2nd Story: Storytellers: D

Misty De Berry

Misty De Berry, a Chicago-based artist, explores socio-anthropology through writing, performance, installation and photography/video documentary. Currently the Coordinator of Education and Community Programs at The Goodman Theatre and an MFA candidate in Interdisciplinary Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago- she received her BFA in acting from North Carolina School of the Arts. Her work has been supported through various Fellowships from the Kennedy Center, New Federal Theatre and most recently the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media. Out of her mind and crazy excited to be sharing with 2nd Story—she has been featured at Center on Halsted, PowWow, WordsFest, and Gender Fusions.

Amanda Delheimer

Artistic Director // Since completing her Master’s in Theater and Spanish at the University of Chicago in 1999, Amanda Delheimer has had the pleasure of working as a freelance director, choreographer, writer, and teacher with the Steppenwolf, the Court, the Next, Pegasus Players, Red Moon, Collaboraction, Roadworks, Strawdog, Serendipity, Red Hen Productions, Teatro Vista, Rorschach Theatre, and the Vittum Theater, among others. She is a proud member of Serendipity Theatre Company, as well as its Artistic Director, and is also an Artistic Associate with both Collaboraction Theater Company and the Vittum Theater. She loves food and wine and stories and music, and is truly excited to be helming 2nd Story, surrounded by such wonderful people—welcome!

Nick Diamond

Guest Director 2008 // Nic is the artistic director of Strawdog Theatre Company, where he has been a company member since 1995. He is a proud graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and Rich East High School.

Gina DiPonio

Gina DiPonio's work has appeared in Contrary Magazine, The Sun, Story Week Reader, Traverse Magazine, and others. While she loves teaching in person at University of Chicago, Roosevelt University and elsewhere around this fine city, she is a devoted advocate for and creator of innovative distance learning. Any time now she'll have an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. Now and always, Gina is excited to see what happens next.

Rob Duffer

Robert Duffer teaches part-time at Columbia College Chicago, bartends and writes. Currently seeking a home for his first novel, Home, Duffer’s work has appeared in The Taj Mahal Review, Flashquake, Pindeldyboz, Rain Taxi and others. He is a contributing reviewer for New Pages, a freelance writer for Centerstage and has had other freelance pieces published in print, online, and recently, on NPR’s morning show, 848. Duffer reads every month at RUI: Reading Under the Influence. His proudest accomplishment, however, is his son, Calvin, who is currently learning to stick his foot in his mouth. This is a skill Dad should learn.

Beth Dugan

Hailing from Glen Ellyn in the NW suburbs of Chicago, Beth earned her BA in Psychology at the University of Iowa. When she graduated, she stayed in Iowa for several years. This turned out to be a very bad idea, so she returned to Chicago in 1999. She will never live somewhere with more grass than concrete again. Beth is an MFA candidate in the Fiction Writing program at Columbia College and works full time for the Man as a writer for a small financial consulting firm. She is a contributing reviewer for Time Out Chicago, New City, Bookslut.com and UR Chicago; her writing has appeared in The Banana King, The South Loop Review, Ducts.org, Ginosko Journal, and Fictionary.