HARJANT GILL
http://www.tilotamaproduct
Harjant is an award-winning film maker and doctoral student in anthropology at American University. Harjant was born in Chandigarh, India and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He now lives in Washington, D.C.
For Harjant, making films is about casting a spotlight on urgent and often overlooked social issues, and making marginalized members of society feel less isolated and more understood.
His films include: "As if it Matters", "Everything", "Some Reasons For Living", "Mission Movie/Una Pelicula de la Mision" and "Milind Soman Made Me Gay". He is the recipient of The Point Foundation award.
JESSICA MAZZA
Jessica, our lovely hostess for this month's event is a poet enrolled in the School of the Art Institute's BFA Writing Program. Her most recent work explores the subject of death from the vantage point of a child, she seeks to test and explore notions of death using age as reference point.
HEATHER McSHANE
Heather McShane is an MFA candidate in the Writing Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work can be found in elimae.com, fictionatwork.com, the2ndhand.com, and Chicago Public Radio’s Vocalo.org.
CYNTHIA PELAYO
Cynthia has her B.A. from Columbia College in Journalism. And a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University. She writes Latin American Magical Realism, embracing folklore, superstition, and legends.
She has written for Extra News, Venus Zine, Time Out Chicago, and In The Fray. Her most recent work includes novel in progress, La Santa Muerte and a short story collection whose inspiration is founded in each of the Mexican Loteria Cards.
CORTNEY PHILIP
Cortney Philip writes fucked-up fairy tales for grown-ups who aren't. Her work has appeared in elimae, The First Line, Feathertale Review, and At-Large Magazine.
OLI RODRIGUEZ
http://olirodriguez.com/
Oli was born in Chicago and grew up in Humboldt Park. He received his B.A. from DePaul University in Psychology and Gender Studies with a minor in Media Art.
Oli has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, working within the departments of Film, Video & New Media, Photography and Performance.
He is Adjunct Faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Photography Department, as well as at Westwood College in their Graphic Design Department.
Oli's work centers around conceptual ideas of childhood memories and recreations, the emergence of gender constructions and identities, the questioning of perception and the idea of inhabiting and "passing" in relation to societal perspectives of race, class, age and orientation.
