Interview with Robin Gelfenbien: Comedienne and Storyteller

Last month, I had the pleasure of performing in Adam Wade’s Whatever Happened To The Nerds storytelling show alongside the very talented and hilarious Robin Gelfenbien. She hosts and performs in a bunch of shows every month, has friends who are tax attorneys, and has been spotted on numerous occasions in a hot dog truck. Here’s more:

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Jen Bokoff: You’re a comedienne/writer/storyteller, but that means you’ve almost certainly had some weird jobs in between. What’s the craziest?

Robin Gelfenbien: I’ve done a lot of copywriting work, so I’ve been fortunate enough to be put on some unusual accounts including writing about ear and nose hair trimmers and toe fungus. I couldn’t bear to look at the photos. I’m exceedingly squeamish.

JB: Yum’s The Word is the most fun concept for a storytelling show ever. How did you develop the idea and make it happen?

RG: Awww. Thanks, Jen! I spent a lot of time thinking about starting my own storytelling show because I wanted to do something unique and memorable. Growing up, my family pretty much ate ice cream nightly, and our homemade ice cream cakes were a staple on our birthdays. I had been making ice cream cakes for years and one night at a party, I saw strangers’ reactions to my cakes. They were going nuts for them, and I realized I could blend my two passions; Yum’s the Word, at least in concept, was born. The next big challenge was finding a venue that had a freezer. That was the top criterion, and let me tell you, a surprisingly tall order.

JB: Who are your storytelling heroes, and what story would you tell if you were sharing the stage with them?

RG: Excellent question! Mike Birbiglia is, hands down, my storytelling hero, and one of my dreams is to have him on Yum’s the Word. Since he loves junk food, it seems like a perfect fit. I would be torn between telling the story of when I thwarted my high school musical from backstage [JB note: Could. Not. Stop. Laughing.] and the story of getting pulled over in the Wienermobile and searched for drugs. I also love Ophira Eisenberg and Adam Wade for their ability to be funny and vulnerable. I’ve actually shared the stage with both of them and told those exact stories.

JB: Having commanded a Wienermobile, I can’t help but wonder if you still eat hot dogs. Yes? No? 

RG: Yes, we surprisingly rarely ate hot dogs on board, so I never got sick of them. I love hot dogs, and I’m still brand loyal to Uncle Oscar. After all, that job saved my life.

JB: What current project(s) are you working on? Anything we should be looking out for?

RG: Absolutely! This Friday, November 9th Yum’s the Word will be doing a benefit show for Hurricane Sandy victims at Webster Hall with musical acts Lachi, iPhonic and iLLspokinn. I’ll be hosting the whole night, and Yum’s the Word will be kicking off the event at 7:00 p.m. with hilarious stories from 30 Rock’s Sue Galloway, Adam Linn, Scott Whitehair and yours truly. We’ll also have a raffle, live auction and silent auction items including a signed 30 Rock script, a signed copy of Tina Fey’s “Bossypants,” a Moth prize pack and more. A portion of the proceeds will go to GOLES.org, which is a NYC-based charity doing tremendous work down on the Lower East Side to help those affected by the storm. It’s going to be such a fun event for a wonderful cause! I’m also going to be doing a seasonal storytelling show this winter. More details to follow at www.robingelfenbien.com, but for now, mum’s the word. 

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I really encourage everyone in the NYC area to go to the benefit Friday; not only will it be a great show, but I really respect its charitable nature. I’ll make it easy for you; you can reserve your tickets here! Oh, and be sure to get there early for a piece of Robin’s homemade ice cream cake and a balloon anima! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. You can also find Robin on Twitter and at shows around the city.

Interview: Will Sakran, Product Engineer / Inventor

When I moved to New York, I learned of a fun group of buddies calling themselves MetroMetro who, among other things, hosted Board Game Olympics, which clearly I attended often. This is how I met Will Sakran, who was among the organizers and who I also learned is also a thoughtful entrepreneur. I interviewed him about his new product Toobalink, a product manufactured through Metre Ideas and Design that connects together paper towel and toilet tissue tubes to build kid-sized structures. Here’s what I learned:

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Jen Bokoff: Toobalink’s so smart but so simple! What sparked this idea for you?

Will Sakran: I’m happy you feel that way about it, because we think that’s the real beauty of the idea.  It’s one of those ideas where people say, “I can’t believe no one thought of this earlier!” The initial concept came from a clever and talented industrial designer that I work with named Sara Ebert. As a student at Pratt, she took a class that focused on classic play and came up with the idea while observing children play with everyday objects around the house. It was around this time I left my job as an engineer in the toy industry to start my own product design company. I thought the concept was brilliant with lots of potential, so we teamed up with me handling the final design, productization, and manufacture.

JB: How did you settle on the final design and colors? Are you a Mets fan? 

WS: I do like the Mets, but that didn’t have any bearing on the color scheme. Sorry. [Editors note: As a Yankees fan, I’m relieved.] The very first prototypes were blue and orange and it felt right from the start. There’s definitely something about orange that feels “construction-y”. The final shade of blue is not quite at dark as what was originally planned, but it was always blue and orange together. As for the design itself, it’s quite different from where we started. The original concept used fixed parts that were more like pipe fittings - there was an elbow piece, a straight connector piece, a cross piece, and so on. I was concerned that this approach would limit what kids could actually build, and I didn’t want to manufacture ten different parts to make the product work, so I starting thinking about how to make it modular. In the end, there are five unique parts which can be put together in any combination to make the fittings that you need. Then you pop the paper tubes onto the fittings.

JB: What do you like to build with a Toobalink starter kit? Any favorite design or type of structure?

WS: Just putting the Toobalink pieces together is really fun, I think - seeing what combinations there are and what you can do with them. I also like the idea of building without a goal in mind, and I secretly hope that kids like this, too. You can absolutely make specific structures if you want to, but I like the abstract stuff. Just building.

JB: Toobalink tangibly feels to me like Tinkertoys, but recycling-friendly and more “DIY”.  How are you starting to market the product so it can reach the same scale?  

WS: Even though Toobalink is just hitting the market now, prototype versions have been shown at trade shows going back to January 2011. It’s been really well received, buyers are enthusiastic about it, and we got some great press. This gave the product a lot of early exposure and helped us build up a retailer base that was committed to stocking it once it became available. So it’s out there now in many specialty stores - gift shops, museum stores, that sort of thing. We’ll continue to do trade shows to reach more retailers, but now that Toobalink is out I’m turning my attention to reaching individual customers directly. This is mainly though online channels - the Toobalink.com site, Facebook, Twitter, and through really helpful people like you, Jen. [Editors Note: Awwwww!]

JB: If you had an afternoon to construct with Toobalink beyond your wildest dreams, what kids snack would best power you through? 

WS: Grilled cheese sandwiches and the occasional Hostess Ding Dong.

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A Toobalink starter package is available for purchase online now, so you should probably buy one. Or two. You can also find Will teaching at the Brooklyn Brainery, but that’s an interview for another day.

Interview: Josh Gondelman, Postcard Sender Extraordinaire

I’m endlessly fascinated by people who communicate in new or different ways. Josh Gondelman, a writer and comedian based in NYC, decided earlier this year to send a postcard to anyone who wanted one because he loves letter-writing. My friend Barry told me about it, and of course I eat these things up. I signed up and promptly forgot about it, and then got a wonderfully hilarious mystery postcard in the mail a few months later. It took me a whole night to figure out who Josh was, and that in and of itself was lots of fun. Then, I interviewed him.

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Jen Bokoff: From whom and where was the first postcard you ever received?

Josh Gondelman: I don’t remember exactly the first postcard I ever got, but my grandmother, my dad’s mother, used to travel all around the world when I was younger, and so we’d get postcards from Russia and Greece and China. I don’t remember whether Antarctica has a post office for commercial use. Sometimes the mail took longer than my grandmother to get back to America, which was confusing to little me. I thought she was faking the cards and just sending them from her house, because I’d already seen her.

JB: Have you ever developed relationships beyond just a few interactions by sending random people postcards?

JG: I have! There are people I correspond with pretty regularly now that I’d first “met” through the project. Plus there are acquaintances that I’ve gotten to know a lot better because of their involvement. There’s one person who I see out a lot at standup shows (I am a standup comedian), and we’ve exchanged letters and met in person, but it’s a little awkward bridging the gap to casual, running-into-you friend. I’m trying to be more relaxed and natural about it. I always come off as, “Oh. It is so pleasant to see you in the world of buildings and bodies. What? Why did I say that?”

JB: You have nice handwriting. Do you think that’s becoming rarer as typing becomes more common?

JG: Oh gosh! Thanks! I do imagine probably people are less proficient at writing by hand now than they used to be. You must have received one of my early in the morning postcards. If I write a whole bunch in a day, by the end it’s just a lunatic scrawl. I try not to be a dinosaur and sob about how the decline of handwriting indicates a larger societal problem. On the other hand, it’s off-putting when someone writes down a takeout order, and it looks like something out of a serial killer’s diary.

JB: What’s the most memorable postcard you’ve ever sent?

JG: One guy requested that I write to him with my thoughts on medical marijuana, and I wrote back: “I think they should legalize pot but outlaw white guys with dreadlocks.” That was pretty succinct. I felt like I got it just right.

JB: Do you write other things besides letters and your tumblr?

JG: I do! I’m always writing for my standup act, and I write a lot of humor type pieces for Thought Catalog. Right now I’m actually working on a proposal for a memoirish book about this postcard project. So we’ll see if that becomes anything. It’s very exciting to think that anyone might want to read that! Ideally I’d love to get it so my job is some triangulation of standup, prose writing, and tv writing. We’ll see if I make it there!

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Check out Josh’s blog featuring many of his postcards, his humor writing, and everything else (including his upcoming performances).

Interview: Oriana Leckert, Creator and Author of Brooklyn Spaces

The only thing I love more than people who are passionate about a thing and then do something with that thing is when I am crazy about that thing, too. Oriana Leckert does exactly that with her online compendium of culture and creativity in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Spaces. As the creator and author, Oriana does an incredible job pulling together a lot of fun and extraordinary people, projects, and spaces. I interviewed her over email to learn more.

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Jen Bokoff: Where did the idea for Brooklyn Spaces come from, and how’d you implement the idea?

Oriana Leckert: The idea came from a sort of horror, as I watched several spaces I’d adored disappear, that there wasn’t going to be a good record made of all the totally amazing things happening in Brooklyn these days. It’s kind of corny, but I feel like we’re living through one of those delirious moments of intense creativity, and that in five or ten or twenty years, people will want to know what it was like. I kept saying to people, “Why is no one taking pictures and writing this shit down?” And people kept saying, “Well, why don’t you do it?” So I reached out to a few friends who run spaces and asked if I could interview them. I was really nervous, because I’m not any kind of trained journalist. But I realized very quickly that if you take a person who spends a huge amount of energy and time doing something, even a somewhat vapid question like “So why do you do this?” will unleash a torrential response. It’s easy to keep people talking about the things they love.

JB: What are some of your favorite interviews or venues that you have profiled?

OL: One of the amazing things about this project has been that even the spaces I’ve felt lukewarm about covering have turned out to be just incredible. Everyone is so passionate and driven; it’s just endlessly inspiring. My favorite spaces, the ones I keep going back to, are the over-the-top ones, those that are really unusual or really immersive or really really creative. The Gowanus Ballroom, Red Lotus Room, Flux Factory, Rubulad, and House of Yes are all outrageous spaces run by incredible people. Books Through Bars, Bushwick City Farms, Film Biz Recycling, and Boswyck Farms are really inspiring projects. The Brooklyn Brainery is one of the Brooklyn-est things I can imagine. [Editor’s Note: Oriana and I met at the Brainery in my How to Be a Connector class!] The Lost Horizon Night Market and the Idiotarod are the kind of ridiculous spectacles that make living here the best best best. All the spaces I’ve profiled are wonderful, as are the zillions I haven’t covered yet.

JB: What have you discovered about Brooklyn that you still don’t quite believe?

OL: What an interesting question. It’s not an original discovery, but I am consistently stunned at how much focus and dedication people have for their projects. Brooklyn is just teeming with people who spend all their time creating communities and environments and beautiful things, often for, seemingly, no goddamn reason at all. 

JB: How do you find the time to stay current on all of the latest happenings throughout the borough?

OL: Well I don’t sleep very much, and I read an insane amount of emails. I’m subscribed to every mailing list it’s possible to be on. And by now all my friends know that if they hear about something weird, they’d better make sure to tell me about it.

JB: If you could pick a dream space in which any activity could happen, where would it be and what cultural/creative thing would be going on?

OL: I tried to answer this question several different ways, and I realize that each one became impossible almost immediately. Honestly, my dream space is here, now, being in Brooklyn where all these things are happening around us, and we can all take advantage of as much of it as we can handle. On any given day you can go to a quirky class or an outrageous party or a reading or a performance or a film or a concert or an art exhibit, sometimes several in one evening. You can move in and out of different communities, volunteer for different causes, create an avant family for yourself of dreamers and revelers and coconspirators. There’s really nothing you could want that you can’t find here if you look hard enough, except maybe a super cheap place to live. It’s the most inspiring place I can imagine.

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Tune in to the latest info from Brooklyn Spaces by checking out the website (on which you can sign up to be emailed about updates), using the calendar to plan your week (my personal favorite), or on social media (of course! Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest). Oriana is also speaking this evening about Brooklyn Spaces at Animamus Art Salon; go see her!

Photos by Maximus Comissar

Sam’s new project, ACMEScience News Now launched today, and wow is it fascinating! I’m so proud! Here is the full first episode, in which we learn about crowdsourcing as a scientific tool. I love crowdsourcing* and really appreciated the perspective in this interview.

“The crowd identifies things that are unexpected.” - Paul Hines

*look for a post based on crowdsourced information regarding toilet paper early next week!

Interview with Lyndsay Rae Meiklem, Small Business Owner and Artist

For weeks, I’ve been excited by the national Mission Small Business contest sponsored by Chase and LivingSocial, which will award up to 12 individual grants of $250,000 to 12 small businesses. The business application calls for a thoughtful essay and community (online) support, and the project with my vote (and hopefully yours! It’s easy!) is Lyndsay Rae Meiklem’s Meiklem Kiln Works / Centerspace Wellness Studio. With just under two weeks left to vote, I sat down with Lyndsay to learn more about her business philosophy and share it with you.

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Jen Bokoff: When you started Meiklem Kiln Works in 2002, did you have any idea that it would be more than just a small pottery studio?

Lyndsay Meiklem: My vision of the studio when we first began in a tiny 700 sq foot building was that we would eventually outgrow the space and need to move into a bigger facility. At that time, I had not envisioned the yoga and wellness studio although I knew I wanted to gather a community of like-minded individuals who could collaborate and help one another to grow their businesses. The business wallet has not been as large as my vision through the years, but still, in 8 years we managed to grow from that original space to a two building, 6000 sq. ft. property housing our entire arts and wellness facility! Now, we’re thriving and that original community I had envisioned has encircled the property; we all embrace one another’s strengths and support one anothers dreams.

JB: Besides your parents, you credit the motto “Conceive, Believe, Achieve” for your success. Can you walk me through what each of those components mean to you?

LM: I’m a fan of motivational speakers like Dr. Wayne Dyer and Carolyn Myss, who speak often about the inner obstacles that can hold us back and prevent us from achieving our dreams. I have always been a visual learner, when I think of an idea, I think of it in pictures in my mind first; this is the conceive part for me. I conceive of what it is that I want to design, create, or set in motion, and then I take a step back and truly stand strong in the faith that it can happen; this is the believe part. You have to have a clear picture of what you are reaching for, and then BELIEVE you can get there. Once those two pieces of the puzzle are in place, there is a certain amount of surrender that needs to happen in order for the universe to create space to provide, which is the achieve part.  

JB: You wear a lot of hats including business owner, instructor, potter, and event planner. What’s your favorite hat?

LM: It’s easy to narrow that list to three things that I love: creating artwork, teaching pottery, teaching yoga. I’m not sure I can honestly pick a favorite among those three, but each one feeds a different part of my soul. 

JB: What’s the toughest challenge you face in running a small, creative business?

LM: Time. There is never enough of it. Every day, I wish the day were 10 hours longer so I actualy have time to create art, teach a class, AND get office work done. Many times, the office work consumes all of the daytime hours and this is a huge challenge. Even though I’m ready to delegate more of the ‘running the business’ work, the business can’t afford to hire full time employees right now. 

JB: If you had a day to do absolutely whatever you wanted (and control the weather and other hindering factors), what would your day look like?

LM: Easy. Wake up and practice yoga with friends. Sit down to the potters wheel and create pots. Take a long lunch and lunchtime hike by a river. Spend some more time creating artwork. Shop for veggies at a local farmers market and make a wonderful vegan dinner for family! Finally, get a good night sleep of 8 hours!

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If you’re inspired and have a spare minute, please add a vote in this contest for Meiklem Kiln Works (just search ‘Meiklem’ and vote; don’t worry, there’s no Facebook spam), and share with your network. I support this because I so admire how Lyndsay had a dream and went for it; isn’t that what we all want? And, it’s difficult to stay above water in a creative field, but it’s immeasurably important to have businesses like these in the community. Paradoxical, yes; doable, absolutely! You can also support the business and do some great yoga or pottery making (or other things, too!) by stopping by!

Interview with Cory Cavin: Head Blogger with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

I met Cory Cavin at a dinner party earlier this year, and thought he was funny and creative enough to follow on the internet. I learned of his latest project, an interactive backstage tour of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (LNJF), and was hooked. Naturally, I wanted to know more, so here’s what Cory had to say about it.

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Jen Bokoff: How did the team come up with the idea for a backstage tour via interactive youtube videos?

Cory Cavin: We had wanted to do some sort of tour to show the backstage of the show and introduce a lot of the staff all at once for a while. We started thinking a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ style tour would be the most fun and interactive, and saw you could do that on YouTube. After a little research, it all happened pretty quickly.

JB: What was your favorite bit to shoot?

CC: Definitely the last video of Jimmy walking from backstage into the crowd. We talked to Jimmy backstage and we could hear the crowd going crazy right before he went out. Afterward we all (me, the LNJF bloggers Josh Lay and Emmy Blotnick, and LNJF writer and director Dan Opsall, who shot the tour) watched the shot and were freaking out about how good it turned out. That shot happened ‘live’ in front of a crowd, so it was the most high pressure and was definitely the most fun.

JB: Did any staff have a weird reaction to being on camera, or was everyone in?

CC: One thing that’s great about Late Night is that everyone is pretty game for anything and very supportive. So, all of the staff were amazing with their time and with being on camera. Even the ones who seemed a little shy about it just jumped in and totally nailed it.

JB: What did we still not see on the tour that you can tell me?

CC: It’s a pretty comprehensive tour. There are the other 2 guest dressing rooms, which are similar to the Lion Room on the tour, but decorated differently. There are some other offices on the 7th floor that aren’t featured that for the most part look like offices, except for probably cool stuff hanging on the walls. We didn’t add in our editing suite or our graphics room because of time. They are cool rooms that are big parts of the show, but the editing and graphics departments helped with the post production of the tour, so at least they are represented that way.

JB: Do you think you’ll be taking over Jimmy’s job in a year? You’re a natural.

CC: Well thanks, but we all know there’s only one Jimmy Fallon who is gonna be a permanent fixture on all our TV sets in Late Night. Plus I’d need to nail down all of Jimmy’s impressions (Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, etc) and that would take a while. I do have this one impression of a trumpet I can do. For now, I will happily keep working on cool stuff with the staff and the bloggers and figure whatever our next big project will be.

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Intrigued? Check out the beginning of the adventure below, and learn more about Cory’s awards since 8th grade on his website. Cory is a comedian, actor, and writer living in New York.

Interview with Liz Haag, Lipstick Reader

I met Liz Haag through the improv comedy world, and now know her to be a woman of many talents, including lipstick reading. I interviewed her about this unique skill to learn more:

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Jen Bokoff: I’ve heard of lip reading (tough enough!), but how does one become a lipstick reader?

Liz Haag: It’s a good question. When I was just out of college and studying acting, I got a job hand painting temporary tattoos and henna tattoos at parties, like kids at Bar Mitzvahs and stuff. It was a great job. I loved to draw, got to go to fun events, and meet interesting people every weekend. My boss told me that she liked me and would hire me more if I could learn to do the psychic stuff, like lipstick reading, palm reading, and hand writing analysis. So, I learned. I studied a bit on my own, and they trained me some more. It turned out I had a real knack and intuition for lipstick reading that really caught on with clients.

JB: What are some traits or circumstances you can discover about a person through their lipstick?

LH: Lipstick Reading is derived from the ancient art of Chinese Face Reading. The lips only tell part of the story but it tends to be a juicy part. That’s why it’s so great for parties. 

JB: At the risk of exposing myself too much, I put my lipstick print on paper (see left). I tried multiple times to “get it right”, and realized that each try looks very different. Do you have a suggested technique for getting the perfect print? 

LH: People usually want to “kiss” the page. But I usually tell them not to pucker. Actually, it helps if they stay still and I blot the paper on their lips for them. And don’t worry about exposing too much. I always keep it light. No one wants bad news at a bachelorette party. 

JB: Interesting! Can you give me a teaser about what we can learn about me from my lipstick? 

LH: Let’s see. First of all, right off the bat it’s clear you’re talkative. This is usually one of the first things I can tell about a person based on their lips. It also says you’re a bit sensitive, but can be tough too. You’re very excitable, you like to try new things, and have a need to express yourself. How’d I do? [Editor’s Note: WOW! Yes. That’s me!]

JB: What is one of the more memorable lipsticks you’ve read? 

LH: There was a woman whose reading said she was intuitive and very giving. She dragged her husband over to have me tell him, so she could prove he was wrong about an argument they had earlier that day. It was a little intense.

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Liz is available for hire for parties through her company Bash Party Entertainment for lipreading and other event services. Start off the process with a complementary consultation today. I honestly can’t think of a more uniquely fun twist to a party!

Interview with Shelly Huang: DIY Bride

When a friend requested that I pick up subway maps, for his friend who is soon to be married, I was intrigued. I love anything with a DIY touch, and Shelly Huang’s idea for her wedding makes me smile. I talked with her to learn more:

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Jen Bokoff: Your idea of making 1000 paper cranes out of NYC Subway maps for wedding decorations is amazing. Where did it come from?

Shelly Huang: Our wedding theme is “Rustic City Love”, combining natural rustic elements that represents our laid-back style with our love for NYC, the wonderful city we fell in love in and now call home. The idea of 1000 paper cranes is a Japanese tradition that grants the bride & groom 1000 years of happiness, much like the cranes who mate for life and are said to live for 1000 years. I’ve always been deeply moved by this tradition and wanted to incorporate it into my wedding but for the longest time, I couldn’t find the linkage to the “city” part of the theme. Then one day I was riding the F train when I noticed a group of Japanese tourists intently studying a subway map. That’s when it hit me -  I would combine my wishes for my marriage along with my love for NYC in these subway map cranes!

JB: Are you going to make all 1000 cranes, or will you have help? And will they all look the same?

SH: Many of our family and friends have already offered to help collect maps and fold cranes! I’m so excited because it would be such a dream to be married under a canopy of cranes embodying the blessings and wishes of all your loved ones! We’re going to hold a paper crane folding party at one point with white wine and funny wedding movies. We’ll probably have to give people tutorials, but I’m not really interested in getting “perfect-looking” cranes so much as cranes folded with love.

JB: What will you do with all of the cranes after the wedding?

SH: That’s a good question! I really hadn’t thought that far, but maybe I’ll pass on the blessings and wishes to another bride. Or maybe the MTA might be interested in getting their subway maps back and would like to display these in the MTA museum! I guess I’ll cross that bridge after the wedding.

JB: Being a crafty bride is wonderfully ambitious! Do you regularly delve into creative projects?

SH: Both my mother and grandmother were very crafty ladies.  My grandma custom designed outfits for my barbies and my mother used to make me funky outfits with matching scrunchies and because of them, I’ve inherited a penchant for tinkering with DIY projects here and there. I’ve made many Halloween outfits, and I recently created a “will you be my bridesmaid” project with a hollowed out secret book filled with photos, color inspiration from paint chips, and paper dolls with the bridesmaids’ names on them.

JB: A little birdie told me you need some help. What can New Yorkers do to help see your wedding dream come to fruition?

SH: Well, my fiance told me to ask for donations so we can see our (not-so-cheap) NYC wedding come to fruition! But seriously, I think it would be amazing if people wanted to contribute to the cause of collecting subway maps, or even if you want to fold your wishes into subway map cranes and send them over! Also, if any crafty brides want to bounce off ideas, I’m always excited to make new friends!

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If you live in the NYC area and can help contribute maps, or if you want to connect with Shelly, shoot her an email. Shelly will marry Brian Blitz on June 22, 2013 at The Foundry in Long Island City.

Interview with Jordie Poncy about his Life in MS Paint

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jordie Poncy, a friend of a friend who is very, very funny and earnest. He writes a blog called Life in MS Paint, through which he tells well-crafted stories using Microsoft Paint as his tool. I’ve never seen anything like it; he’s truly a master of his craft.

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Jen Bokoff: Your blog is amazing. I love how simply enjoyable and fun and witty it is. Where’d the idea come from?  

Jordie Poncy: Thank you! The blog kind of evolved to its current format. After college, my friends and I used to draw ridiculous pictures and email them to one another as a way to stay in touch (instead of working hard to build up a professional reputation in the workplace). For example, when our friend Jess got an internship at the National Institutes of Health, my friend sent around this picture of her accidentally pricking herself with a syringe of wolf DNA and turning into a werewolf:

(Jess had a blond ponytail in real life if you couldn’t tell from the drawing.)  I started posting some of my funny pictures on a blog. I really like comedic writing, so at some point, I decided to start using these pictures as a way to illustrate some funny stories from my life. The blog got a lot better when I started adding the writing. (You can see how bad the early stuff was on the blog.) I have always found MS Paint pictures pretty hilarious because they usually look kinda bad.  

JB: On a scale of totally made up to totally true, where do your stories and drawings fall? And do you and your friends actually resemble what we see in the drawings?  

JP: Believe it or not, the stories are actually frighteningly true. A lot of my comedy stems from having a sense of humor about the stuff happening around me. I like the idea that your average trip to the store can be filled with hilarious things if you’re just open to seeing stuff that way. I do usually add a few small details to punch the stories up a bit, especially if I think of a good joke I can’t resist including. As for the accuracy of the drawings, I’d say it really depends on the person. My mom looks EXACTLY like the drawings. Conversely, I can’t draw my dad at all. He always ends up looking all wrong. I’ll let you be the judge of how I draw my best friend, John:

     [Editor’s Note: WELL DONE!]

JB: You seem to really like the Pea Patch Jig. Explain?

JP: Ahhh, the Pea Patch Jig. What could be better than a kids book about a bunch of mice who throw a huge party in a garden despite a lurking murderous farmer? They jam to some bluegrass music and dance a jig while leaving their baby unattended. It’s a good thing too because the baby ends up firing a pea at a predatory fox using a straw as a blow-gun and saving the whole irresponsible family. Also, here’s a gem I found when I googled The Pea Patch Jig.

JB: What’s one of your favorite story and illustration combos, and what was your process for creating it?  

JP: I was really pleased with The Trouble with Pets is that They’re Always All Dead and Stuff. I love that it highlights some of the funny things about my family, and there are some pretty ridiculous images in it. When I create any post, I always write it in an email first. I write as if I were sending it to some of my funniest friends. By pretending that I’m emailing them, I can get into a really goofy frame of mind. Once I have written the story, I go back and create all the illustrations. Then I edit it after pasting it into the blog. Finally, I get mad at my friends for emailing me their reactions instead of commenting directly on the blog!

JB: Do you have any tips for someone who is new to MS Paint and wants to use it like a pro?

JP: No……………Just kidding. First, I would suggest investing in a good mouse (I can’t believe I just said that). Second, keep in mind that it’s easier to draw lines in the downward direction than upward. Third, I’d recommend just going for it. In MS Paint, the pictures aren’t supposed to be perfect. In fact, it’s usually the case that the worse the drawings are, the funnier. This is a case in which being a horrible artist can be a major advantage. Have fun!

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Make sure to check out Jordie’s fantastic storytelling at Life in MS Paint, and if you really like it, leave him an awesome comment. Bloggers get a kick out of those. [Editor’s Note: Trust me.] Also, enjoy his tags with each post; they are the most random I’ve ever seen.

[Editor’s Note: A few hours after a posted this interview, I was brought to tears by laughter. This is why.]

Interview with Deborah Block of Athlete Ally

Deborah Block, a fellow Tufts graduate with an admirable passion for promoting equality and understanding among peers, helped to found the nonprofit Athlete Ally. Along with founder Hudson Taylor, Deborah is committed to making sure that all athletes - regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or other defining trait - are treated with dignity and respect among their peers, especially in the sports context. I spoke with her about Athlete Ally’s growth and vision.

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Jen Bokoff: What moment stands out to you as a defining moment in establishing the mission of Athlete Ally?

Deborah Block: Definitely when my Co-Founder Hudson Taylor was a guest on Thomas Roberts’ show on MSNBC. Thomas heard about Hudson and our cause through Twitter and sent him a direct message that he’d like to meet him and potentially bring him on the show. That’s exactly what happened. The day the show aired live, the number of our Facebook likes, pledge signatures, and Twitter followers sky-rocketed. A few months later, because of a press release we sent out, Hudson was presented with PFLAG’s Straight for Equality Award at their 3rd Annual Gala, an award that Maya Angelou had received years back. A few months later, we were on the front page of nytimes.com and Hudson was named The Huffington Post’s “Person of the Day.” This national press coverage was defining in getting the word out about LGBT inclusion in sports through mainstream news sources that write about much more than just write about LGBT issues. Through this, reaching mainstream athletes and advocates who can help make a real difference became tangible.

JB: The premise of Athlete Ally is that no group should be disadvantage or bullied in the sports arena; we should act as one. What’s your approach to sustainably combating bullying both on and off the playing field?

DB: Athlete Ally is grounded in the idea that athletes are leaders in their communities, whether that be in middle school, high school, college, or professional sports. Those athletes who are chosen as captains of their teams are not picked just because they’re great athletes; they’re picked because they also exhibit true leadership skills on and off the field. They have the ability to motivate their team and be a role model through all of their actions. Our goal at Athlete Ally is to empower athletes - particularly those who are straight - to be role models and combat homophobia by, for instance, challenging derogatory language on the field, in the locker room and in their daily routine.  It’s our hope that as more athletes promote LGBT inclusiveness and respect, others will follow.

JB: Women’s (psuedo) equality in sports was largely spurred by Title IX. How do you think Athlete Ally can reach the same or greater impact with true equality across lines of gender and sexuality in sports?

DB: When we started Athlete Ally, it was clear that stereotypes in male sports are far different from stereotypes among women athletes. On male sports teams, you commonly hear the expression that you need to “man up” or “not be a pussy” or “stop throwing like a girl.” But within female sports, there’s the automatic assumption that women who play sports are butch or a lesbian. Although men’s and women’s teams face a separate set of problems, Athlete Ally encourages a similar solution. If straight athletes on men and women’s teams stand up for inclusiveness and team unity among their teammates and challenge derogatory language and  stereotypes, they can empower their peers to challenge homophobia and stand together as a unified team.

JB: You must have learned a lot setting up your own nonprofit, from governance, to publicity, to defining goals. What can you share with us?

DB: Goodbye 9-5. To get Athlete Ally off the ground, I worked closely with Hudson and his wife Lia to work through everything from getting our website set up, to creating a mission statement, to filing for a 501c3, to marketing the cause to the press, and more. Something important that I didn’t realize before we started is that if you’re putting together an organization for a cause people truly believe in, you can get a TON of help for free. We ultimately brought on pro-bono lawyers, a pro-bono accounting firm, a pro-bono publicist, a pro-bono public relations firm. And by working closely with another LGBT organization, we also built our website for almost nothing. As a new nonprofit, we were working with a non-existent budget, so the fact that some of the most respected professionals in their fields were willing to come on board and help us just because they believed in what we’re doing was both humbling and inspiring. Another tip: Get used to 2am conference calls. The adrenalin rush of starting something new and exciting can be so intense that sometimes you and your teammates are up and ready to do work, even in the middle of the night. 

JB: If people want to help the cause, what can they do?

DB: Through our cornerstone Ambassador Program program, we work with students on college campuses across the country to bring Athlete Ally to their school. We give these ambassadors the resources they need to meet with their school’s athletic directors, present to Student Athletic Advisory Committees, LGBT support groups, coaches, and team captains and encourage them to sign our Athlete Ally Pledge. This pledge asks students, athletes, and sports fans to commit to challenging homophobia in sports. Every month, we have new ambassadors who sign on to spread the cause and speak to athletes at their school. If someone wants to help, the first things they can do are sign the pledge online, share the pledge link with their network on Facebook and Twitter, and ask others to do the same. The reason why Athlete Ally is gaining so much momentum is because this is a cause people believe in and want to support.

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In the year since it was founded, Athlete Ally has had incredible success, including getting 4,864 pledges to make teammates feel respected on and off the field. They also have had numerous press pieces and recently partnered with the NCAA. Their Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube Channel also have quickly built up an engaged following. Read more and support Athlete Ally by exemplifying respect and leadership!

Interview with Natalia Petrzela about intenSati, the Intrepid, and HealthClass 2.0

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is an intenSati instructor, college professor, mom, and ambassador of awesome (just google her!). The next amazing event that she’s speaking at is less than two weeks away (March 11), and spots are filling up fast. I spoke with her about what it’s going to be like to celebrate our bodies and exercise in a high-powered workout-for-a-cause on the Intrepid.

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Jen Bokoff: I love that you’re having people sweat it out to benefit a good cause: HEALTHCLASS2.0. Can you share a bit about what makes this such an important cause?

Natalia Petrzela: HEALTHCLASS2.0 defines education and health broadly by focusing on learning about fitness and food as vectors to develop children’s reflective and decision-making capabilities, and to cultivate a strong sense of self. In each session, participants exercise, eat a healthy, locally-sourced snack, and engage in a thoughtful discussion of the food they are consuming. HC2.0 is a really interesting project because it brings together new work across the fitness, food and nutrition studies, and educational reform fields.

Supporting this kind of curriculum is crucial, because as schools have tighter budgets and increasing pressure to perform on high-stakes tests, programs that focus on wellness and social-emotional health are often dismissed as frills. Most HC2.0 sessions take place in Phys Ed classes during the school day, which sends a really important message about how this type of work is central to empowering students to do well in all areas of their lives, including academics. The concept that kids should work out and eat well is an old idea; plenty of programs support that notion. But, the fact that we teach intenSati and base our food curriculum around the 30 Project’s philosophy is really different. Kids don’t just work out; they call out affirmations connected to a larger theme like making choices, or practicing self-care and appreciation. They don’t just learn some nutrition facts; they eat a healthful snack right there with us and talk about the experience, which is a real break from the common experience of mindlessly eating “whatever is there.” Discussions about food are related both to personal decisions and to bigger systemic issues, like the circumstances that make healthful food expensive and harder to access in certain neighborhoods. Finally, students are always equipped with strategies to integrate these lessons into their own lives through  the themes of the affirmations. By creating a really coherent learning experience, students will be engaged and empowered to be agents of change in their own lives and communities.

HC2.0 also provides a new model of the way higher education, private enterprise, and the public schools can partner in innovative ways. BlueprintJuice very generously provides the snacks and juice; The New School, where I teach, is where our college leaders are trained and get the intellectual foundation to be informed leaders; in working together with public school teachers, administrators, and students, it seems like we are really creating value in a new way.

JB: In intenSati, every workout begins with a conversation. What do you plan to talk about to kick off this event?

NP: HC2.0 co-founder Ellen Gustafson and I will kick off the event discussing the founding of HC2.0 and why an empowered approach to food and fitness is so crucial to changing ourselves and the world!

JB: The Intrepid is one of NYC’s most unique venues. How’d you lock it in for the biggest intenSati class ever?

NP: The director of events there had taken my class in the past and also knew I had done work on gender issues (the event is part of the boat’s “Salute to Women” celebration of Women’s History month), and asked me to teach the intenSati class to benefit a charity that had not yet been decided. I told her about HC2.0 and it seemed a perfect match!

JB: Can you give us a sneak peak of the affirmations we’ll be shouting out?

NP: Nope! It is a surprise that intenSati creator Patricia Moreno, who is teaching the class, will spring on us!

JB: As a university professor and intenSati leader, you clearly have a passion for helping people to realize their potential and be the best they can be. What’s the number one thing that motivates you?

NP: I adore my work as a scholar and an intenSati leader, and feel that this love pushes me not only to work very hard, but to feel exhilarated rather than exhausted by the process (most of the time!). If I can help others find their passions, and be a model of how the pursuit of excellence doesn’t have to be painful drudgery but instead, very exciting, then I feel I am adding something to the world!

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If you’re feeling amazing endorphins after reading this, come on March 11 and check out other intenSati classes, too! You can also follow Natalia on Twitter and ask to be put on her monthly email blasts.

Interview with Susan Rodriguez of the North Rockland Rowing Club

After receiving the invitation to the March 2 free and amazingly fun-sounding gallery opening called “The Great Painted Paw Brigade” in Haverstraw, NY, I had to learn more. Susan Rodriguez, the Secretary and Director of the sponsoring North Rockland Rowing Club, talked to me about the art, the nonprofit, and the city. 

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Jen Bokoff: Why cats and dogs as a fundraiser? Why not cows, whales, or horse?

Susan Rodriguez: Cats and dogs occupy 86% of all households…and people are very passionate about their cats and dogs! We first made a list of nonprofits to choose from who would benefit from our efforts, and after learning that Hi-Tor Animal Care Center was struggling with finances and County budget cuts, we thought it would be a natural fit given our chosen cats and dogs motif. A nonprofit helping a nonprofit is good idea.

JB: So where did you find all of the artists? You got some great ones!Transformed Dog, by Andy Golub

SR: I have a Drawing and Painting Masters Degree and taught art for 24 years in the public school system, so I’m very connected in the art world. I was receiving e-mails from Andy Golub, so I contacted him and asked if he would paint one; he was delighted to get involved (see “Transformed Dog” at right). Andy Golub connected me with Andy Stewart, Director of KEEP ROCKLAND BEAUTIFUL. Mr. Stewart sent out a “calling all artists” blast; they responded. Finally, a retired Art Coordinator from a local school district approached the Rockland County Art Teachers Association, and many are practicing professional artists.

JB: This project is to benefit the North Rockland Rowing Club, which has been active since 2004. What inspires you to volunteer your time to run the organization?

SR: The North Rockland Rowing Club, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit community rowing program created by three local high school students in 2004. Our group’s mission statement explains much of what keeps us going: “To aid, encourage, foster, support, and promote the development and growth of rowing as an inclusive sport on the Hudson River in Rockland County, N.Y.” The benefits of our program include: good health and exercise, access to top colleges and universities across the country, character building & leadership skills; the inspiration is passion for the sport, beauty of the Hudson River, and the overall benefits to young and senior adults. We try to educate community members about the benefits of being physically active and experience the real beauty of the Hudson River firsthand. We are all volunteers with a passion for what we do.

JB: What is something you’ve learned about starting and running a community-based nonprofit?

SR: A community-based nonprofit allows people from various backgrounds and ethnicities to work together closely to achieve a common dream. You learn that there is a lot of educating involved that targets a small group of people who do not understand simple concepts. Not knowing creates fear, control, and power issues.

Nicole Alexandra, by Donna GrossoJB: The gallery and the Rowing Club are both in Haverstraw. If someone were to go for the gallery opening, what are three other places they shouldn’t miss seeing?

SR: Come and see unobstructed views of the Federally designated historic Hudson River. It also has possibly the last group of 19th century architecturally significant buildings like that depicted in “House by the Railroad” by Edward Hopper and twin Second Empire Italianate mansions on Clove Avenue, which are the last twin mansions of their kind in the United States. Visit the Brick Museum on Main Street (did you know Haverstraw was the brickmaking capital of the world?), Bella Rose Restaurant, Union Restaurant, and other unique fusion, Latin, and South American Restaurants.

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Join me at the gallery opening to preview the dog and cat sculptures before they go off to their hosts. (Note that Haverstraw is easy to get to from NYC on the ferry). The Great Painted Paw Brigade leads to a final auction and gala in early June, and the proceeds will support the Rowing Club and Hi-Tor Animal Center.

Interview: Rachael Goodman-Williams, Founder, anditwaswrong.com

I had the privilege to interview Rachael Goodman-Williams who founded And It Was Wrong, a website devoted to collecting and sharing women’s experiences with sexual assault. I was drawn to the poignant simplicity and comforting rawness of the website, and the fact of its mere existence. A storytelling class that I’m currently taking has made me realize very quickly that certain themes aren’t shared enough, and a poignant story can make all the difference in understanding. Even though the topic is weighty, it’s uplifting, too.

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Jen Bokoff: What made you start collecting stories?

Rachael Goodman-Williams: The project itself was actually around for quite a while before it ever went online. In January of 2006, I was sitting in my freshman dorm room watching The L Word. In a Season 3 episode, one character is confronting another about how he had violated her. There is a moment where she asks him if he has any sisters. He responds by saying that yes, he has two younger sisters. She then tells him that she wants him to call his sisters and ask when the first time was that they were violated or intruded upon by a man. He asks her what makes her think that this has happened to his sisters. She answers that it has happened to every woman, at one point in her life or another. She says that sometimes it relatively benign and sometimes it hurts a hell of a lot, but it has happened to all of us.

I remember sitting there and wondering whether that was true. Had that happened to me? Soon after, a good friend called and told me about the previous night - about her night of being touched by a friend while she tried to sleep, a friend whom she had trusted completely - she kept saying that maybe he had been tired or maybe he didn’t mean to. She told me that it was really no big deal.

In that moment, I realized these things are a big deal. All of them. For some reason, for so many reasons, we try to write them off and push them away. We look at the sort of ‘stranger-in-a-dark-alley-rape’ image that we see recognized by society, and say to ourselves “That isn’t what happened to me, and I don’t see what happened to me being talked about anywhere, so I guess what happened to me just isn’t a big deal.” I realized that we needed a space to speak to these experiences and redefine what is a ‘big deal’ and what is worth talking about, so I started And It Was Wrong.

JB: Who did you share the stories with before there was a website?

RGW: At the beginning, I shared the stories at Take Back The Night rallies, open mics, and pretty much any other safe venue that would have me. Later, I used the stories as the basis for a sexual assault  prevention program that I facilitated with incoming college freshmen. Then as an Americorps member in Oregon, I incorporated the stories into the Girls’ Empowerment Groups I  ran at local high schools.

JB: I really respect how every story ends with the same, true words “And it was wrong.” Where did that concept come from?

RGW: It was a concept that came from watching so many of us write off our experiences because of what they weren’t. Often they weren’t violent; often they weren’t legally rape; often they weren’t strangers, and because of all of the things they weren’t, many of us came to the conclusion that they weren’t a big deal. I don’t care whether we call these things rape, I don’t care whether we call them sexual assault, let’s just call them wrong.

JB: What is your ultimate goal for the website, and what do you need to make it happen? 

RGW: My primary goal is to provide a space for people to grapple with and come to terms with their experiences, both through hearing about others’ experiences and possibly sharing their own. Beyond that, I am open to the project going in many different directions. I’ve used the stories as a basis for a sexual assault prevention program that I’ve facilitated with incoming college students—I’d love to continue with that. I’ve thought about the stories ending up in a book someday, too. To make it happen, I need people tol continue to share their experiences as well as their feedback on what would make this project meaningful for them.

JB: What advice do you have for women who have been in an uncomfortable situation but don’t know how to talk about it?

RGW: The first woman who submitted a story to And It Was Wrong wrote that when she told her friend what had happened, her friend said “It happens to all of us, it’s just something that we don’t talk about.” My advice to everyone is that we need to talk about it. We need to recognize that these things are not OK. Everyone deserves to be respected and to have their consent - their active “yes” - be asked for and given before their body is touched in any way. Believe that’s what you deserve, believe that’s what others deserve, and work toward a society that doesn’t accept any less.

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And It Was Wrong is always accepting submissions and will continue to have impact if shared with a larger community, so I encourage you to share this with people you care about.

Exclusive Interview with John Solo from the new film Love Magical

I had the pleasure of interviewing John Solo, who plays Stan Klock in the new film Love Magical by babywolf productions. The film, shot in NYC, is the story of David Justice, an overly passionate man whose fear of love is standing in the way of his dream of becoming the greatest R&B songwriter in the history of the world.

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Jen Bokoff: In Love Magical, you play an ‘alternative’ elementary school principal. What was it about the role that attracted you? 

John Solo: What attracted me to Stan was his passionate battle for the woman he loves. Even though his heart is broken, he pushes past his feelings of betrayal to fight for Barbara. His ‘alternative’ elementary school abides by the mantra “Find your truth so you can find yourself.”  Stan knows his truth and that allows him to battle like no other, storming the castle, and going balls deep in the name of love.

JB: Babywolf productions creates content that is “comedic and truthful.” How do you think Love Magical conveys that idea in the film?

JS: It’s truthful in that we all know and feel what the characters are going through. It’s comedic because the characters leap into very aggressive areas that the most people wouldn’t. Breaking into my ex-girlfriend’s house while she is having dinner with friends and presenting my case for love is a pretty risky thing to do. I know I’ve thought about doing it, but to actually do that is hysterical.

JB: The directors of Love Magical are on Kickstarter raising money to score the film with orginal music. How important is the music to the film and to the director’s focus on rising artists from the NYC music scene?

JS: The story is about a guy wanting to be an R&B songwriter, so music is very important. I think the directors are thinking they have two masters to serve here. One is the R&B side, the sexual and passionate aspect of the film and the other is the independent and quirky nature of the film. The film is a bit off. So between Keith Sweat and Sophia Urista, the R&B side should be covered and with independent artists like Marnie Stern and My Pet Dragon, the fun and independent side should be covered.

JB: Can you give us any hints on who wins the great janitorial showdown at the end?

JS: It’s really a close call. All I can say is that political correctness is thrown out the window!!!  

JB: In addition to Love Magical, you were recently in Ed Burn’s new film Newlyweds, which was also shot on location in and around NYC. What was it like shooting both of these films there?

JS: It was fun filming in NYC. We had one day shooting Love Magical down in Tribeca and it was on the same block as this cool little restaurant where a few months before I’d shot a scene for Newlyweds. I actually went in and had lunch there that day. It’s great when two different film worlds collide.

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Love Magical is currently in post-production and raising a final round of funds for original music, which you can support through Kickstarter. You can also get a sneak peak at some footage and more behind the scenes info here.

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