No, YOU Tell It!

This first “Defiant” story finds us, as described by the narrator, “on the precipice of Real Teen Shit.” In a small New York town, a teen explores his identity while working at the local Serenity Sweets Cafe developing friendships with the town rebels and navigating questionable adults in and around the shop. Balancing his good-boy persona with a newfound comfort from his &...

Ever Google, “What to do when an ex-boyfriend rejects your extended olive branch?” the first storyteller in our Valentine’s Day throwback podcast did, before peeling herself off the floor to attend a book signing in an attempt to get her groove back—or at least to get moving. First up from our alum on-the-spot story swap is “Waiting for Sedaris,” written by Shelley Gazes and perf...

Kicking off the second swap from our Precious show, our narrator time travels between Brooklyn and Oklahoma where she cares for her aging mother after her father’s death. Confronted with memories and physical artifacts from her past, she gains a new perspective on the hometown she had so desired to escape as her two worlds collide. Our first story is “Home,” written by Gail Thoma...

The top five answers are on the board – name something that is Precious. Our first story delivers us right into the mind of its author. But this seemingly humorous daydream leads her to recollect lost lives and haunting memories that have shaped the way she lives and copes. Written by Heather Quinlan and read by Sokunthary Svay , here is, “Survey Says” As you will hear, we asked...

The first story in our second “Coming and Going” swap places us in a New England suburb during the COVID-19 pandemic. A woman leaves her city life and is thrust into the role of caretaker for her elderly parents where, much like the pandemic, there is no end in sight. Experiencing a role reversal with her stubborn father and carefree mother, our narrator comes face to face with her own fears, test...

Have you ever wanted to be someone else? The opening story of “Coming & Going”— our second team-up show with Lambda Literary — follows Calvin…or as he’d like to be known, Craig, as he travels to Florida to become someone new. This journey to overcome grief caused by a death, a breakup, and an unforgiving New York City reveals that what we seek might already be inside us, even if we have...

Our first story transports us to Lake Sunapee on a summer afternoon. Sounds peaceful enough, right? Except, once there, we find the narrator and his brother plotting over how to bait a porcupine (read: wild turkey hunter). The afternoon of googling best practices for said task leads to an examination of fear and how similar we actually are to our furry, or spiky, friends. Today’s podcast is a #thr...

Our first story finds a dyed-in-wool New Yorker facing unforeseen suburban horrors. Negotiating neighborly encounters that make her question whether to recalibrate her moral barometer to keep up with the Joneses. Or, in this case, the Weavers. Kicking off the second half of our special Brooklyn Book Festival event at The Astoria Bookshop, here is Ellie Dvorkin reading “The Neighbor’s Muse” written...

First up, Pichchenda Bao’s “Speak, Muse” contemplates the roles we are assigned in life and the roles we adopt: refugee, American, daughter, mother, artist, citizen; the compromises we make for survival and the ways we interpret silence, and ultimately how we can expand, not contract, our relationship to each other and the world. Read for us here by Carolyn Castiglia. Story partners: Pichche...

In celebration of Pride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, for this, our 50th podcast episode, we wanted to share some of our favorite LGBTQ stories from years past. First up, from our recent “Snapped!” show at Dixon Place, a drag queen offers handy advice about standing one’s ground in “Lessons from The Queen,” written by Robb Leigh Davis and read for us here by story partner and...

What begins as a simple cab ride to the airport becomes a shifting contest of power, imagination, and identity in Naomi Gordon-Loebl’s “Can I See It?” read by Kent D. Wolf in the first half of this special team-up show with Lambda Literary in celebration of Pride and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. This story swap, recorded live at Dixon Place on June 11th, 2019,...

Restoring old chairs and cooking dinner may first appear to be common creative acts but stripped down resides a pair of stories about life, death, near death, and second chances. First up, celebrated author Rebecca Chace ( Leaving Rock Harbor , June Sparrow and the Million Dollar Penny ) revisits a true-life tale she previously thought of as complete . Here is “Painting Chairs” read live – abovegr...

The stress of planning and executing a family vacation to Las Vegas leaves the narrator of Vaughn M. Watson’s story with a need to escape, resulting in a low-key cannabis caper. From the first half of our “Crafty” show performed live at The Astoria Bookshop , whoosh of the nearby N train and all, here is Marianthy Karantzes reading “Getting Crafty at the Dispensary.”...

pictured left to right: Tiffany L. Berryman, Andrew Condouris, Eliot Schrefer Since our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons started No, YOU Tell It! six, WOW, yes, six years ago one of her favorite things has been going out to Fairleigh Dickinson University to switch-up stories with students, faculty, and alums from their Creative Writing MFA program . Earlier this summer, authors Tiffany L. Berryman, Andr...

Angela Cobb’s story is a romantic liaison set against the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy. After the storm subsides, she finds the attempt to recapture that intimacy fraught and even the best-laid plans might require a “Plan B.” Kicking off the second half of our “Mayday” show , recorded live at The Astoria Bookshop on May 10th, Ryan Holmes performs. Left: Ryan Holmes and...

In the first half of our “Mayday” show , recorded live at The Astoria Bookshop  on May 10th, Allison Escoto is forced to listen to an unexpected SOS of the heart. Here is M. Skye Holly reading, “Vessel in Distress.” Top left: M. Skye Holly. Right: Allison Escoto. Group left to right: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, M. Skye Holly, Angel Cobb, Ryan Holmes, Allison Escoto, and Mike Dr...

A young man’s obsessive quest to complete a set of Batman trading cards embroils his extended family in a hunt across the borough of Queens. First up, from our Wild Card show, Raquel Penzo presents Roger Nassar’s story “The Elusive Card #66” Left to right: Raquel Penzo, Wild Card artwork by Sarah Gentile, Roger Nasser Switching it up, author Raquel Penzo’s mother once...

Give a listen to this alternate No, YOU Guess It?! version of our show featuring switched-up stories from students, faculty, and alums of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA in Creative Writing program . Plus, our own Kelly Jean talks about her inspiration behind creating No, YOU Tell It! These six stories, inspired by the theme “My First,” were written by Aminah Abutayeb, Hayde...

After switching up stories at Jimmy’s No. 43 for the past five years, we were saddened to hear that influential East Village beer and cider bar has quietly closed its doors. Read the full story here . In celebration of Jimmy’s No. 43, here is one of nights that has really stuck with us – even though it was only our 6th show! Crowded into the back room, you could feel the audience...

When we asked No, YOU Tell It! alums to bring in stories for an impromptu switch-em-up as part of our four-year-anniversary celebration, Mike Dressel and Alexandra Gray – who also happen to be birthday twins – came through in a big way. Photo credit: Ryan Holmes Mike Dressel is an integral part of the No, YOU Tell It! creative team. After participating in our second live show, we simply never let...

We’re thrilled that No, YOU Tell It! is once again part of the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Our own Kelly Jean is in Madison, NJ right now working with the MFA students, alums, and faculty for a special No, YOU Tell It! “My First” show on Sunday, August 6th. But why wait?? Give a listen to last year’s show, aptly themed “No Regr...

A simple neighborly gesture plus an ill-advised night of drinking leads to stalking, harassment, and an ever-escalating sense of danger. Kicking off the second half of our “Blowback” show, here is Courtney Frances Fallon’s story “Wine Wednesday” read for us by Gabriel Berezin. After another failed coupling spawned in the dumpster fire commonly known as Tinder, Gabriel  Berezin recalls...

A superfan desperately wants to connect with the Wonderful Wizard of YouTube, Todrick Hall, in Ariel Mahler’s story “Under the Rainbow, Over the Sea” read for us here by Molly Touger. Left: Molly Touger reads “Under the Rainbow, Over the Sea.” Upper Right: Erika Iverson rehearses with Molly Touger. Bottom right: Ariel Mahler reads “And in Local News…” Switching it up,...

After years of staying on the fringes, Erika Iverson finds community and comfort through the intricate act of folding paper cranes in Union Square. Kicking off the second half of our “Migration” show, Ken Crossland reads, “September 18, 2001 or How I Became a New Yorker.” They say breaking up is hard to do. But breaking up and then living together for another six months is even harder....

After a devastating loss, an heiress comes to terms with the one thing that money can’t buy. First up from our “Migration” show, Leslie Malaika Lewis asks the big questions in “A Broader View” read for us by Elisa DeCarlo. pictured left to right Elisa DeCarlo and Leslie Malaika Lewis What are the things we truly need in life? The things that we aren’t willing to leave behind? For Elisa...