Literary Death Match 2
Back by popular demand for a second year at SOSS!
Back by popular demand for a second year at SOSS!
Co-created by Adrian Todd Zuniga, Literary Death Match marries the literary and performative aspects of Def Poetry Jam, rapier-witted quips of American Idol’s judging (without any meanness), and the ridiculousness and hilarity of Double Dare.
Each episode of this competitive, humor-centric reading series features a thrilling mix of four famous and emerging authors (all representing a literary publication, press or concern — online, in print or live) who perform their most electric writing in seven minutes or less before a lively audience and a panel of three all-star judges. After each pair of readings, the judges — focused on literary merit, performance and intangibles — take turns spouting hilarious, off-the-wall commentary about each story, then select their favorite to advance to the finals.
The two finalists then compete in the Literary Death Match finale, which trades in the show’s literary sensibility for an absurd and comical climax to determine who takes home the Literary Death Match crown.
It may sound like a circus — and that's half the point. Literary Death Match is passionate about inspecting new and innovative ways to present text off the page, and the most fascinating part about the LDM is how seriously attentive the audience is during each reading. We've called this the great literary ruse: an audacious and inviting title, a harebrained finale, but in-between the judging creates a relationship with the viewer as a judge themselves.
Our ultimate goal is to perform the Literary Death Match all over the world, and to continue to showcase literature as a brilliant, unstoppable medium.
Check out Adrian's 2023 interview with Sue Staats here.
Each episode of this competitive, humor-centric reading series features a thrilling mix of four famous and emerging authors (all representing a literary publication, press or concern — online, in print or live) who perform their most electric writing in seven minutes or less before a lively audience and a panel of three all-star judges. After each pair of readings, the judges — focused on literary merit, performance and intangibles — take turns spouting hilarious, off-the-wall commentary about each story, then select their favorite to advance to the finals.
The two finalists then compete in the Literary Death Match finale, which trades in the show’s literary sensibility for an absurd and comical climax to determine who takes home the Literary Death Match crown.
It may sound like a circus — and that's half the point. Literary Death Match is passionate about inspecting new and innovative ways to present text off the page, and the most fascinating part about the LDM is how seriously attentive the audience is during each reading. We've called this the great literary ruse: an audacious and inviting title, a harebrained finale, but in-between the judging creates a relationship with the viewer as a judge themselves.
Our ultimate goal is to perform the Literary Death Match all over the world, and to continue to showcase literature as a brilliant, unstoppable medium.
Check out Adrian's 2023 interview with Sue Staats here.
Meet the LDM Sacramento 2 lineup!
AUTHORS
Memoir/Fiction: Lisa Bunker (vo/ven/veir) has written stories all veir life. Veir books include Felix Yz (Viking, 2017), Zenobia July (Viking, 2019), and Almond, Quartz, and Finch (New Wind, 2023). Before setting up shop as a full-time author, vo had a 30-year career in non-commercial broadcasting. Vo has made homes in New Mexico, the LA area, Seattle, the Florida panhandle, Maine, and New Hampshire. Vo now lives in Sacramento with veir spouse, Dawn, an author in her own right. Between them they have three grown children. From 2018 to 2022, Lisa represented the town of Exeter in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Veir other active interests include chess, cutthroat Scrabble, choral singing, and musical composition.
Drama/Poetry/Podcasting: Kellie Raines is a published writer, playwright, actor, director, and visual artist. Performance and directing credits include working with local theatre companies such as KOLT Run Creations, Big Idea Theatre, Resurrection Theatre, and Theater Galatea. She has shown her art at Archival Gallery, the PBS KVIE Art Auction, the National Mother Lode Art Exhibition, and the Crocker Art Museum’s Big Names, Small Art Auction. Kellie holds a bachelor’s degree in Dramatic Art with a minor in English from UC Davis. You can occasionally see her on-air for PBS KVIE. She is in development and production for two new podcasts for which she is the executive producer, writer, and host. She is learning French — et c’est très difficile mais amusant. P.S. Kellie believes in the Oxford comma, pineapple on pizza, and “The Empire Strikes Back” being the best film in the “Star Wars” canon.
Non-Fiction: Andrés Reséndez: “I worked in various capacities in Mexico City where I grew up — the best job I ever had was as a historical consultant for telenovelas (soap operas). After getting a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, I taught at Yale, the University of Helsinki, and UC Davis. I have written about the history of border regions (Changing National Identities at the Frontier, Cambridge University Press, 2005), early European exploration (A Land So Strange, Basic Books, 2007), and the enslavement of Native Americans (The Other Slavery, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). More recently, I have focused on the "Columbian moment" in the Pacific, beginning with the first expedition that went from America to Asia and back (1564-1565), transforming the Pacific into a space of contact and exchange (Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021). These days I am researching the fallout from that venture. Just as Columbus's voyages triggered a major transfer of plants, animals, and germs across the Atlantic, so did the opening of the Pacific created a biological corridor across the largest ocean on Earth with very significant but little-understood consequences for the world.”
Poetry: Stan Zumbiel taught English in middle and high school for 35 years and has had a hand in raising four children. In 2008, he received his MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He has published two books: Standing Watch, Random Lane Press in 2016, and Hat Full of Leaves, Cold River Press in 2021.
Drama/Poetry/Podcasting: Kellie Raines is a published writer, playwright, actor, director, and visual artist. Performance and directing credits include working with local theatre companies such as KOLT Run Creations, Big Idea Theatre, Resurrection Theatre, and Theater Galatea. She has shown her art at Archival Gallery, the PBS KVIE Art Auction, the National Mother Lode Art Exhibition, and the Crocker Art Museum’s Big Names, Small Art Auction. Kellie holds a bachelor’s degree in Dramatic Art with a minor in English from UC Davis. You can occasionally see her on-air for PBS KVIE. She is in development and production for two new podcasts for which she is the executive producer, writer, and host. She is learning French — et c’est très difficile mais amusant. P.S. Kellie believes in the Oxford comma, pineapple on pizza, and “The Empire Strikes Back” being the best film in the “Star Wars” canon.
Non-Fiction: Andrés Reséndez: “I worked in various capacities in Mexico City where I grew up — the best job I ever had was as a historical consultant for telenovelas (soap operas). After getting a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, I taught at Yale, the University of Helsinki, and UC Davis. I have written about the history of border regions (Changing National Identities at the Frontier, Cambridge University Press, 2005), early European exploration (A Land So Strange, Basic Books, 2007), and the enslavement of Native Americans (The Other Slavery, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). More recently, I have focused on the "Columbian moment" in the Pacific, beginning with the first expedition that went from America to Asia and back (1564-1565), transforming the Pacific into a space of contact and exchange (Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021). These days I am researching the fallout from that venture. Just as Columbus's voyages triggered a major transfer of plants, animals, and germs across the Atlantic, so did the opening of the Pacific created a biological corridor across the largest ocean on Earth with very significant but little-understood consequences for the world.”
Poetry: Stan Zumbiel taught English in middle and high school for 35 years and has had a hand in raising four children. In 2008, he received his MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He has published two books: Standing Watch, Random Lane Press in 2016, and Hat Full of Leaves, Cold River Press in 2021.
JUDGES
Performance: Ian Cullity grew up around theater owing to the fact that his dad owned several community theaters. However, it was not until high school that he became interested in performing. He met his beautiful wife Kelly while they were both performing in the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia! They now live happily in Sacramento where they are raising two adorable children, Oliver and Sophie, and a puppy, Tonks. In his free time, Ian teaches a children's acting class at Musical Mayhem Productions and enjoys riding his bikes with friends.
Intangibles: Clare Frank is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Burnt. It chronicles her life as a California firefighter. She began her career at age 17 and worked her way through the ranks to become California's first female Chief of Fire Protection. Along the way, she earned several leadership awards and multiple degrees, including a juris doctorate and a master's in creative writing. Now, she brings humor and candor to her stories about first responders, lawyers, and life. She has been featured in the New York Times, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN Opinion, Shondaland, FireRescue1, and others. Clare is working on her second book. She lives near Lake Tahoe with her husband and always a dog or two.
Literary Merit: Naomi J. Williams is the author of the novel Landfalls, long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. You can find her short fiction and essays in many places, including LitHub, Bourbon Penn, New Overland Review, and the forthcoming Sacramento Noir anthology. She's the grateful recipient of honors including a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories honorable mention, UC Davis Maurice Prize, Sustainable Arts Foundation fellowship, and residencies at Hedgebrook, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Willapa Bay, and Djerassi Resident Artists Program. She has taught creative writing at places near and far, including UC Davis, Sacramento City College, Davis Arts Center, Saint Mary's College, and the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University in Ohio. She remains proudest, however, of the medal she went home with after last year's Literary Death Match in Sacramento, and is delighted to return this year as a judge.
Intangibles: Clare Frank is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Burnt. It chronicles her life as a California firefighter. She began her career at age 17 and worked her way through the ranks to become California's first female Chief of Fire Protection. Along the way, she earned several leadership awards and multiple degrees, including a juris doctorate and a master's in creative writing. Now, she brings humor and candor to her stories about first responders, lawyers, and life. She has been featured in the New York Times, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN Opinion, Shondaland, FireRescue1, and others. Clare is working on her second book. She lives near Lake Tahoe with her husband and always a dog or two.
Literary Merit: Naomi J. Williams is the author of the novel Landfalls, long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. You can find her short fiction and essays in many places, including LitHub, Bourbon Penn, New Overland Review, and the forthcoming Sacramento Noir anthology. She's the grateful recipient of honors including a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories honorable mention, UC Davis Maurice Prize, Sustainable Arts Foundation fellowship, and residencies at Hedgebrook, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Willapa Bay, and Djerassi Resident Artists Program. She has taught creative writing at places near and far, including UC Davis, Sacramento City College, Davis Arts Center, Saint Mary's College, and the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University in Ohio. She remains proudest, however, of the medal she went home with after last year's Literary Death Match in Sacramento, and is delighted to return this year as a judge.
Past Due
Tales of Daughters, Duty, and Difficult Decisions
Featuring written pieces about what we owe our ancestors by RoseMary Covington and Alberta Nassi
read aloud by professional actors Jude Owens and Janis Stevens.
Tales of Daughters, Duty, and Difficult Decisions
Featuring written pieces about what we owe our ancestors by RoseMary Covington and Alberta Nassi
read aloud by professional actors Jude Owens and Janis Stevens.
RoseMary Covington Morgan retired from a successful career as a transit planning and development executive manager to accept a new challenge as an author. A lifelong writer, she picked up the pen again almost four years ago.
Most recently, RoseMary published the short story “The Song" in the anthology Storytellers: Tales from the Rio Vista Writers’ Group. She also has three short stories — “My Big Red Shadow," “T'was" and “School Shopping” — and two poems published in the Northern California Publishers Anthologies. The Sacramento Branch of the California Writer’s Club published her short story “Minnow Mildred” in their 2022 literary review Visions.
She has completed several other short stories, one novel and one novella. As of this date, she is moving toward publishing more of her work. RoseMary grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and has lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. Presently, she lives in Sacramento.
Check out RoseMary's 2023 interview with Sue Staats here.
As a psychologist for 45 years, Alberta Nassi has listened to other people’s stories for most of her life. Now she tells a few of her own. Her work has appeared in The Florida Review Tablet Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and The London Reader. She is also a contributor to the forthcoming anthology, “A Brand New World in the End Drops Out: Personal Stories of Mental Health and Well-Being” (Iron Oak Editions, 2025). Her essays have been short-listed for the New Letters, New Millennium Writings and Tucson Festival of Books nonfiction prizes. In 2023, Alberta was awarded the Brooklyn Prize for Nonfiction.
Most recently, RoseMary published the short story “The Song" in the anthology Storytellers: Tales from the Rio Vista Writers’ Group. She also has three short stories — “My Big Red Shadow," “T'was" and “School Shopping” — and two poems published in the Northern California Publishers Anthologies. The Sacramento Branch of the California Writer’s Club published her short story “Minnow Mildred” in their 2022 literary review Visions.
She has completed several other short stories, one novel and one novella. As of this date, she is moving toward publishing more of her work. RoseMary grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and has lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. Presently, she lives in Sacramento.
Check out RoseMary's 2023 interview with Sue Staats here.
As a psychologist for 45 years, Alberta Nassi has listened to other people’s stories for most of her life. Now she tells a few of her own. Her work has appeared in The Florida Review Tablet Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and The London Reader. She is also a contributor to the forthcoming anthology, “A Brand New World in the End Drops Out: Personal Stories of Mental Health and Well-Being” (Iron Oak Editions, 2025). Her essays have been short-listed for the New Letters, New Millennium Writings and Tucson Festival of Books nonfiction prizes. In 2023, Alberta was awarded the Brooklyn Prize for Nonfiction.
Jude Owens is a local who has been in several productions with Celebration Arts and the local community college ARC. She is beyond excited to be working with Stories on Stage Sacramento for the first time and hopes you continue to enjoy live theater and the arts!
Janis Stevens received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actor Training Program of Ohio University. She spent her early career working in Vienna, Austria, at Vienna’s English Theatre and the International Theatre Company. Her regional and local credits in the States include acting and directing at Theater at Monmouth, Maine, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, and Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora and, in Sacramento, B Street Theatre, Capital Stage, California Stage and Sacramento Theatre Company. Janis is a 2006 Drama Desk Award Nominee for “Outstanding Solo Performance” for her portrayal of Vivien Leigh in Rick Foster’s “Vivien” at the American Theatre of Actors off-off-Broadway. She received Elly Awards from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance for Best Dramatic Actress in 2006 for her performance as the architect Julia Morgan in “Becoming Julia Morgan” and in 2019 for her portrayal of Dorothea Puente in “Dorothea Puente Tells All” as well as the Elly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. Janis has had the past privilege of reading a Tobias Wolff short story for Sacramento’s Stories on Stage and, more recently, selections from Donna Apidone’s Drive-Time Meditations for Stories on Stage Davis. Ms. Stevens is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Janis Stevens received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actor Training Program of Ohio University. She spent her early career working in Vienna, Austria, at Vienna’s English Theatre and the International Theatre Company. Her regional and local credits in the States include acting and directing at Theater at Monmouth, Maine, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, and Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora and, in Sacramento, B Street Theatre, Capital Stage, California Stage and Sacramento Theatre Company. Janis is a 2006 Drama Desk Award Nominee for “Outstanding Solo Performance” for her portrayal of Vivien Leigh in Rick Foster’s “Vivien” at the American Theatre of Actors off-off-Broadway. She received Elly Awards from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance for Best Dramatic Actress in 2006 for her performance as the architect Julia Morgan in “Becoming Julia Morgan” and in 2019 for her portrayal of Dorothea Puente in “Dorothea Puente Tells All” as well as the Elly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. Janis has had the past privilege of reading a Tobias Wolff short story for Sacramento’s Stories on Stage and, more recently, selections from Donna Apidone’s Drive-Time Meditations for Stories on Stage Davis. Ms. Stevens is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Imagine a World
Tales to Make You Think
Featuring innovative stories by Kathy Lynne Marshall, ayreÁnna Ross, Rhys Shaw (aka Ruby Sketchley) and Brian Winters
read aloud by professional actors Voress Franklin, Jennifer Smith, Stuart E.W. Smith and Katherine Stroller.
Tales to Make You Think
Featuring innovative stories by Kathy Lynne Marshall, ayreÁnna Ross, Rhys Shaw (aka Ruby Sketchley) and Brian Winters
read aloud by professional actors Voress Franklin, Jennifer Smith, Stuart E.W. Smith and Katherine Stroller.
Kathy Lynne Marshall is a Black Ancestor Biographer who works as a Diversity and Inclusion specialist on behalf of our ancestors. She’s written eight books that enhance the American historical record with well-researched, factual accounts of the lives of women, enslaved African Americans, and other groups. As an instructor, she leads workshops to guide others in writing the untold stories of historically excluded individuals. Her successful genealogy research and self-publishing strategies can help anyone realize their inner author.
Kathy has been featured in Sacramento Magazine, The Sacramento Bee, The Sacramento Observer, Sacramento News & Review, and Elk Grove Citizen. She has been interviewed on CBS-TV and Fox40-TV, American Spark-TV and the Research from the National Archives and Beyond and other genealogy podcasts. She has delighted audiences at local and national genealogy and writing conferences. She has also served as a consultant to West Virginia’s Beverly Heritage Center. Kathy has won multiple book awards from the Northern California Publishers and Authors, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and Sons and Daughters of the U.S. Middle Passage.
As the exhibiting artist known as Kanika, her welded steel and ceramic sculptures have been shown and sold at the Crocker Art Museum, the California State Capitol, the California State Fair Fine Arts Show, her garden studio, and in the Maya Angelou Annual Fiber Arts Exhibit in North Charleston, South Carolina. For more information: KathyLynneMarshall.com, Kanika Marshall Art on Facebook, @KanikaMarshallArtBooks on Instagram, and Kathy Lynne Marshall on LinkedIn.
ayreÁnna Ross is a poet, writer, singer/songwriter, griefwalker, mother, partner and grandmother living in the Sierra foothills. she offers her words, music and voice to honor the wonder, grief, joy and magic of Life in these Uncertain Times. she loves reading paper books (especially on rainy days), cups of hot tea (pretty much any time) and deep conversations.
Rhys Shaw has always been interested in history, dilapidated ruins, stories of deceit and survival. Her belief that women are overlooked in history or blamed for mankind’s unsavory decisions is the reigning theme behind her gritty realistic historical fiction books. In The Welexia Series, Rhys draws upon her love of story to bring the pages alive with the personal struggles and pain of strong female characters, taking us on their journey to overcome and thrive. The series may be set in the 14th century, but there are many parallels to the world today.
Some of you will recognize Rhys Shaw and think she looks an awful lot like Ruby Sketchley. As an actor, Ruby has appeared on stage in Sacramento and at SOSS and SOSD. How did Ruby become Rhys? Growing up with a librarian as a mother, reading was encouraged, and she always wrote short stories. Setting out to write a book (only for herself) has turned into a four-book series. More books are on the way. Still historical fiction, but not so far in the past. It is with immense gratitude that SOSS is bringing an excerpt from Someone’s Daughter to Sacramento and both Rhys and Ruby are thrilled.
Brian Winters generally writes about the restless or the unshaven. His first book, Kangaroo (written under Nick Hugues), was published in 2022 and his work has also appeared in Manzano Mountain Review, Popshot Quarterly (UK), and Door = Jar. Having lived in Kansas, Idaho and Kentucky, he currently divides his time between Sonora, CA, and the internet.
Kathy has been featured in Sacramento Magazine, The Sacramento Bee, The Sacramento Observer, Sacramento News & Review, and Elk Grove Citizen. She has been interviewed on CBS-TV and Fox40-TV, American Spark-TV and the Research from the National Archives and Beyond and other genealogy podcasts. She has delighted audiences at local and national genealogy and writing conferences. She has also served as a consultant to West Virginia’s Beverly Heritage Center. Kathy has won multiple book awards from the Northern California Publishers and Authors, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and Sons and Daughters of the U.S. Middle Passage.
As the exhibiting artist known as Kanika, her welded steel and ceramic sculptures have been shown and sold at the Crocker Art Museum, the California State Capitol, the California State Fair Fine Arts Show, her garden studio, and in the Maya Angelou Annual Fiber Arts Exhibit in North Charleston, South Carolina. For more information: KathyLynneMarshall.com, Kanika Marshall Art on Facebook, @KanikaMarshallArtBooks on Instagram, and Kathy Lynne Marshall on LinkedIn.
ayreÁnna Ross is a poet, writer, singer/songwriter, griefwalker, mother, partner and grandmother living in the Sierra foothills. she offers her words, music and voice to honor the wonder, grief, joy and magic of Life in these Uncertain Times. she loves reading paper books (especially on rainy days), cups of hot tea (pretty much any time) and deep conversations.
Rhys Shaw has always been interested in history, dilapidated ruins, stories of deceit and survival. Her belief that women are overlooked in history or blamed for mankind’s unsavory decisions is the reigning theme behind her gritty realistic historical fiction books. In The Welexia Series, Rhys draws upon her love of story to bring the pages alive with the personal struggles and pain of strong female characters, taking us on their journey to overcome and thrive. The series may be set in the 14th century, but there are many parallels to the world today.
Some of you will recognize Rhys Shaw and think she looks an awful lot like Ruby Sketchley. As an actor, Ruby has appeared on stage in Sacramento and at SOSS and SOSD. How did Ruby become Rhys? Growing up with a librarian as a mother, reading was encouraged, and she always wrote short stories. Setting out to write a book (only for herself) has turned into a four-book series. More books are on the way. Still historical fiction, but not so far in the past. It is with immense gratitude that SOSS is bringing an excerpt from Someone’s Daughter to Sacramento and both Rhys and Ruby are thrilled.
Brian Winters generally writes about the restless or the unshaven. His first book, Kangaroo (written under Nick Hugues), was published in 2022 and his work has also appeared in Manzano Mountain Review, Popshot Quarterly (UK), and Door = Jar. Having lived in Kansas, Idaho and Kentucky, he currently divides his time between Sonora, CA, and the internet.
Voress Franklin has been a mainstay in the Northern California region theater community for 50 years. She has 10 Elly Award nominations in various categories, she is the recipient of five. Voress recently directed playwright Ntozake Shanges’ “For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” She is an author and playwright. Some of her acting credits are: “Mrs. Cage” (Mrs. Cage), “Skeleton Crew” (Faye), “Welcome Home Jenny Sutter” (Cheryl), and “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” (Tillie). Voress retired from California State service after 30 years. She is excited to read for you tonight.
Jennifer J.K. Smith is thrilled to be performing for Stories on Stage Sacramento. Jennifer has spent most of her professional artistic life charming audiences across Northern California, both on and off the stage. A veteran teacher of 18 years, she has a long history of captivating students and young performers alike — a skill that translates into her storytelling. Jennifer thrives as the director of the performing arts programs for Ackerman Charter School District, including a robust musical theatre program, multiple choirs, and a large general music education system that she has designed and implemented. Jennifer is also a certified Kodaly Music Instructor, which allows her to use her singing voice to teach musical literacy while continuing our cultural musical heritage for future generations. Jennifer has received the “Teachers Who Make a Difference” award for her dedication to arts education in our region. A world traveler, wife, mother, and chocolate devotee, Jennifer's vibrant life experiences infuse her storytelling with a unique depth and captivating presence.
Stuart E.W. Smith, MFA, works as a teacher and theatre artist in Northern California. His original work includes many plays and writings, as well as his improvisational system, the Quiet Way. He currently works with the University of Birmingham, (UK) as he completes his Ph.D. in Quaker Studies.
Katherine Stroller is thrilled to be making her debut reading at Stories on Stage Sacramento. She is a local actor and character movement coach, having received her B.A. in Dramatic Art from UC Davis and is a graduate of Foothill Theatre Conservatory. As a writer, she’s excited to share a fellow author’s work and the love of storytelling. Most of her spare time consists of crocheting, predominantly stuffed animals, because, honestly, you can never have too many. Learn more at katherinestroller.com.
Jennifer J.K. Smith is thrilled to be performing for Stories on Stage Sacramento. Jennifer has spent most of her professional artistic life charming audiences across Northern California, both on and off the stage. A veteran teacher of 18 years, she has a long history of captivating students and young performers alike — a skill that translates into her storytelling. Jennifer thrives as the director of the performing arts programs for Ackerman Charter School District, including a robust musical theatre program, multiple choirs, and a large general music education system that she has designed and implemented. Jennifer is also a certified Kodaly Music Instructor, which allows her to use her singing voice to teach musical literacy while continuing our cultural musical heritage for future generations. Jennifer has received the “Teachers Who Make a Difference” award for her dedication to arts education in our region. A world traveler, wife, mother, and chocolate devotee, Jennifer's vibrant life experiences infuse her storytelling with a unique depth and captivating presence.
Stuart E.W. Smith, MFA, works as a teacher and theatre artist in Northern California. His original work includes many plays and writings, as well as his improvisational system, the Quiet Way. He currently works with the University of Birmingham, (UK) as he completes his Ph.D. in Quaker Studies.
Katherine Stroller is thrilled to be making her debut reading at Stories on Stage Sacramento. She is a local actor and character movement coach, having received her B.A. in Dramatic Art from UC Davis and is a graduate of Foothill Theatre Conservatory. As a writer, she’s excited to share a fellow author’s work and the love of storytelling. Most of her spare time consists of crocheting, predominantly stuffed animals, because, honestly, you can never have too many. Learn more at katherinestroller.com.
Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Memoirs of Boyhood
Featuring an excerpt from Josh Fernandez's debut novel The Hands that Crafted the Bomb,
"Craps" from Frank Gioia's memoir collection of short stories The Mercury Man: Remembering Brooklyn,
and Philip Jacques' short story "Triple," which won the 2023 Gold Country Writers Short Story Contest.
The stories will be read aloud by professional actors Jacob Gutiérrez-Montoya and Elio Gutiérrez-Montoya.
Memoirs of Boyhood
Featuring an excerpt from Josh Fernandez's debut novel The Hands that Crafted the Bomb,
"Craps" from Frank Gioia's memoir collection of short stories The Mercury Man: Remembering Brooklyn,
and Philip Jacques' short story "Triple," which won the 2023 Gold Country Writers Short Story Contest.
The stories will be read aloud by professional actors Jacob Gutiérrez-Montoya and Elio Gutiérrez-Montoya.
Josh Fernandez (The Hands that Crafted the Bomb) is an antiracist organizer, a father, a runner, a fighter, an English professor, and a writer whose stories have appeared in Spin, the Sacramento Bee, the Hard Times, and several alternative news weeklies. He lives in Sacramento, CA.
Frank Gioia (“Craps”) is a short story writer, actor and playwright. His recently published memoir, The Mercury Man: Remembering Brooklyn, is a collection of 36 narratives about coming of age on the streets of Brooklyn in the 1950s and the year he served in Vietnam in the early 1960s. His work has been published in the online magazine Ovunque Siamo, as well as The Artful Mind and an Anthology of Veterans Voices. A staged reading of his play 14 Holy Martyrs was performed in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 2016. He has read his work for the last 10 years in the Berkshires, the Twin Cities, Sacramento, and the Sierra Foothills.
Philip Jacques (“Triple”), a child of a military family and retired semiconductor sales executive, has traveled the world extensively. He believes this experience allows him to see the world through the prism of location, people, and tradition. A 20-year veteran actor, Philip is a trustee of Placer Community Theater and manager of Auburn Community Television. Philip is a memoir group leader for Gold Country Writers, where his winning story “Triple” originated.
Read all three writers' interviews with Sue Staats here: www.storiesonstagesacramento.org/interviews.html.
Frank Gioia (“Craps”) is a short story writer, actor and playwright. His recently published memoir, The Mercury Man: Remembering Brooklyn, is a collection of 36 narratives about coming of age on the streets of Brooklyn in the 1950s and the year he served in Vietnam in the early 1960s. His work has been published in the online magazine Ovunque Siamo, as well as The Artful Mind and an Anthology of Veterans Voices. A staged reading of his play 14 Holy Martyrs was performed in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 2016. He has read his work for the last 10 years in the Berkshires, the Twin Cities, Sacramento, and the Sierra Foothills.
Philip Jacques (“Triple”), a child of a military family and retired semiconductor sales executive, has traveled the world extensively. He believes this experience allows him to see the world through the prism of location, people, and tradition. A 20-year veteran actor, Philip is a trustee of Placer Community Theater and manager of Auburn Community Television. Philip is a memoir group leader for Gold Country Writers, where his winning story “Triple” originated.
Read all three writers' interviews with Sue Staats here: www.storiesonstagesacramento.org/interviews.html.
Jacob Gutiérrez-Montoya, the founder and artistic director of Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre, is a highly regarded Master Teacher and an internationally recognized choreographer. Jacob, a Sacramento native, was inspired to pursue dance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, by his early involvement in regional arts programs. Jacob has performed professionally in shows, festivals, and competitions all over the world. Most recently, his work was presented at the Scottish Fringe Festival in Edinburgh for the second consecutive year.
Jacob has served as a member of the artistic staff at several organizations, including the Sacramento Ballet, Capital Stage, Broadway Sacramento, UC Davis (Artists in Residence), and B Street Theatre, where he currently serves as Director of Development and Community Partnerships. For the entertainment of Saint John's Party for Change, Habitat for Humanity (High Heels and High Hats), Diner en Blanc, and The Polar Express at the Sacramento Railroad Museum, Jacob served as Artistic Director/Choreographer. He currently serves as Creative Director of Folsom, California-based, award-winning Hawkins Contemporary Jazz Company at Hawkins School of Performing Arts, where he is also co-owner.
He was named Educator of the Year in addition to choreographing and instructing for regional youth organizations and local/national school districts. Because of Jacob's encouragement of the idea that we can all make a difference, his pupils have not only joined prestigious dance and theater companies around the globe, but have also emerged as leaders in charitable endeavors. Jacob's choreography has won top awards in competitions, including a record-breaking four winning titles at the international choreography festival in Palm Desert. His work has also been adapted for usage in worldwide film and television productions.
Elio Gutiérrez-Montoya is an artist living in the Sacramento area and is delighted to be back to form a part of the great work that Stories on Stage Sacramento creates for our community. His creative credits include acting, directing, and teaching, and he most recently collaborated with the Latino Center for Art and Culture to put on Las Pastorelas de Sacramento. In the greater Sacramento area, he has also worked with Capital Stage, B Street Theatre, Sacramento Contemporary Dance Company, UC Davis, and many others. Elio recently completed his doctorate in clinical psychology and is currently completing his postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente.
Jacob has served as a member of the artistic staff at several organizations, including the Sacramento Ballet, Capital Stage, Broadway Sacramento, UC Davis (Artists in Residence), and B Street Theatre, where he currently serves as Director of Development and Community Partnerships. For the entertainment of Saint John's Party for Change, Habitat for Humanity (High Heels and High Hats), Diner en Blanc, and The Polar Express at the Sacramento Railroad Museum, Jacob served as Artistic Director/Choreographer. He currently serves as Creative Director of Folsom, California-based, award-winning Hawkins Contemporary Jazz Company at Hawkins School of Performing Arts, where he is also co-owner.
He was named Educator of the Year in addition to choreographing and instructing for regional youth organizations and local/national school districts. Because of Jacob's encouragement of the idea that we can all make a difference, his pupils have not only joined prestigious dance and theater companies around the globe, but have also emerged as leaders in charitable endeavors. Jacob's choreography has won top awards in competitions, including a record-breaking four winning titles at the international choreography festival in Palm Desert. His work has also been adapted for usage in worldwide film and television productions.
Elio Gutiérrez-Montoya is an artist living in the Sacramento area and is delighted to be back to form a part of the great work that Stories on Stage Sacramento creates for our community. His creative credits include acting, directing, and teaching, and he most recently collaborated with the Latino Center for Art and Culture to put on Las Pastorelas de Sacramento. In the greater Sacramento area, he has also worked with Capital Stage, B Street Theatre, Sacramento Contemporary Dance Company, UC Davis, and many others. Elio recently completed his doctorate in clinical psychology and is currently completing his postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente.
