Saturday, November 26, 2016

No Shush November Featured Sheila Johnson


Everything changes... this is the theme of the story that Sheila read from her book, All Our Loved Ones Together, on November 10th. Two brothers, a daughter / niece, and a Dryad show us how change is a powerful force. "Sometimes, the truth is a spell that loses its power when spoken aloud." 


If you wish to know more about this delightful creature named Sheila and find out how to purchase her book, please check out her website: sheilacjohnson.wordpress.com


The Open Mic gave us Alex's 4 and 20 Blackbirds. We heard about how Marta used the magic of the blackbirds and how her bother Yohan had changed. Ron followed it up with a musical rendition of Give a Little / Makin' Whoopie / Glory of Love / Paper Moon mixed with other songs. Then he tickled our funny bones with Ventriloquist Love. Next was Brendan who read from his book The Hidden Lands where Amber was on a train and met Lin Mae. They discussed Boarding School rules. Matt brought us Mythical Mike and his gang of Comic Bookstore misfits in an effort to "make the streets safe for the comic buying company." Ed brought us Spider-Man Unlimited and the True Meaning of Thanksgiving with Ted, the weredog, from accounting. Rhiannon brought us blue magic wielding elves who were on an investigation. But they got sidetracked in tossing Kava (magic). J9 shared a bit about Hazel, the Luchadora Librarian.

All pictures by Anna Peterson.

Just a reminder, we are off for December, but will be back on 

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

The Three Year Anniversary of the No Shush Salon!

Presenting: Cemetery Guardians

What an awesome night! We had four readers from the Cemetery Guardians and a fantastic Open Mic. Plus there was pizza and salad and cake! If you'd like to see the live stream of the event, Wes posted it here:  
and here: 

Also, please check out the Cemetery Guardians for more awesome stories and great art!


Our next event will be November 10th with Sheila Johnson as our featured reader! 
Link to more info in the sidebar.



Friday, October 7, 2016

September 29th: Kilty Pleasure

Thursday's event was awesome! 
Kilty Pleasure gave us a great show. Check out these mini-videos I recorded:


To check out more Kilty Pleasure, they'll be performing at 2 pm for the Danada Fall Festival at Danada Equestrian Center on October 9th. 
They are also often found playing at the Two Way Street Coffee House!

Much thanks to Anna Peterson for these excellent pictures!

After our delightful concert, we had our Open Mic.

Ed presented a Visual Novel of flash fiction that he and a few other writers are putting together. (Multi-media platforms for the win!) He shared some from his story with King William the 3rd and Rolf who was accused of putting Decart before de horse. He also shared Tim Yow's Call Me Cersei who is always listening and asserted that virtual Andrew would be better than actual Andrew. He shared Kashia Nowden's poem the Sin Tree which grew from the deadly sins the narrator planted. Eventually, the Visual Novel will be posted on  http://writingjourney.org/

Sheila gave us Saint Blow Me in which the old gods were pissed and trying to wipe out the small town of Hedwig with a tidal wave. We heard about crazy Mark and the Ironic raining of Lake Hedwig. "If this god stuff were real, it'd show up on Youtube." and "The Apocolypse will be reblogged!"

Alex shared the end of his story, Seeing Blue where Willow took after Red and became a Seeker. At Sacred Lake, making paint with mew colors by the Bright Rock. It was thought that, since Red "was no maker, her breath held no magic." But then it did and she wondered, "could one be a seeker and a maker?"

Jeanine gave us a few snippets of her life with Little Jeani One Note and read part of a poem called The Undying about her brain injured sister.

Our next event will be on October 27th, at 6:30 pm. This will be our THREE year anniversary! We'll have pizza and cake and readings from https://cemeteryguardians.com/

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Aug. 25th Highlights on the theme: What is Family?

Another Open Mic filled with great storytelling and discussion!


Ed read his story, "The Kidnapper", where you can't believe everything you hear. He then shared a story about last week where the song was changed to Hotel North Dakota.
Alex shared "Seeing Blue" about seekers and makers where Red, a seeker, followed a snowy stag and we met Mother Maker.
Sheila read from her upcoming book, Open Arms, Steady Hearts, about Mirabird who posed the question, "is it okay to be a doctor when I grow up instead of a dragon?"
Jeanine shared, "Demons Love Latin", where a flirtation went all wrong since one of them was a demon.
Mike read, "Return of the Zombie", where a kid bought a zombie making kit from Mama Midnight to make a new friend.


Thanks again to Anna Peterson for her picture taking prowess and sneakiness!

Monday, August 1, 2016

Joyful July!

It was great to have Nathan Beachamp as our featured author!

Candid shot of our Featured
Reader Nathan Beachamp

From the Clones Anthology, Nathan read his story, "The Replacement Husband". Without giving too much away, 'cause really, you should read this story, I will say it captured the sense of loss and everything being wrong incredibly well. I was drawn in from the beginning, and thought I knew where things were going, but I was wrong... which is delightful!

What will we read?


Collage of Open Mic-ers - From top L
to bottom R: Brendan, Sheila, Jeanine, & Alex

Our Open Mic was also filled with great storytelling! We had something under the bed in Mike's story about shedding skin and a father that's truly terrible at lying. Ed brought us a spy-thriller about cookies that could solve world hunger and queried what that would entail. Sheila finished up A Gift Most Wanted, leaving us wanting to know more and more about Carol the hunter and her lover Looze (sorry for the misspell!) who was/is a meteoroid / asteroid / traveler. J9 gave us Demon Eye, a tiny poltergeist who haunts glasses. Alex had us Seeing Blue, where we met Red and learned about Seekers and Makers... Seeker Man - Maker Woman, though it sometimes gets turned around. Brendan brought us to the Chicago Arts District where we found a woman under a hood who intrigued and tantalized our protagonist and us. 



Discussion!


All of that and a bag of doughnuts... and ginger... and chocolate covered candy... and... I'm pretty sure I'm missing something else yummy, but it was an evening delicious to the taste-buds and the ears! 


Much thanks to Anna Peterson for her picture taking prowess and sneakiness!



UPCOMING:

Aug. 3rd, 10am - 1pm
Wednesday Writers' Word Feast
A writers' group for all types and genres meeting at the Main Library
Second Floor - Book Discussion Room

Aug. 25th, 6:30 - 8:45pm
A No Shush Salon Themed Open Mic: What is Family?
Meeting at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Library Meeting Room

Thursday, July 28, 2016

July 28th, Presenting: Featured Author, Nathan Beachamp - part of the N. J. Tanger collective



Nathan will be reading from Ceres, the latest book in their Universe Eventual Series and from Chimera, the first book in the series. Universe Eventual is a Young Adult SciFi series written by a trio of writers who make the story interesting and cohesive.
He will be bringing copies to sell!

A quick synopsis of Chimera: "The fate of Earth's first colony rests on the shoulders of a pair of misfits: Theo Puck, a rogue hacker with a gift for speaking to machines, and Selena Samuelson, a brash but talented pilot with a dark secret in her past.
Earth went silent over a decade ago. No contact, no resupply. If something doesn't change, the colony will go extinct. The only way to restore communication with Earth is the ancient colony ship Chimera. Two centuries of disrepair have taken their toll on her--the shipboard AI that allows travel between distant stars is lost in unending sleep. She must be woken and the ship rebuilt for a desperate return journey to Earth."

For more info, check out their website: 

This will be followed by our regular Open Mic. Come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic. 

The No-Shush Salon is a monthly open mic for all creative types who want to share their works in progress or even their newly finished endeavors after a featured artist or on a theme. 

Treats to share are welcomed! 

No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!

Spectators welcome & appreciated!

Monday, June 20, 2016

June 30th, Presenting: Featured Poet, Russell Jaffe



WHEN: Thursday, April 28th at 6:30 pm


WHERE: Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch
845 Gunderson Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304


This month we will be featuring Russell Jaffe, an Oak Park poet!

Russell Jaffe is a poet, artist, writer, teacher, and full-time dad living in Oak Park. He teaches English at College of DuPage and throughout the City Colleges system. He is the father of Celestine, a collaboration with his partner Carleen Tibbetts, also a poet, and his entire family are OPPL superfans. His poetry has appeared widely online and in print, and he is the author of two current poetry collections This Super Doom I Aver (Poets Democracy, '13), INTROVERT // EXTROVERT (Punk Hostage, '14), and two forthcoming LA CROIX WATER (Damask, a Chicago press!) and Civil Coping Mechanisms (Civil Coping Mechanisms' winner of the 2016 Spring Mainline competition). In former lives, he's been a poetry editor, publisher, reading series host and coordinator, hot sauce blogger, professional driver for international writers, and mixed marital arts live results recorder. He has a number of hopes and dreams. He encourages people to add him on Facebook or, and he means this, play him in chess on the Chess Time app. His name is ILikeToEatScones. 
He will have tons of his first book, a mad libs poetry collection called This Super Doom I Aver, available to sell. His second book, INTROVERT // EXTROVERT is available here: https://www.createspace.com/5392793 

Introvert/Extrovert


This will be followed by our regular Open Mic. Come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic.


The No-Shush Salon is a monthly open mic for all creative types who want to share their works in progress or even their newly finished endeavors after a featured artist or on a theme.


Treats to share are welcomed!


No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!


Spectators welcome & appreciated!

Friday, May 6, 2016

May No Shush Salon = CANCELLED

Hello all you lovely No Shushers!
For the first time since the inception of The No Shush Salon in 2013, I am cancelling an event. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our May featured reader had to cancel and I have decided to cancel the May 26th Open Mic entirely. We will be back June 30th with the poet Russell Jaffe as our featured reader. He is featured on page five of the Oak Park Library's Storyline!
I hope to see you then!
Jeanine

Monday, May 2, 2016

Amazing April!

 What a great No Shush Salon! 

We mixed things up a bit and had our open mic intermixed with Paula Ngo's belly dance performances along with a mini-dance class.  Here's a recap:

Brandon: Charcoal drawing of Amber abd poison on a dead body. You can come home. The training of playing chess. 

Paula did a beautiful serpentine dance to The Smiths.

Mike: The living ghost girl in the translucent dress haunted Floyd's building. He blushed. Haunting, it's kind of what ghosts do.


Open Mic
Paula did a more sprightly hip-bopping song of Amores y Amores.

Ed: A story of a kidnapping. Aunt Martha was driving Jack. Then a stop that changed everything.
Then a poem called "Homework O Homework".

Mini Belly Dance Lesson! Check out the pics below.

Allison: Her first comedy routine and she shared it with us! Sneaky woman recorded it:
So AWESOME!

Alex: First scene of a Novelette about the beast princess. No one dared disturb the oracle. 12 augers, one is her uncle. Chose your words with care.

Rhiannon: Hospital bed sheets had more color in them than the cadaver in drawer two. Magical, freaky cadaver. "What the hell do we do? It's a self healing corpse."

J9: The first chapter of The Three Hazels. It's Hazel's 73rd birthday on the night the lights went out in Chicago. There was chocolate cake and an epidemic of dying children.

Paula wrapped the evening up with a traditional belly dance. Check out her fantastic website: Sepia Tribal 


photo credit: Anna Peterson 
Thanks for all the great pictures!

Friday, April 15, 2016

April 28th, Presenting: Paula Ngo of Sepia Tribal!




WHEN: Thursday, April 28th at 6:30 pm

WHERE: Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch 
845 Gunderson Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304


This month’s featured performer is the belly dancer, Paula Ngo. Check out her website: sepiatribal.com
After her performance, she will be giving a mini lesson! 

This will be followed by our regular Open Mic. Come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic. 

The No-Shush Salon is a monthly open mic for all creative types who want to share their works in progress or even their newly finished endeavors after a featured artist or on a theme. 

Treats to share are welcomed! 

No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!

Spectators welcome & appreciated!


Friday, April 8, 2016

When Writers Gather


Wednesday Writers' Word Feast!
(WWWF... we need a writing Panda)

For our first two meetings, we had seven writers. Some from the first meeting were at the second and we had some new folks join us too. We got together to share our words, some yummy food, inspiration, gave feedback, and we wrote! 

On April 6th, we had Captain Mega Thunder-Chunder-Blunder vs. the Marauding Letter Snatcher, a galaxy of small worlds around a single star, a boy in a grave during a fire, a spaceship named Tania who takes on the one resident of an escape pod, and a view of what happens when someone gets shot in the supernatural battle between Thropes and Drogers in an altered Chicago.

If you weren't at the meeting but would like more info, please email Jeanine at j9vaughn@gmail.com and I'll put you on our email list. 

We meet the first Wednesday of the month at the Oak Park Public Library - Main Branch, 834 Lake St. Oak Park, from 10 am - 1 pm in the Book Discussion Room on the second floor. Our next WWWF will be May 4th. 


WWWF on the Oak Park Library calendar



May the Fourth be with you!  

Friday, April 1, 2016

The Open Mic that gave Fools Wisdom


This is the night the DOUGHNUT WARS began. 

Brandon regaled us with a tale of orphans high on a mountain, eating and yelling and servicing airships. We met Jayer and Kiera (sorry if I misspelled), the outcasts of the misfits who are finding friendship with each other. 
You can pre-order this up-coming novel on your kindle for 99 cents: Orphan Fleet.

Sheila gave us a world where a dragon may bestow a gift, even to a hunter, but it might not be the blessing it seems to be at first. All that hot on the heels of a severed head and right before our narrator is swooped up by Carol, the infamous hunter.

Mike delighted us with a tale of Elliot who has the odious job of orienting new souls to the afterlife. They're never quite where they think they should be. Baby Steps Through Brimstone had an interesting dark-humored twist that we won't give away.

Jeanine shared the beginnings of a romance-gone-wrong story called Heart Space in which the narrator has visions of violence that may or may not be real.


But know this, the DOUGHNUT WARS are not over.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

The Wisdom of Fools Open Mic

This month is a CELEBRATION of the Wisdom of Fools since we are meeting the day before 
APRIL FOOLS!


WHEN: Thursday, March 31st at 6:30 pm
WHERE: Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch - 845 Gunderson Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304

The No-Shush Salon is a monthly open mic for all creative types who want to share their works in progress or even their newly finished endeavors. Come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic. Treats to share are welcomed! No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!

Spectators welcome & appreciated!

Monday, March 7, 2016

Highlights from Feb. 25th - "For the Love"


Our Feb. 25th No Shush Salon's Open Mic was grand! Here are some highlights from the stories addressing the "For the Love" theme:


  • Working at the store that rhymes with "small fart" #667 (actually #666), our intrepid hero-ish describes all the paranormal creatures who come through to shop but more often destroy the store. Trolls, dragons, vampires, and zombies, to name a few, stink up the joint and leave random body parts or chard remains of their victims for the "clean up in aisle... well, all the aisles" call. Plus, maggots... nobody ever mentions the maggots.
  • Pria and Nick, who have been friends for a long time, have sex and are suddenly confronted by their younger, teenage selves. Phrases like, "we're like lumpy" and "as if she was trying to duck beneath the oncoming future", are but a taste of the lovely language Shelia uses.
  • A couple going through a rough patch, finds the guy who's being a bit of a bore actually turning into a boar. The best way to deal with a boyfriend turned boar is to growl and stand your ground. "Fuck, this is why I left Chicago," our heroine states.
  • Jack gets beans from Maxwell street market. He climbs the stalk them hides from an enormous cat who calls for him to "come out so I can eat you." Finds salvation (sort of) with a spider. Now the spider wants something Shiny...
  • Wearing a brown parka and holding a scythe, Death was doing donuts on a bike in the parking lot of the hospital. The snow melted wear and dead things scattered behind Death's tires. The storyteller in the car who passed Death was put out because Death didn't have the common curtesy to acknowledge her and she could only see darkness (or rather, absence of light) in the hood of the parka.
  • Henrietta was the first human to be admitted into the Intergalactic Photographers' Convention. She could understand the aliens thanks to her sponsor, Ted, an Obliequean, loaning out his pet Peeve who farts translations.
  • Fred had been publishing authors for exposure, paying them nothing, but reaping all the benefits under the "For the Love" publication. He believes he is getting another great publication deal at a fancy restaurant, but soon finds out that Pitchfork Press isn't exactly what he thought he was signing up for. 

The next No Shush Salon will be Thursday, March 31st at 6:30 and the theme will be "The Wisdom of Fools".

Thursday, February 18, 2016

For the Love



  • clock

Share with us what you LOVE! 


The No-Shush Salon is a monthly open mic for all creative types who want to share their works in progress or even their newly finished endeavors. Come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic. Treats to share are welcomed! (I know I'll be bringing munchies!)

No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!


Spectators welcome & appreciated!

Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch 
845 Gunderson Ave, Oak Park, Illinois 60304

Friday, January 29, 2016

January No Shush Salon: New Beginnings!

Such an amazing first Open Mic* at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Library! We kicked it off with a group of amazing writers and yummy treats. 

*sans mic, but with a very classic podium!

















Here are some snippets of the work presented:


Moving day - mirror magic is the best!

Time only goes in one direction - Charlie

Hammi - The chimps were doing too well ...like a post apocalyptic Abraham Lincoln ... That was when the elephants got involved...

Did we get our daily share of brain plaque? ... He looks good in an olive loaf! ... I put my name in a little box behind the pimento in the olive eye...

...seventy three candles. Even with both of them blowing, it took almost five minutes to get all the candles out. ... Oh hush, Meffy. No one believes you.

If you would like to join us in the future, here's what we've got coming up:

February 25th: "For the Love"

March 31st: "The Wisdom of the Fools"

April 28th: Featuring belly-dancer Paula Ngo, check her out at - sepiatribal.com

May 26th: Featuring author Jude W. Mire, check him out at - judemire.com 

*** Every No Shush Salon will be at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Public Library 
from 6:30 - 8:30 pm ***

Friday, January 15, 2016

New Year, New No Shush, New Location!

The No Shush Salon is moving to Oak Park! 

Oak Park Public Library - Maze Branch

845 Gunderson Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304




We're starting off the new year with a focus on NEW BEGINNINGS. On January 28th, come share your poetry, prose, music, dance, or any other creative endeavor in under 15 minutes at our Open Mic. Treats to share are welcomed! (I know I'll be bringing munchies!)

No registration required — just drop in and share your talents!

Spectators welcome & appreciated!