The Story Collider returns to the Crawford! Join us for a night of hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming stories about science. Whether you haven’t touched a test tube since high school or have a closet full of lab coats, this is for you.
Most widely known for a weekly podcast that The Washington Post has called “delightful, devastating, and endlessly listenable,” The Story Collider brings together scientists, performers, and everyone in between to share true, personal stories about how science has impacted their lives. Hosted by Bryan Kett (he/him).
In partnership with:
Bryan Kett (he/him)
is a former high school science teacher from outside of Chicago. He got tired of telling his students not to drink the chemicals in chemistry lab, so he began taking writing classes at Chicago’s famed Second City, which led to him earning his master’s degree in Creative Writing from DePaul University. Bryan serves as Producer for The Story Collider and instructor for The Story Studio. His work, which blends science, humor, and personal narrative, has been featured on various NPR stations, Rainn Wilson’s SoulPancake, TED.com, RISK!, and The Moth Podcast. He is still an advocate for not drinking chemicals in chemistry lab.
About The Tellers
Rich Tackenber
has now lived in Los Angeles longer than he grew up in New York. He is a Managing Director in executive search, specializing in media, entertainment, and nonprofit placements. He has been married to an amazing woman for almost twenty five years and is most proud of not screwing that up. At least not yet.
Brittany Munson
is a Lead Educator at the California Science Center, where she engages public audiences in exploring various science topics and activities. With a degree in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara, she has chased her passion for the ocean from the coral reefs of the Bahamas to the icy waters of Alaska, where she spent two seasons as a naturalist. Most recently, she served as a Lead Science Communication Fellow aboard E/V Nautilus, sharing deep-sea exploration with the world in real-time. When she isn’t advocating for marine life or planning her next expedition, you can find Brittany tending to her indoor jungle as a devoted plant mom or salsa dancing on Sunday nights. She calls Long Beach home.
Jessica Lee Williamson
is a Los Angeles based television writer and comedian known for her work on I’m Dying Up Here, F is for Family, and The Big Leap. A first-generation American, she was raised by her Cuban mother in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After moving out west, Jessica graduated from The Second City Conservatory. In addition to developing shows for Netflix, F/X, and Amazon, her stories have been featured on This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, and Lena Dunham's Women of the Hour.
Monte Montepare
is a comedian, storyteller and adventure guide originally from Colorado. He’s been Keynote Speaker at The Ouray Ice Festival, is on the cover of The Alaska Packraft Guidebook, and is part owner of Kennicott Wilderness Guides in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (all real things and places). Monte is a Moth GrandSLAM Champion, has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and has a story published in The Moth's most recent book "A Point of Beauty: True Stories of Holding on and Letting Go." He lives in a little house on a hill with his partner Jillian, their kiddo Rocky and chiweenie Sage.
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