
She blogs at afrotitty.tumblr.com
KATE BOVITCH
Kate Bovitch is a third culture kid, on-and-off pop culture junkie, and one person craft revolution. Kate holds a BFA in Creative Writing and once wrote a master’s thesis on sexual desire and lesbian poetry.
The Boston Globe has called her “a series of contradictions”.
PAUL BLORE
Paul Blore is a Philadelphia-based activist, public speaker, writer and performer. Currently, he is Director of Development for Power Up Gambia, bringing reliable energy to healthcare facilities in West Africa through solar power, as well as the Interim Development Coordinator at the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood. He’s written, directed and/or produced a number of creative works, including plays, movement pieces and a short film. He was also very involved in fundraising for the recent 50-State Story Tour of I’m From Driftwood, an online repository of first-person written and video stories from LGBT people all over the world.
As always, your hosts and producers:
KELLI DUNHAM
KELLI DUNHAM is a ex-nun, butch-identified stand-up comic and author of four books of humorous non-fiction, including two children’s books being used by a conservative home schooling association in their science curriculum. She has appeared on Showtime, the Discovery Channel and was once asked to emcee a livestock auction. Her website is kellidunham.com. She is the co-founder, with Genne Murphy, of Queer Memoir.
GENNE MURPHY is a Philadelphia native, playwright, and arts educator. She is the co-founder, with Kelli Dunham, of Queer Memoir (queermemoir.com). She’s passionate about the intersection of the arts, social change, and community-building. Genne works for Philadelphia Young Playwrights, a local arts education non-profit, and is involved with initiatives to expand new play development in her hometown.
Queer Memoir 