Diane Kastiel is the producer and host of First Person Live. A writer and storyteller from Chicago, she’s a three-time winner of the National Public Radio’s Moth StorySLAM; her work has been featured on the Moth Radio Hour, its podcast, and at special events for WBEZ, NPR’s Chicago affiliate. Diane has told stories on stage at The Second City, Steppenwolf, the Park West, Victory Gardens and other theaters as well as comedy clubs, art galleries, the basement of a tattoo parlor - she even did a show in the middle of the woods! Diane works with libraries, schools, community centers and homeless shelters to bring storytelling to a wider audience, and leads storytelling workshops at Northwestern University. Diane is an alumna of The Second City Conservatory and the University of Chicago’s Great Books program. She also has an MBA from Northwestern University…just in case. 

​Zach Bianco Smith “does business” for an industrial supply company by day; by night, he makes backpacks in his basement; on weekends, he is an improviser with Murder Candy at Westside Improv in Wheaton. He’s also a proud father of three, and a husband who tries hard. Every year, he likes to play the game: What movie character am I now older than? This year: Quint from Jaws. (Dear Lord, he’s older than that old, old boat captain.)

Maria Gordon is a CPA with decades of experience guiding her clients through the murky waters of tax law. Specializing in family-owned companies, she seeks to understand the back stories of her clients’ businesses. Maria has been telling stories and corny jokes since the age of three when she would be put “on stage” at her parents’ dinner parties. She’s a longtime fan of personal narrative storytelling and finally took to the stage herself this year! For fun, Maria enjoys the bright lights of Broadway musicals in NY and Chicago and hiking scenic routes in Europe.

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​Mary Hoefler recently landed in Chicago as a new empty-nester to two grown-ish children, after fleeing Milwaukee for San Francisco in the mid ‘80s and another long stint in Denver. She is new to storytelling but feels like she was born to talk…and talk and talk. Mary is a psychotherapist and finds that everyone has stories to tell, stories that shape who they are, and stories they need to release to move forward. Mary found herself on the Moth stage for the first time last July and is an already a three-time Moth StorySLAM winner! Mary tries to wear a fascinator (read: fancy headwear) whenever she can and doesn't mind the funny looks she gets at Home Depot.

Maris Kostas holds a master's degree in Adult Education, sometimes instructs adults in workforce development programs, sometimes teaches meditation, and regularly bartends for special events. Her various work experiences have allowed her to see life through different lenses and open to a variety of voices. Maria tells stories around the Chicago area, blending past and present impressions into pieces that are entertaining as well as insightful.

April Pruitt-Summers worked as a lawyer decades ago, then raised three boys. She loves Chicago but grew up in Southern Illinois, and comes from a long line of creative, story-telling women. April is an accomplished knitter and seamstress, with a fashion school degree hanging alongside her J.D. April has been telling stories to anyone who would listen her entire life, and is excited to tell one at First Person Live tonight!

Jay Rohr is a Chicago native with a taste for history, wandering the city at odd hours, and telling stories on stage and podcasts. He writes articles and movie reviews for Film Obsessive, and his fiction has appeared in several noir and sci-fi magazines. To deal with the more corrosive aspects of everyday life, Jay makes music in the band Beerfinger.

Erin Catherine Durkin-Robinson is an end-of-life doula and educator. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, running, and traveling. You can find Catherine’s humor columns on Medium and her death-positive columns on Substack.