Chicago has rounded out the featured performers. Along with David Kokeski, Billy Lombardo, Elyzabeth Ashe we have Jason Pettus and Tyler Bohne. Updated bios's on everyone are below.

David Kodeski is a native of Niagara Falls, New York and currently lives and performs in Chicago, Illinois. He is perhaps best known to Chicago audiences as a long-time cast member of "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" and his original series of five solo performances, presented under the umbrella title of "David Kodeski‚s True Life Tales." His second show in the series, "Niagara! (you should have been Yosemite) was adapted for NPR's "This American Life." The third "True Life Tale" ˆ entitled "Another Lousy Day" ˆ was toured to Perth as part of the Western Australia Fringe Festival (and was subsequently awarded "Best of the Fringe") in 2003. Kodeski will return to Perth in February of 2004 to present his most recent critically acclaimed show, "I Can't Explain The Beauty" at the Perth international Arts Festival with a tour of regional Australia to follow.

Billy Lombardo lives in Forest Park, Illinois. He directs the Service Learning program and teaches a senior writing seminar at The Latin School of Chicago. He has had several stories published in Other Voices, Cicada, and River Oak Review, and poetry published in Threshold and Hammers, and the anthologies Stray Bullets and Power Lines. He has given numerous readings and writing workshops and has an annual Father‚s Day feature at the Green Mill‚s Uptown Poetry Slam. Billy is also the recipient of a fiction writing fellowship from the Ragdale Foundation, which he would gladly have attended if it hadn‚t conflicted with his managing a Little League All-Star team.
Stories from his collection have earned him an Illinois Arts Council (IAC) Fellowship Award, and an IAC Literary

Elysabeth Ashe is a professional storyteller and team dynamics consultant, touring the country at festivals, conferences, schools and camps. She is a charter instructor for Chicago's Words 37 high school initiative, teaching life skills by combining storytelling and team building. Elyzabeth recounts nature and life adventure stories from living in the rainforest of Belize to years on theatre stages. Personal experiences and adaptations of stories of life lived by "coloring outside the lines" are often enhanced with song, music and audience participation. City slicker as well as outdoors woman, Elyzabeth tells tales from her life as nature educator, team building facilitator, solo traveler, wildlife rehabilitator, dog walker, corporate career woman, poet and theatre performer.

Tyler Bohne is has been in Chicago for 6 years, although originally a cheesehead from Milwaukee. Tyler and his partner Patrick Zielinski are best known in Chicago for their hit “The Hipmas Carol” which is being performed this year at The Lakeshore Theatre in December. Tyler will also be featured this January at the Chicago Sketch Fest, the largest sketch comedy festival in the world. Tyler and Patrick also have a touring children’s theatre company “Storytellers of a Thousand Faces.” At this years Fray, Tyler will be telling his story “Stone Soup with Hot Sauce” about a youth group road trip he went on at 17.

Jason Pettus (jasonpettus.com) is the author of three novels and over 40 books of short work. He is also a veteran of the poetry slam community, and his past performances include National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Channel, WGN-TV, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and the National Poetry Slam, where he placed second in 1997 as part of the Chicago-Green Mill team. He received a grant from the Illinois Arts Council in 1999 for experimental literature, and his article "The Death of the Internet" was cited for excellence by the 2001 "Zine Yearbook." He maintains his own website and online journal which, much like an early-80s metal band, has developed a strange and passionate cult following in Europe. He also writes a sex column for the British lifestyle magazine Liv4now. When not writing, Pettus enjoys taking speed, staring at the sun, and watching "The Empire Strikes Back" more than is healthy. He is 34 years old and lives in Chicago.

We also have about 5 people signed up for the open mic portion of the night. If you want to sign up send an email to fray@storyquest.us.