2nd Story 2nd Story
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2nd Story is dedicated to creating and crafting story-sharing experiences that foster meaningful connections between individuals and communities. We believe that well-crafted, well-told stories can be a catalyst for change for artist and audience alike.
We believe that stories are what bind us to each other.
We want to live in a world driven by empathy.
We host events in and around Chicago that elevate the storyteller’s words to deliver a unique, live, literary/theatrical experience unlike any other in the city. From small bars in Rogers Park and North Center, to big venues in Lakeview and the West Loop, to restaurants in Lincoln Park and Evanston, we produce over 30 events every season and facilitates over 145 artistic collaborations.
We craft story-sharing experiences in the form of both performances and workshops and classes. A typical show or event consists of several stories dispersed throughout the evening like courses of a meal. The stories range from the earnest and serious to the light-hearted and humorous, and can simultaneously provoke and entertain.
Our venues are as varied as our stories, and run the gamut from intimate wine bars and pubs to spacious performance halls, conference rooms, and open-office environments. Our storytellers are equally diverse, and come from all walks of life: a pastor, a bartender, a child psychiatrist, and a lawyer…their individual stories help to bridge the gap between the personal and the universal, and break down the walls between and unite artists and audiences in and among different communities.
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Episode 290: S and Danielle Simmons - Just Friends
In this week's story, S and Danielle Simmons share the origin story of their marriage - and how they started off on not quite the same page about romance.
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Episode 289: Courtney Kotloski - Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
In this week's story, teller Courtney Kotloski shares the shock of her cancer diagnosis and how humor - along with the support of her family - helped keep her pushing through treatment.
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Episode 288: Jen Schroeder - A Labor Of Love
In this week's story, teller Jen Schroeder shares an intensely honest and real look at her experience just before, during, and after giving birth to her twins.
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Episode 287: LaTanya Lane - The Perfect Amount Of Water
In this week's story, 2nd Story Company Member LaTanya Lane shares how she lost one type of faith but found another in the people and community around her.
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Episode 286: Re/Solve
In this week's episode, our teller recalls how certain major climactic moments from her life didn't resolve the way the shows and books she'd consumed prepared her for.
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Episode 285: Lexi Saunders - An Important Part
In this week's story, teller Lexi Saunders shares the road that led to their work as educator and just one moment of many where they saw the impact of their work in real-time.