Dana Norris
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About

Dana is the founder of the Story Club franchise. She produces and hosts Story Club Cleveland and teaches at Literary Cleveland and StoryStudio Chicago. She has been published in McSweeney's Internet Tendency,  The Rumpus, Tampa Review, and her stories have been featured on WBEZ, WCPN, and Vocalo.org (89.5 FM), among many others. You may see her upcoming performance schedule here. 

Dana has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Northwestern University and an MA in Religious Studies from The University of Chicago. 
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Publications

  • The Storytelling Code: 10 Simple Rules to Shape and Tell a Brilliant Story, Rockridge Press
  • Bi-weekly column for Role/Reboot
  • Columns for Heauxs
  • Cleveland Scene
  • The Rumpus
  • Tampa Review 
  • Empty Sink
  • Mason's Road
  • Proximity 
  • Chicago Literati
  • Composite Arts Magazine
  • Four Quarters 
  • WBEZ.org
  • McSweeney's Internet  Tendency
  • TriQuarterly Online
  • Praxis Magazine
  • In Our Words
  • Black Table
  • Wittenberg Review of Art and Literature
  • Spectrum, a Journal of Nonfiction

Press

  • Cleveland.com on Story Club Cleveland's expansion
  • Crain's Cleveland Business profile on storytelling in Cleveland
  • Poets & Writers article on Story Club and the live lit scene in Chicago.
  • ​Thrillist votes Story Club Cleveland "Best New Bar Event"
  • Chicagoist review of Story Club
  • Chicago Literati  review of Story Club
  • Literary Chicago article on Dana's Printer's Row panel
  • Addison Recorder article on Story Club Magazine
  • Chicago Reader article on the explosion of live lit in Chicago
  • Interview with You're Being Ridiculous
  • Chicago Tribune article on storytelling in Chicago
  • Chicago RedEye article on storytelling
  • New City interview with Dana about Story Club Magazine
  • Interview on storytelling with Vocalo.org, 90.7FM
  • WBEZ.org article on women in the Chicago comedy scene
  • Interview with University of Chicago Magazine
  • Interview with Gaper's Block
  • 7 Questions for Our 7 Minute Contender on WriteClubRules.com
  • 5 Minutes With Dana on Examiner.com

Podcasts

  • RISK! 
  • Women Who Succeed
  • The CLECast
  • Authentic Audio
  • Living the Writing Life
  • Chirp Radio The First Time
  • The Paper Machete, March 2014
  • The Paper Machete, October 2013
  • All Write Already
  • "Saturday",  recorded for Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ 91.5FM
  • "Scrupuolsity", performed at Tuesday Funk
  • WBEZ.org live lit member meet-up
  • Broad Shoulders
  • The Paper Machete, October 2012
  • Fictlicious
  • Fuse: Chicago
  • Rye Bread Radio

Awards

  • Named "One of Ohio's 13 Funniest Women" by Cleveland.com, 2018
  • Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Wittenberg University, 2015
  • New City Chicago ranks Dana as one of Chicago's top 50 literary influencers , 2015
  • AWP Intro Journals Award, Creative Nonfiction, 2010
  • University of Chicago Writers Studio Award Student Prize, Honorable Mention for Best Portfolio, 2009
  • Lester S Crowl Award for Best Creative Writing Portfolio, Wittenberg University, 2000
  • Sinclair Community College Writing Awards, First Place Prose, 1999, Second Place Poetry, 2000
  • University of Indianapolis Ananda Awards, First Place Prose, Second Place Poetry, 1996​

Performances

  • Story Club Cleveland
  • RISK!
  • Keep Talking
  • Featured in WCPN NE Ohio Artist Showcase
  • Full Circle Storytelling
  • Mental Illness & Friends
  • Mass Hysteria Fest
  • This Improvised Life
  • Sorry, Please Continue
  • Told
  • The Paper Machete
  • Write Club
  • Essay Fiesta
  • This Much is True
  • Guts and Glory
  • Funny Ha-Ha
  • Here's the Story
  • Adult Education
  • Beast Women
  • Mortified
  • The Kates
  • You're Being Ridiculous
  • Loose Chicks
  • The God, Sex & Death Variety Hour
  • Tuesday Funk
  • Sunday Salon
  • I Shit You Not​










  • Story Club Chicago North Side​ 
  • Story Club Chicago South Side
  • Filet of Solo Festival, 2012-2015
  • Chicago Humanities Festival 2012
  • Solo in the Second City
  • That's All She Wrote
  • Give Your Choice a Voice
  • Serving the Sentence
  • Vaudezilla
  • LitMash
  • The Funny Story Show
  • Fictlicious
  • Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Lit Fest 2011
  • Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Lit Fest 2011
  • Vocalo Presents: Music & Stories Live
  • Live Lit on the Lake
  • Stoop-Style Stories
  • Cafe Cabaret
  • Stories at the Store
  • Waiting for the Bus

Panels / Lectures

  • Literary Cleveland Inkubator, 2020 - talk on the business of publishing
  • Cuyahoga Falls Library, 2020 - 4 week class on storytelling
  • Northwestern Summer Writer's Conference, 2019 - panel on Live Lit
  • Hemophilia Federation of America Symposium, 2018 & 2019 - workshop on storytelling 
  • Literary Cleveland Inkubator, 2018 - talk on storytelling for beginners
  • SW Ohio Hemophilia Federation, 2018 - workshop on storytelling for advocacy
  • Baldwin Wallace Social Change Summit, 2018 - workshop on storytelling for social change
  • Femmes Speak Up, 2018 - panel on public speaking
  • Kent State, guest lecturer for Media, Power & Culture class, 2017 - storytelling and power
  • Northwestern Summer Writer's Conference, 2017 - workshop on publishing
  • Ashland University MFA Summer Residency, 2016 - panel on performing your work
  • Northwestern Summer Writer's Conference, 2015 - storytelling performance
  • Wittenberg University Department of English colloquium, 2014 - storytelling workshop
  • Chicago Writers Conference, 2014 - panel on publishing 
  • Printer's Row Lit Fest, 2014 - panel on producing live lit events
  • Printer's Row Lit Fest, 2013 - Women of our Word - panel on female performers in Live Lit 
  • Northwestern MFA Career Day, 2013 - Teaching in the City Panel 
  • Printer's Row Lit Fest. 2012 - Live Lit Panel
  • AWP 2012 - Memoir Without a Net
  • Chicago Theater Conference, 2012 - Live Lit Panel
  • Chicago Literary Alliance, 2012 - panel on performance publishing
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Copyright Dana Norris 2021