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's Kellogg Graduate School of Management…just in case. 

Joey Masloski is a rising senior studying marketing at the University of Wisconsin Madison. His many interests include piano, theatre, entrepreneurship, fantasy football, and social media content creation. Joey spent his junior year of college all around the globe, getting the chance to work in Israel and study in Barcelona and Rome. Joey is a new storyteller, excited to be making his debut at First Person Live.

Francesca Sobrer, actor/writer/theater teacher, comes to Chicago via Nantucket Island, where she was raised in a delicatessen and bakery, Something Natural. Along the way, she landed in Bloomington, Indiana, where she was the program director and teacher at Bloomington High School North Theatre for more than 20 years. Francesca is mother to three grown adults and is constantly surprised to see that they behave more maturely than she does. When she is not pounding the pavement for acting gigs, Francesca is an acting coach. She is a three-time Moth StorySLAM winner and performs in storytelling shows around Chicago. 

Errol McLendon spends his day portraying patients for medical students and guiding them in developing communication skills. He is also an adjunct professor at Indiana University Medical School. Errol has told stories at many of the venues in Chicago and is a recent Moth StorySLAM winner (with the story he’s telling tonight!). Errol also has developed a solo show he hopes to tour next summer, and a series of middle grade books he plans to publish this year. 

Rader Travis is excited to be back on the First Person Live stage. Their stories have been featured in various shows around Chicago, including Moth StorySLAMs and Moth GrandSLAMs. Rader recently earned their Masters of Education degree from DePaul University. Rader teaches a fantastic group of middle schoolers at Morton School of Excellence in Chicago - Go Mustangs! As a proud supporter of live storytelling, Rader encourages you to support First Person Live in whatever capacity you can.

Melissa Earley, originally from Colorado, is the lead pastor at First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights. She's a Moth StorySLAM winner and writes fiction as well as a blog, “Waking Up Earley.” Melissa loves to travel, though the rain on her trip to Belize inspired a poem about chewing off her own arm. She looks forward to long walks with Tango, the dog she welcomed into her life this summer. 

Steve Glickman has been telling stories at weddings and funerals his whole life to wide critical acclaim. He is the co-host of a monthly open-mic storytelling event in Chicago, and regularly performs at storytelling shows around the city. Steve is a software engineer by day and a proud nerd. He loves classical music and can often be seen air-conducting whatever symphony or opera is playing on his iPod or in his head. Steve lives in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago with his partner Mark and their imaginary dog Ruffles.

Steve Miller has been a high school math teacher for 18 years and a storyteller for five. In the classroom, his favorite topic is algebra and his favorite victims are freshmen. Prior to teaching, Steve was a patent lawyer who specialized in disposable absorbent nonwoven hygiene products (e.g., tampons and diapers). He likes to believe that spending 2-1/2 hours a day driving to work makes him smarter as long as he listens to audiobooks. When not driving, Steve enjoys discussing politics podcasts with his wife and ‘70s music with his stepson.