2nd Story: Storytellers: C

Jasmin Cardenas

Jasmin Cardenas is super excited to be a part of 2nd Story! She tends to enjoy sharing shocking truths and funny realities from her life with others. Recently Jasmin wrote and produced her one-woman show Niña Buena? which she has performed locally and regionally. As an actress she has had the good fortune of working with a variety of theater companies like: The Goodman Theater, Vittum Theater, Collaboraction (where she is an Artistic Associate), Lifeline Theatre, Pegasus Players, Aguijon Theater and Teatro Luna. Storytelling, arts education and being a wife, daughter, sister and friend keep her very busy. Life is great!

Amy Carle

Amy is an actor who likes to write a little bit. As an actor, she’s worked all over Chicago and all over the country. As a writer she’s had one story in two places—at the very first 2nd Story gathering, and a reprise of that same story in No Place Like Home at Steppenwolf. If you want to read any more of her work, you’ll have to offer to dog-sit. Then you can tear through her apartment & find her journals, which all begin (and occasionally end) with the same very enticing/damning phrase, “So, I met this great guy tonight!"

CP Chang

CP Chang is a writer who has put down temporary roots again, after several years of the nomadic lifestyle. He received his MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. His writing has appeared in Hair Trigger, Upstairs at Duroc, Artisan, the anthology My Angels and Demons at War, on Nerve.com, and on wordriot.org. He writes a political column for the monthly newspaper Evanston Sentinel and can sometimes be heard reading as a part of the Kate the Great's reading series and the RUI: Reading Under the Influence reading series.

Carrie Chantler

Company Member // Carrie Chantler is a founding member of the Serendipity Theatre Collective and is proud to be a part of 2nd Story 2007. Carrie appeared in the first production of Serendipity's acclaimed production of fellow founding member Courtney Shaughnessy's fun-filled romp BEING 11 and served as Producer for the second production of the same show. Carrie also serves as the Secretary on the Serendipity Theatre Collective Board of Directors. Many thanks to Megan and Amanda for their skillful leadership and boundless creative input. GO TEAM!

Mica Cole

Mica Cole is a writer, actress, and goddess from the Southside of Chicago. Since graduating from the Theatre School at DePaul University, she has become the founder/ co-founder of many things. She is co-founder of The POEACTRY PROJECT, an urban creative writing initiative for young women, co-founder of CursedWithWords Theatre Company, and co-founder of her daughter, Mia Ruth. She has been a teaching artist for seven years and has taught in collaboration with Free Street Programs, Columbia College, and the Chicago Park District—none of which she founded/ co-founded. She does, however, plan to found/ co-found many other organizations/ institutions/ lives in the near future in hopes of someday having a more impressive bio. She is the Director of Education at Writers’ Theatre.

Dina Connolly

Dina Connolly is honored to be a part of the 2nd Story Storytelling Festival! Dina has been a member of the Neo-Futurists since 2003, performing regularly in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind and co-curating the Neo-Futurists' annual summer festival of staged readings, It Came from the Neo-Futurarium. Last spring Dina presented her first full-length solo show, Bernadine and Dina, as part of the Neo-Futurists’ Neo Solo festival. Dina has also performed for The Pavement Group, The Gift Theatre, The Journeymen, Theater Oobleck, and Improv Olympic. Lots o' love to the Connolly’s, Ryan and Kris.

Brian Costello

Brian Costello is the author of the novel The Enchanters vs. Sprawlburg Springs. His work has appeared in the Chicago Reader, the2ndhand, New City, and other publications. He is an adjunct professor of Fiction Writing at Columbia College. For nearly six years, he has been the host of The Brian Costello Show with Brian Costello, a live talk show performed at the Empty Bottle nightclub in the Ukranian Village. Costello loves pizza, so hook him up, brah. Thanks.