In The Chair: The Official Blog of 2nd Story

Here you’ll find exclusive looks behind the scenes, company and event news, insights and interviews with members and collaborators, and anything else we’d like to share with you. Commenting and discussion are both open and encouraged on blog posts, and, in the spirit of community, we’ve taken it a step further. Next to the commenting form on each post, you’ll see a box labelled “This is a Second Story!” A post you read may inspire (or, in some cases, outright ask for) your reaction—checking that box will highlight your contribution as a story in its own right.

Getting to know 2nd Story Fan, Nicole Ripley!

Company Member, Megan Shuchman got a chance to sit down with 2nd Story fan Nicole Ripley and learned a little bit about her and what draws her to 2nd Story. They met during our March Underground Wonder Bar show, Say My …

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Why “Maximum Exposure”?

Editor’s note: With the launch of our brand new workshop, Maximum Exposure, we asked the instructor,

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From the Perspective of a First-Time Writer

We asked Lynn Zimmerman, a first-time writer and Page to the Stage student, just a few questions about her experience with the class and working on writing a full piece for an end-of-the-class performance. Here’s what she had to say: Had …

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Lose an Hour of Sleep, Gain (almost) an Hour of 2nd Story–Daylight Savings: Stories of Leaping Forward

Ozzie and I started planning this week’s podcast about two months ago at Pillars Social Cafe in Rogers Park. We were looking for an excuse to do another special episode. Ozzie pulled up a calendar of North American holidays and …

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Behind the Scenes: After You Submit…

It’s cold outside…the snow is falling, leaving blankets of white on the city streets…the best thing to do is to snuggle up with a cup of tea and read a good story…YOUR STORY! Reading submissions is one of my all-time …

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Until I Tried: a 2nd Story Class Testimonial

I wiped a lingering tear from the corner of my eye as my hands shot together with crazy applause. I felt light headed, and realized I had been holding my breath for 15 minutes. I was 23, it was my …

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Oh, Hell No! A 2nd Story Virgin

The Preview When I went to see my first 2nd Story show I was quite impressed with the set-up- from the fancy bar, to the amazing readers to the sound that accompanied the words. I wanted this. I wanted to …

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Who Can Be Stuck After That?

One of my all-time favorite, top-five desert island short stories is “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. Have you read it? Maybe some teacher assigned it years ago and you remember the gist: the narrator is crazy, kills some …

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Here, Capture Something–Photo Contest!

With so many great titles and even greater stories in the pages of 2nd Story’s very first anthology,  Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck, we wanted to give them each their own chance to be appreciated. So we thought, …

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A First-Timer Goes to the 2nd Story Retreat

8 pm. Friday night. Chicago. Between a last-minute grocery store run and doubling back to the studio on Ravenswood for sound equipment, it had taken fellow new company member Ozzie Totten and me a good hour longer than we’d planned …

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