The Frunchroom

One of our scheduled readers cannot join us tomorrow due to a family emergency. In moments like this we turn to our past roster of guests. Tomorrow night we’ll be joined by Jahmal Cole.

Jahmal last took the stage at The Frunchroom in April 2017 as part of our two-night second anniversary shows at Beverly Woods.

A champion of social justice, Jahmal Cole’s mission is to build a more interconnected Chicago on the pillars of service and education. As the founder and CEO of the city’s fastest-growing social impact organization, My Block My Hood My City, he is the creator of an exposure-based education program for teens and a network of volunteer initiatives that serve Chicago communities year-round.

A Chicago native, Jahmal received an honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanities and Philanthropy from Adler University in 2022 and has been named best activist by the Chicago Reader and Activist of the Year by Chicago magazine. Jahmal was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Chicagoans by Crain’s Chicago Business and has been awarded the 2020 American Red Cross Community Impact Hero Award.

In 2019, Jahmal Cole was named to Crain’s 40 under 40. He’s also the recipient of the 2019 Champion of Freedom Award and the 2018 Chicago Defender Men of Excellence Honoree. He was also named one of the “20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans” by Streetwise Magazine.

Formerly of Chatham, he now resides in Beverly. And he’ll join us at The Frunchroom tomorrow night at 730pm at the Beverly Arts Center. Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

We have a few storyteller archetypes at The Frunchroom. The South Sider who moved to the North Side and takes the stage to tell us how that happened? That’s one of our favorites.

Nora Flanagan taught high school English in Chicago for 25 years and has researched and organized against racism for longer than that.

Her recent efforts have included speaking to government agencies, teachers unions, faculties and administrations, community organizations, faith groups, and media outlets about the intersection of bigotry and youth culture. She co-authored Confronting White Nationalism in Schools, a toolkit designed to help schools thoughtfully and effectively respond to incidents of racial hostility and proactively strengthen school communities.

Last month, she joined the staff of the Chicago Teachers Union as a Project Organizer, focused on developing anti-racist policy and professional development. Nora is an amateur vegetable gardener, retired roller derby player, and fervent horror fan.

A fourth-generation South Sider, she grew up on 107th Place – “No, not Street; that’s the next one over” – and now lives in West Ridge with her husband, a Chicago firefighter; their two sons; and a quirky but good-hearted rescue pit bull.

Join Nora at the Beverly Arts Center at 730pm on Thursday, January 18th. Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

You’ve undoubtedly seen Nate Otto’s work around Beverly – his mural at the corner of 103rd and Wood on the brick wall of Ohana is his most visible effort. Next week he joins us at The Frunchroom.

Nate lives in Beverly with his wife and young kids. He became a full-time artist in 2012 following an undistinguished career in an unrelated field. 

In the years since he has had eight solo art shows and painted over fifty murals in addition to several projects for notable companies.  Nate tries to focus as much as possible on creating art and currently makes over two hundred paintings each year. 

No one has ever seen him and it is not known what he looks like.

But you can solve the mystery by joining Nate and four other readers at The Frunchroom on Thursday, January 18th at 730pm at Beverly Arts Center. Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

For a long time, the rule for Frunchroom speakers was “no repeats.” Exceptions were made for reunion shows, our summer Zoom series, and last-minute fill-ins.

But in the eight-plus years of this show, we’ve had too many talented people to not bring them back on occasion.

One of our earliest storytellers at The Frunchroom was Angel Simmons and we are so happy to bring her back.

Angel Simmons is a multi-talented artist from the south side of Chicago. She is an author, advocate, actress, coach, columnist, editor, mentor, runway and print model, speaker and storyteller. Angel has been featured in books, magazines, the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, in Christian music, and as a guest on radio and television. She was the 2018 Ms. Northern Illinois Royalty, and the 2019 Ms. Illinois Elite. She now serves on the Miss Royalty International Pageant staff as a Coordinator and head Coach.

Angel is the author of both “Love’s Great Design: Uncovering the Power and Purpose of Human Relationship”, and “TARGET of LOVE: Surviving Narcissistic Abuse”. She is the host and producer of the Verses, Vibes & Visions Live Lit Series and the co-host of the Do Not Submit Storytelling Open Mic show in Englewood. Angel’s message and captivating stories have graced the stages of Bad Poetry Night, Homewood Stories, Is This a Thing?, Loose Chicks, Miss Spoken, Story Club North and South Side, The Frunchroom, This Much Is True, Tuesday Funk, and a number of conferences and events throughout the country.

Angel’s screen credits to date include eight films, sixteen television series, one commercial, and an educational training video for the Florida Council Against Sexual Assault. She is also the lead actress in the “My Last Party” Stage Production for suicide prevention.

Angel’s credentials include over 100 professional certifications in Mental Health, Trauma Informed Care, and much more. Her company, The Message, Inc., provides Grief & Loss Coaching, Relationship Coaching, Inspirational Merchandise, Keynotes & Workshops, and Wellness Support Groups.

Hear Angel at the Beverly Arts Center at 730pm on Thursday, January 18th. Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

The Frunchroom started in the back room of a bar on Western Avenue. In keeping with the tradition of third places, we created something where average folks, poets, performers, politicians, and media personalities would come together in conversation.

Mario Smith was one of the early Frunchroom guests and just happens to be a poet, performer, and media personality as well as an educator.

Mario is the host/Executive Producer of News From the Service Entrance with Mario Smith on WLPN-LP Lumpen Radio in Chicago and the host of the Silverroom’s Randomly Selected podcast and the co-host of the podcast Who You Got with Mike & Mario.

He was featured in the Chicago Reader’s The People Issue in 2022. His poetry appears in the books Power Lines: A Decade Of Poetry from Chicago’s Guild Complex and The Break Beat Poets published by Haymarket Press.

See Mario along with four other storytellers at the Beverly Arts Center at 730pm on Thursday, January 18th. Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

We are lucky to have incredible storytelling talent in our neighborhood, including Morgan Park’s own Carly Oishi.

Carly is the former producer of live lit shows Solo in the 2nd City and Miss Spoken. Her favorite shows to perform in are The Paper Machete and Write Club. Professionally, she manages a team at a workforce development nonprofit, in addition to financial coaching and reselling as side hustles.

In her “spare” time she cleans and repairs designer purses, tries to find new books for her 8 year old and talks to her dog in an annoying baby voice.

See Carly and our other readers this Thursday at 730pm at the Beverly Arts Center (111th St and Western Ave). Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

The many faces of the arts will be a part of this month’s Frunchoom, including one of Chicago’s hardest-working players behind the scenes: Mark Kelly.

Mark is a long-serving educator, arts advocate, and Chicago cultural leader. He recently retired as the Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and now serves as an advisor to a number of cultural organizations.

During Mark’s tenure, DCASE reimagined programming in the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park, greatly expanded grants to artists and neighborhood cultural organizations, initiated and supported scores of public art projects, led the city-wide “Year of” efforts in theater, music, dance, public art, and creative youth, advocated for neighborhood cultural resources, and brought equity to the fore in all of these efforts.

Prior to DCASE, Mark was a senior administrator at Columbia College Chicago for over 30 years. He was a highly visible educator who sought to build an immersive cultural experience for Columbia’s creative students and to push each student to develop a body of work. Known for his “hell yeah liturgy”, Mark created many of the college’s student traditions and initiatives including Manifest, Shop Columbia, and the new student convocation.

During his forty years of cultural stewardship, Mark has pushed to move the arts beyond the frame and the stage and to connect them to the street and our daily lives. He led the Wabash Arts Corridor mural initiative, framed the artistic vision for the Arts in the Dark parade, and founded Art on the Mart.

He is a percussionist (still learning), lucky to have played with jazz artist Hal Russell and has performed at an Allen Ginsberg happening (if you don’t know what a happening is, you’re too young to appreciate this!).

See Mark this Thursday at 730pm at the Beverly Arts Center (111th St and Western Ave). Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.

Appearing at The Frunchroom this month is Won Kim: a multi-disciplinary artist helming a restaurant, painting murals, and DJing whenever he can.

Won grew up in the north side of the city but is now a proud resident of Beverly. His restaurant Kimski in the Bridgeport neighborhood is attached to another icon Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar. It has been open for seven years and has been home to many pop-ups, startups, and hosted many community activations.

Won also paints murals and takes on commissions which have included clients such as Nike, Goose Island, VW, Alinea Group, Red Bull, and a slew of local Chicagoland restaurants. He DJs under the name Genghiswon, has held down music residencies at some of your favorite bars, and continues to play out to this day. He is always tired and ready to take on the next project. 

See Won at The Frunchroom this Thursday at 730pm at the Beverly Arts Center (111th St and Western Ave). Brought to you by the Beverly Area Arts Alliance. A $5 donation is requested at the door, which benefits the Alliance and the BAC.

Read more about this edition of The Frunchroom here.

RSVP on Facebook here.