All True Stories On May 17th In Highwood

Short Story Theatre presents an evening of warm, wise and wonderful true stories on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave. in Highwood. Tickets are $10 at the door. For pre-show dinner reservations (mention Short Story Theatre): 847-433-1078. Drinks are available during the show.

Bob Meyers of Deerfield shares his story "Prejudice Unrecognized." While traveling in China, Bob saw prejudice in others, but not in himself.

Rick Leslie, a co-founder of Short Story Theatre and a Highland Park resident, finds out the hard way that life always finds a way - even under the most extreme conditions. His story: "In the Green Toe."

In his story "Escape From No-Man's Land" Avi Vaidya of Riverwoods shares a frightening experience of being caught between two unfriendly countries.

Founder of Highland Park Poetry, Jennifer Dotson reveals how unconventional summer camp experiences can lead to breaking the rules and maybe someday changing the world in her story "Earth Changes."

In "Human Pearls" Pathologist Elizabeth Brown, Lake Forest, recalls a time when she found a creative use for gallstones.

Short Story Theatre was founded in 2012 and is dedicated to promoting storytelling as a vibrant, contemporary art form. Co-founder and Producer Donna Lubow says, "Stories are creative non-fiction, based on personal experiences. Our troupe of more than thirty members from Chicago and the northern suburbs melds writing skills and performance skills to entertain and inspire audiences."

Short Story Theatre is always on the lookout for new storytellers. For story submissions, contact donna@shortstorytheatre.com. Guidelines for submission are on the website: www.shortstorytheatre.com.

Elizabeth Brown is a pathologist who has recently turned her attention to the infinitely more lively field of creative nonfiction. Her essays range from memoirs to curiosity-driven explorations of whatever catches her fancy, including a discussion of what it was like to retake the SAT exams after a 45-year hiatus. Her essays are all posted on her blog site www.fanagrams.net, and podcasts can be found on iTunes filed under "fanagrams." Other interests include racquet sports and birdwatching.

Jennifer Dotson earned her MFA in drama from the University of Virginia and followed the siren song of Chicago's vibrant storefront theater scene shortly after. Since then she has focused her creative energy into poetry. Her book, Clever Gretel, received the Journal of Modern Poetry First Book Award and was published by Chicago Poetry Press in 2013. She is the founder and program coordinator for Highland Park Poetry, now celebrating its 10th year.

Rick Leslie, a co-founder of Short Story Theatre, has been telling stories of one kind or another for over 40 years, from composing songs and writing ads to producing network news and making TV documentaries. In his travels he has shared Thanksgiving with the Navajos, ridden with the Canadian Mounties and been exposed to Cosmic Dust at NASA. He's even travailed the Bayou with Cajun backwoodsmen, in a scene right out of the film Deliverance. As a co-founder of Short Story Theatre, Rick is committed to bringing the best of storytelling to Chicago's North Shore. You'll find his creative non-fiction in various literary magazines, including the Connecticut Review and Confluence.

Bob Meyers says his friend Mike Lubow got him interested in writing his observations of the human condition, and now he can't stop! He writes stories so that his children and grandchildren can insert their stories, along with his, into a family chronicle. Hopefully, this chronicle will be read and reread over the next 100 years. Bob: "It's wanting to know, that makes us human."

Avinash (Avi) Vaidya is Executive Vice President of Product Development and Chief Technology Officer at Shure Incorporated, the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. He holds nine U.S. patents, has published numerous technical papers, and has received several awards for technical excellence. Dr. Vaidya has a Master's in Engineering Electronics from the Netherlands Universities Foundation, a Master's in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Avi loves to travel on business and for pleasure and has traveled to more than 60 countries including Israel, Finland, China Japan, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka to name a few.