Writer, Teacher,
Producer, Live Lit Performer

Dana Norris is a writer and the editor-in-chief of Story Club Magazine. She is founder of Story Club, a monthly live lit show held in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Boston, and was recently featured in Poets & Writers. 

Dana teaches storytelling workshops at StoryStudio Chicago and has been featured in the Chicago Reader, the Chicago Tribune, and on WBEZ.org.  She writes for the website Role/Reboot.  
Upcoming Classes:

Story Club Private Show & Class
When: Wednesday, July 30th; Monday, August 11th; Wednesday, September 10th; 7-9pm each night
Where: Holiday Club, 4000 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 
What:  Storytelling is an innate skill, and the Chicago-based Story Club strives to elevate instinct to performance art. During a rapturous two-hour evening of storytelling, Story Club founder Dana Norris introduces you to Chicago's thriving scene of gripping yarn-spinners, who will offer a private performance on the night's theme. After the show, the storytellers will join you in the audience and help you develop a nonfiction story of your own. You'll leave with a draft of your story as well as Story Club swag and a guide to some of Chicago's best storytelling shows.
  • July 30: "En Fuego"
    Storytellers tell true tales of times things caught on fire—figuratively or literally.
  • August 11: "What I Should Have Said"
    Stories revolve around moments when tellers should have said one thing, but said another.
  • September 10: "Back to School"
    Storytellers will relate true tales of school, learning, and how going back can be necessary to go forward.
What to bring: A pen and paper to record your story, and money for food and drinks, which will be available for purchase throughout the evening.
How:  Tickets are $20 and available for purchase here.

Writing Out Loud 
When: July 31st - August 2nd
Where: The Northwestern Summer Writer's Conference - Northwestern University, Weiboldt Hall, Chicago campus
What: This workshop will offer students an opportunity to learn about and participate in the exciting new literary movement of live lit.  Participants should bring a piece to class that's about 10 minutes (1600 words) in length. We will discuss the key aspects of successful live lit and each student will have the chance to workshop both their piece and their performance style.  
How: Register for The Northwestern Summer Writer's Conference to gain access to this and many other workshops, panels, and lectures.

Upcoming Shows:
August

Story Club North Side 
When:   Thursday, August 7th, 7:30pm
Where:  Holiday Club, 4000 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 
What:    Story Club is Chicago's premier open mic for stories.  The show is a mix between curated performances and an open mic.  Doors open & open mic sign up starts at 7:30pm and the show gets going at 8pm.  Dana produces & hosts.  
How:  21+, free entrance, $10 suggested donation. Holiday Club offers delicious food and drink during the show.

Story Club at The James
When:   Tuesday, August 12th, 7:30pm
Where:  JIMMY Chicago, the lounge at The James Hotel, 610 N Rush St.
What:    Story Club is Chicago's premier open mic for stories.  The show is a mix between curated performances and an open mic.  Doors open & open mic sign up starts at 7:30pm and the show gets going at 8pm.  Story Club is thrilled to partner with The James Chicago as part of their 2014 Cultural Collection.  We're hosting the first of three special storytelling evenings in JIMMY, a swanky cocktail lounge located inside the hotel.  Our first show features true stories of "Midlife Crisis." What do you do when you're half way there and you realize you have to start over? In addition to our featured performers we'll also have three open mic slots. Open micers have 8 minutes (1300 words) in which to tell a true story of their own. 
How:  21+, free entrance, $10 suggested donation. JIMMY offers delicious beverages for purchase during the show. 
Upcoming Shows:
August

You're Being Ridiculous
When:   Saturday, August 2nd, 7:30pm
Where:  Mary's Attic, 5400 N Clark St
What:  You're Being Ridiculous is a group of real people telling real (nonfiction) funny stories about their lives with a theme as their guide. Our motto is good stories are better than good times. We laugh at ourselves and laugh with each other. Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?
How:  Tickets are $15 and available here.

LitMash
When:   Monday, August 4th, 7:30pm
Where:  Haymarket Brewery, 737 W Randolph St
What:  LitMash is a brand new type of show using the slam format. Poetry slam has grown from a raucous bar show in Chicago to a sweeping and hugely popular format in dozens of countries throughout the world. In the last number of years, story slams and comedy slams have been popping up all over the country, led by organizations such as The Moth. There is perhaps no city in America that has a more vibrant literature and performance (”live lit”) scene than Chicago, bolstering an impressive stable of internationally recognized writers in the fields of poetry, music, creative non-fiction, and comedy. The LitMash looks to bridge the omnipresent gaps between these scenes and create the one show where the city’s finest creators can square off in a highly entertaining curated slam unlike any other show out there.
How:  Tickets are $8 and available at the door.