LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER TWIN CITIES

2017 CAST

Hanadi Chehabeddine

Hanadi Chehabeddine is an award-winning public speaker and activist living in Eden Prairie with her husband and three kids. she recently received the Eden Prairie Human Rights Award of 2016 for her efforts to dismantle misconceptions about Islam and build bridges of unity. She has been featured in the Star Tribune for her community building projects and had been published in the Huffington Post, American Diversity Report, MinnPost, and recently The Guthrie Theater and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. She was a speaker at the national Diplomacy Summit, August 2016 in Minneapolis, and was recently invited to be a U.S. State Department International Speaker. Hanadi is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Leadership at St Thomas University while leading diversity training in the corporate world, specifically around anti-Muslim sentiments. Before coming to the U.S., she was an award-winning creative and communication specialist working across different media platforms. She has been on numerous award show jury panels in the Middle East and covered the 2004 Cannes Advertising Festival in 2004.

Danielle Daniel

Danielle Daniel‘s career includes a wide variety of theater projects, storytelling programs, artist residencies and workshops. Her goal is to provide creative opportunities for students of all ages to explore their world through the arts; helping students find and develop their creative voice and style.

STORYTELLER – 24 YEARS  African and African American History and Folklore – Spirit of our Ancestors  Stories from Around the World – Building Bridges, connecting our world  Specially designed storytelling programs to celebrate special occasions  Women Voices – special programs honoring women  Motivational/Spiritual Stories

TEACHING ARTIST – 25 YEARS Twenty-five years classroom and community experience working with students of all ages. Artist residencies and workshops—storytelling, creative writing, and theater arts Roster Artist with: COMPAS (24 years); The Givens Foundation for African American Literature (10 years); Young Audience (8 years); ORIGIN (5 years); Vocal Essence (11 years); Young Author Conferences – inspiring and motivating young writers (16 years); Special curriculum highlighting African American Authors and Poets; Working with students and adults with disabilities (Millennium Performing Arts, VSA)

PERFORMING EXPERIENCE – 24 YEARS One woman plays and storytelling program tour shows presented in Europe and the U.S. College tour includes: Purdue and Northwestern University, University of Louisville, Southern University, and University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin Storytelling programs and shows presented at schools K-12, colleges, corporations, community events, Minnesota State Fair Festivals—Children International Festival, Owatonna Fair; 1995 & 2015 Fringe Festival; 2014 Late Nite Series at the Pillsbury Theatre FEATURED STORYTELLER/SPEAKER – Featured at National Assoc. of Black Storytellers –2006 San Diego, CA; 2007 Atlanta – Quantico, VA, Celebration for General Frank Peterson, first African American 3-Star General – Featured at Poplarville, MS Blueberry Storytelling Festival – Mississippi – Northland Storytelling Festival – Minneapolis – Ghana, West African – performed in Ghana (International Storytelling Conference – Ghana) – Filled in for Governor Ann Richards of Texas at Women’s Conference – Hamline University

AWARDS & FELLOWSHIP COMPAS 2011 Jim Dusso Artist Award; LIN Grant–St. Paul Companies; MN State Arts Board Fellowship; Jerome Fellowship and Many Voices Award from the Playwright Center.

LITERACY WORKS – Author, children’s book, The Ghost of Old Man Willie (2006) – Plays: Voodoo Child, Magic of Laughter (both produced at Southern Theatre); Rhythm People (presented at Paramount Theater), and Murder on the Bayou

TRAINING/EDUCATION – B.A. Degree, University of Minnesota; Completed Kennedy Performance Arts Centers “Artists as Educators Program” through Northern Iowa University; completed courses in theater and writing at Playwrights Center and the Guthrie Theatre.

Molly Beth Griffin

Molly Beth Griffin is the author of four picture books: Ten Beautiful Things, The Big Leaf Leap, Rhoda’s Rock Hunt, and Loon Baby. She has also published a young adult novel, Silhouette of a Sparrow, two chapbooks of poetry, and the School Sidekicks series of beginning readers. Forthcoming picture books include Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing and a holiday book entitled Just Us.

Silhouette of a Sparrow (winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature) was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and ForeWord’s Book of the Year, and was featured on ALA’s Rainbow List and on the Amelia Bloomer List of Feminist Literature. Ten Beautiful Things received four starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Rhoda’s Rock Hunt won a Northeast Minnesota Book Award and a Jeanette Fair Book Award, and was a Star of the North nominee. Molly was the recipient of the 2014 McKnight Artist Fellowship in Children’s Literature as well as two MSAB Artist Initiative Grants. She is represented by Jennifer Flannery of Flannery Literary.

Since graduating Hamline University’s MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults in 2009, she has been teaching writing for children at the Loft Literary Center, critiquing manuscripts, visiting schools, and hosting a monthly Picture Book Salon. She lives in South Minneapolis with her partner and their two children, where she enjoys hiking, taking photos, drawing birds, eating pastries, watching mysteries, and waiting for the mail.

Rachel Guvenc

Rachel Guvenc attends Hamline University's MFA Creative Writing program. She works as Assistant Editor for the Water~Stone Review and teaches writing classes at The Loft Literary Center. She is also a yoga instructor at Blooma and Nokomis Healthy Seniors. She resides in south Minneapolis with her husband, three children, one dog, and a tortoise.

Emily Heinis

Emily Heinis is a mother to Olivia and Nathan, a dog mom to her Great Dane, Samson, a spouse to Patrick, a reader, a writer, a baker, an activist, and a really great friend. Emily has a BST in Communication Arts and Literature, an MA in Communication Studies, and is currently working on her MFA in Creative Writing–all from MSU, Mankato (Go, Mavs!). She is also a Communication and Marketing Manager for a local nonprofit. You can read her writing and see what she’s up to on her website emilyheinis.com.

Ann Hohenshell

Ann Hohenshell is a mom, spouse, writer and avid reader. She and her husband are native Iowans and slowly coming to accept that their three children consider themselves Minnesotans. Ann likes to root for the underdog, drink coffee and collect family stories. She met some of her best friends in writing groups and writes about her life as a daughter, mom and outside observer. She is working with a writing partner on a book that explores how two very different people, an extreme extrovert and an acute introvert, can become and remain best friends.

Erica Hunt

Erica Hunt is a life-long Minnesotan who now resides in St. Paul with her husband of 20 years, three daughters, two pets and her gardens. She has worked with teenagers and young adults in various non-profit organizations for over 15 years, focusing specifically on cultivating mentoring relationships. She has bachelor’s degrees in history and education, two areas of study she still finds fascinating. She began writing after college, when her under-resourced employer could not afford to buy curriculum, and has been writing ever since. Along with gardening, it is her favorite creative outlet. She loves her family and friends, her neighborhood, cooking from scratch, reading fiction and any time she can get with her rapidly growing teenagers.

Sally Vardaman

Sally Vardaman is an essayist who believes in the power of stories to make us think and connect with each other. Her current labor of love is a book of essays to her three teenagers, to be released in 2023. You can find her occasional musings and projects at sallyvardaman.com.

Amoke Kubat

Amoke Kubat is a retired special education teacher, mother, grandmother, spiritual elder, and community activist. Mindful, not forever young she remains forever and curious about self, (as an older African American woman), the natural world, and the Sacred. Self taught, Amoke uses writing, thus far, centered around healing – personal, historical and intergenerational trauma, to continue to define herself and hold a position of wellness in an America sick with inequalities and inequities.

Amoke is also a student at United Theological Seminary. As Amoke continues to discover the intersections experienced, she infuses her understandings into – spoken or written, art making events, or performance to diverse communities.

Amoke does art making in a variety of ways; prose, creative non-fiction, public performance and community events, and YO MAMA arts residences and The Art of Mothering Workshops. Amoke recently added playwright to her resume. She wrote, produced and acted in 2 sold out performances of “Angry Black Woman and Well Intentioned White Girl” in 2016 at Intermedia Arts. This is Amoke’s first appearance at “Listen to Your Mother.”

Carrie Peterson

Carrie Peterson is a mom to an 11 year old boy, 5 year old rescue shepherd mix and a crayfish named Elliot. She has served as the Dietetic Internship Director at the the University of Minnesota since 2000. Carrie was one of the first in the nation to become a Board Certified Specialist In Sports Nutrition and over the past 27 years, has worked as the Sports Nutritionist for Antarctic Expeditions, climbing expeditions and all of the Professional Minnesota Sports Teams. Her passions include playing ice hockey (which she started at age 40), alpine skiing, camping and hiking. Truly, anything activity related! She is extremely grateful for this opportunity to share an experience on her life journey .

Mandy Poke

Mandy Poke is 26 years old and currently a 5th grade teacher in district 196. She is engaged to PJ Hill and they have a daughter, Sinae Hill. Her life is filled with God, family, friends, graduate school, and basketball. She enjoys coaching her daughter, eating sushi, shopping, and summertime festivities. She also enjoys teaching. It is one of the most fulfilling experiences to be able to help empower and fill each individual student with love and experiences that will allow them to grow into the best version of themselves! She is blessed.

Susan Triemert

Susan Triemert’s collection of essays, Guess What’s Different, was published in May of 2022 by Malarkey Books. She is an assistant non-fiction editor at Pithead Chapel. Nominated for Best of the Net, twice for a Pushcart (2017, 2022), and twice for Best Microfiction, her work was selected to appear in the 2022 Best Microfiction Anthology. She holds an MA in Education and an MFA from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. She now tutors and occasionally teaches. You can find her work at susantriemert.com.

Tzitel Voss

Tzitel Voss is a Speech Communications and Theater teacher and consultant with 20 years of experience in a broad range of fields. The greater part of her career has been spent within the field of education where she teaches communications classes and coaches nationally-ranked competitive speakers. Beyond the educational setting, Tzitel has worked with The Moth and Fringe Festival storytellers in preparation for the stage. She also has had the privilege to work with Public Defenders and Criminal Defense Lawyers on developing skills to share the stories of their clients in the courtroom. Tzitel has made a career out of listening to stories: stories of her students, stories of performers, stories of professionals. She is a teacher at heart and loves to help others find the courage to speak and make their “mess become their message”. Every once in awhile, she even has a story to share.

EMCEE: SALLY KOERING ZIMNEY

Alumni, LTYM TWIN CITIES 2016

Sally Koering Zimney is a presentation coach and consultant, an award-winning speaker and a writer whose mission is to create talks that move their audiences and the world. She has 15+ years of experience coaching speakers and creating impactful experiences that open minds and hearts. Sally is also the host of This Moved Me, a podcast and blog about the art of public speaking, interviewing beloved TED speakers like Julian Treasure – storytelling experts like Michael Margolis and LTYM’s Ann Imig – and brilliant undiscovered talent – sharing insight and inspiration so that our talks can move the world.

Watch Sally read, "I'm Grateful for Tacos" >>