WRITE CLUB is a cadre of passionate nerds who seek out the most dynamic writer/performers in chicago, and then hand them the mic. Sure, we also pit them against another writer and make the audience decide the winner, but that’s how we treat friends. plus, we pay them. artists should be paid for their work.
We are writers, performers, producers, and collaborators who know that gathering in a room to hear the truth from other people is what will save us as a society and a species. We are grateful to every single combatant, audience member, donor, supporter, and sponsor. Without you, there is no us.
Our tireless Headquarters staff includes:
OVERLORD/Founder: IAN BELKNAP
Ian Belknap is a writer, performer, teacher, and coach living in Chicago. He is an MFA candidate in creative writing at Bennington College in VT. He has been named to New City Chicago’s “Lit 50” list twice. He is founder of WRITE CLUB, world’s greatest competitive reading series, with current chapters in Chicago, Atlanta, and Denver, and former chapters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto. WRITE CLUB has been named “Best Literary Series” and “Best Reading Series” in the Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and New City, he is contributor and co-editor of Bare-Knuckled Lit: The Best of WRITE CLUB (Hope & Nonthings, 2014). His essays, opinion, satire, and criticism have appeared in The Rumpus, American Theatre Magazine, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Ian has been a speaker, presenter, or panelist at TEDx Greenville (SC), Decatur (GA) Book Fest, Chicago Humanities Festival, the Poetry Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Ideas Week, Chicago Writers Conference, Printers Row Book Fest, the Smart Museum of Art, Chicago Book Expo, and others. He has taught creative nonfiction workshops, humor writing workshops, storytelling workshops independently and with StoryStudio Chicago, Second City Training Center, and at Northwestern University’s Summer Writers’ Conference. He has over 25 years’ experience as an actor, comedian, and solo performer and his work has appeared at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Neo-Futurists, the Rhino Theater Fest, Fillet of Solo Fest, Den Theatre, PushPush Theatre (ATL), the Vic Theatre, and Skyline Stage at Navy Pier, and others,
The chicago team includes:
Corrbette Pasko, Producer/Host/overbeing
Corrbette Pasko is a Chicago native who hates the cold, so she's already self tortured enough to be a writer and an actor. She now does both of those things full-time in Sacramento, where it began pouring and being cold upon her arrival. She consumes the most coffee. She is a voiceover artist and singer, comedian, producer, parent, and speed-talker, and you can find her and her GenX Updates on TikTok and Instagram. She and her and her swell writing partner/work wife, Sara Sevigny, have a digital series, "Corri and Sara Are Famous,” that you can watch on YouTube. You can see more of her writing at corrbette.com, or not. It’s entirely up to you. She has approximately 12 Loving Cups of Deathless Fucking Glory on her shelf, and she loves each of them equally. Except the three she won for beating Ian Belknap, which she loves the most.
JOSH ZAGOREN, TIMEKEEPER/CO PRODUCER
Josh Zagoren is from Iowa, schooled in Boston and has been a writer/actor in Chicago since 2006, working with numerous storefront theaters and wowing a million audiences. He’s also famous, performing every Saturday as Chad the Bird of The Paper Machete at Chicago’s Historic Green Mill Lounge. You can also find Chad on TikTok and Patreon. Josh (as Chad) has also teamed up with Sara Benincasa for the monthly show, Class!, at Lincoln Lodge. Terrified of airplanes, totally has a collection of skulls and falls asleep to The X-Files, Josh is very happy to be home.
BILAL DARDAI, CO PRODUCER, ALTERNATE EVERYTHING
Bilal Dardai is a playwright, essayist, and performance artist who has been based in the Chicago theatrical community since 2000. He is an emeritus ensemble member and artistic director of The Neo-Futurists and a current ensemble member at Lifeline Theatre. He is a regular fixture in Chicago's thriving live lit scene, performing essays at The Paper Machete, Write Club, and Salonathon; and he is a contributing scriptwriter to the audio dramas "PleasureTown" and "Unwell." Bilal has been nominated for three Joseph Jefferson Awards and is a past recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Scriptworks.
Jill Hopkins, co producer, Venue rep, alternate everything
Jill Hopkins is Chicago’s favorite multi-faceted talent, according to everyone we’ve ever spoken to. She is the New Media and Civic Events Producer for Metro Chicago, GMan Tavern, and Smart Bar, as well as a guest host for The Moth and host of her popular quiz panel show, Pop Quiz Hot Shot! She is also a prolific podcast host and a former Vocalo host on WBEZ.
Laura Marsh, Marketing Wizard
Laura Marsh (she/her) is a performer, writer, and choreographer transplanted from Nashville, TN. Some of her favorite Chicago credits include Friends: The One Where They Sing, Caroline and Laura's Holiday Spectacular, The State of Chicago, Dodgeball Dungeon, and The Play That Goes Wrong. She toured the country with Curious George Live!, performed aboard a Disney cruise ship, and was a featured performer in Elspe, Germany at the Karl May Festspiele. She also wrote and produced The One: The Matrix Parody Musical and helped build a board game called Earworm! She currently freelances as a marketing (mostly) professional.
Kyle HAMMAN, Videographer/editor
Kyle Hamman is the owner/operator of KBH Media, a boutique multi-media production company that specializes in visual storytelling. His work has led him to work collaboratively with corporations (Target, Precor, Metropolitan Capital, YPO) as well as non-profit and arts organizations (Northwestern University, NPR, Actors Equity Association, Leica Historical Society). Since 2012, Hamman has worked with WBEZ and The Moth which has allowed him to form relationships with various artists and hosts including Brian Babylon (Panelist-Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me), Jill Hopkins (Host-Morning Amp, Vocalo), Jacoby Cochran (Performer, Storyteller, Professor), Stephanie Douglass (Growing Home) and Fawzia Mirza (Writer-The Red Line, Producer, Actor-Signature Move), whom he documented on the day of the historic Women’s March in Chicago in January of 2017.
Hamman has been involved in Chicago theatre as an actor, designer, director and producer for over 20 years. Hamman has been a member of the ensemble at Strawdog Theatre Company since 2000 and has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Directing, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Hamman has worked with numerous other theatres in Chicago including Steppenwolf, Writers Theatre, Timeline, Northlight, Porchlight, Lifeline, Mary-Arrchie, The Factory, CollaborAction, Teatro Vista, Barrel of Monkeys, Noble Fool, Serendipity, Theatre Seven, WildClaw and Windy City Playhouse.
Kevin alves, co producer, alternate timekeeper, door dude
Kevin Alves is a 5 time winner of Chicago’s long running live lit blood bath known as Write Club, he is the only Klingon to ever perform at the historic Green Mill in Chicago, but is best known as “Dave from the power company that doesn’t have time for your investigation” in Chicago Fire: Season 10, Episode 11 (Fog of War), 19:09 through 19:50. Kevin is also the founder of BigTalk Podcasts, which hosts Junk Drawer, WTFRU, and Hop on Pop Culture. He also hosted and produced Based On A True Story, a live show and podcast.
