PWUDL: A Storied Harvest

People Who Usually Don't Lecture: A Storied Harvest, will feature 8 speakers from diverse backgrounds telling stories about their lives as part of an international effort to elevate stories of everyday people in our communities.

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is a harvest holiday when we welcome guests of all walks of life into our portable homes. We believe that Sukkot is the perfect season to celebrate with stories and storytellers who have come to Chicago from across the globe.

We invite you into our tent with a sense of curiosity as each of our featured guests shares a story from their life.

We welcome you to come early to explore the Sukkat Rimon built by Could Be Architecture.

The event will be held indoors in Lederer Hall at Emanuel Congregation. The venue is accessible a short walk from the Thorndale Red Line station and easy to access from buses that run on Broadway and Sheridan. Limited parking available.

Maudlyne Ihejirika is an award winning, Chicago Sun-Times Urban Affairs Reporter/Columnist with 30 years experience in Journalism, Public Relations and Government. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Iowa ('85), and an M.S.J. from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism ('87). She pens the Sun-Times “Chicago Chronicles,” long-form columns on "people and places that make Chicago tick.” She is the author of "Escape From Nigeria: A Memoir of Faith, Love and War," a riveting tale of her family's survival of the brutal Nigerian-Biafran War, and miracles that brought them to the U.S. She is the President of the Chicago chapter of NABJ.

Dometi Pongo {pronounced doe-muh-TEE} is the host of MTV News’ “Need to Know,” a twitter live show that broadcasts newscasts, interviews and topical roundtables twice daily on weekdays. Dometi previously served as reporter and fill-in host for Chicago’s WGN Radio, a voiceover talent for WGN-TV and contributor to WCIU’s The Jam Morning Show. The award-winning journalist also works as a speaker and multimedia consultant through his firm, Pongo Strategy Group, which helps organizations tell better stories through multimedia. Since 2016, in partnership with Sankofa Ventures, Dometi’s annual group tours of Ghana, West Africa have introduced diasporal Africans to their ancestral lineage.

Fran X is a Chicago based Architectural Designer. She holds a B.S. in Architecture from The Ohio State University, and an M.A. from Yale University. While a student at the Yale School of Architecture, she was the recipient of the AIA NY Center for Architecture Scholarship awarded in 2017 by Caples Jefferson. The royalties funded research concerning the rehabilitation of postindustrial landscapes and public interest design. In the city of New Haven this research led to the founding of The Goffe Street Armory Community Advisory Committee; enabling the allocation of funds for the future reconstruction of The Armory to include a new community hub. Her professional experience includes working with municipalities, community organizations and university groups in collaboration with architecture/public realm design offices. This research based/ interdisciplinary approach to design is focused on facilitating a more open exchange of ideas between community members and design professionals. She advocates that inclusive conversations yield inclusive spaces; and hopes to empower those unheard with a place to share their stories.

Ines Bellina is a writer, storyteller, and bon vivant. She has performed in shows all over town like The Skewer, You're Being Ridiculous at Steppenwolf, Story Club, Miss Spoken, the Chicago Women's Funny Festival. Her writing has also appeared in Block Club Chicago, The Takeout The A.V. Club, The Northwestern Law Reporter and more. She is currently working on a contemporary YA novel that combines her hatred of Catholic school with her love of high school musicals.

John Harris was born and raised outside Salisbury, about 80 miles southwest of London. A love of theatre and music came at an early age. John performed in a variety of productions specializing in physical theatre in and around Salisbury, including notable sites like Salisbury Cathedral and the prehistoric settlement of Old Sarum. He even learned how to play the didgeridoo for a role! John moved to London to study theatre at Middlesex University where he met his American wife during her study abroad program. While no longer performing, he still loves seeing theatre and traveling the world. John has held several jobs in sales over the years, using his English charm to sell everything from fancy soaps, foreign currency and self storage to funerals and cemeteries. Contrary to his accent, John has lived in Chicago for 16 years and is a dual citizen.

Maulik Vaishnav is a Chicago fan and works for the CTA. He is an urban planner and a transportation economist who sometimes tries to make your commutes more expensive. Even after getting out of Illinois in 2011 to live in temperate San Francisco, he returned to Chicago winters in 2012 and continues to dislike them. He grew up in a small town in Western India and after attending an international high school, he made his way for college to the US. He loves to travel and hunts for cheap airfare deals all year. 

Rocco Cataldo is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, director and writer, and founder/principal at Potenza Productions. With over 20 years experience as a director, creating award-winning short films, commercials and other new media projects, his latest short film, Emergence, won a 2017 EMMY® Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Programing. Cataldo’s feature film, “Static,” is currently in development. Driven by a passion to tell and share stories across platforms, Cataldo founded Potenza Productions in 2009, named after the city in Italy in which he was born. Crediting the experience of immigrating to the U.S. as a child with his parents as giving him a deep sense of curiosity about the world and its stories, the storytelling and performance bug really, truly bit in the second grade with “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow,” in which Cataldo was cast as the ass-end of Ichabod Crane’s horse. (For real.)

Shifra Werch is a self-described theatrician. She has performed, designed and/or directed over 200 professional productions ranging from film and musical comedy to opera and performance art. Some of her accomplishments actually garnered awards including a couple of Jeffs. Among her favorite endeavors are the artistic direction of Opera Piccola and teaching at Lake forest College which included classes in theatre history, acting and performance art. She has proudly midwifed many original works to the stage including her own Eros. She is also in the marketing department of Symphony Center and is honored to support the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Her other enthusiasm are growing as a Jew and saving non-humans.

Special Guest Organizations include:

Since 1982, RefugeeOne has welcomed more than 18,000 refugees fleeing nearly every major world crisis to Chicago. With the help of 1,000 volunteers, the agency helps refugees become self-reliant in as few as 6 to 9 months and supports them as they build the foundation for a flourishing life in the United States. Every year, RefugeeOne helps approximately 2,500 people learn English, secure employment, apply for citizenship, strengthen their families, and integrate into American society. Learn more and get involved at: RefugeeOne.org.