Friday, September 19, 2025: Storytelling: Dear John
Storytelling@Hemingways: Dear John
7:00 - 9:00 PM
F@H's features the Hemingway Birthplace as a backdrop for an evening of storytelling. The crown jewel within the Hemingway Archives collection is the letter Ernest Hemingway received from his nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky, upon his return to Oak Park in 1919 after serving in the American Red Cross during World War I. This famed “Dear John” shaped Hemingway and literary history.
Join the following Chicago-area storytellers for an evening of “Dear John” tales in the front parlor room of Hemingway’s birthplace home:
Austin Jordan is a Chicago-based actor, improviser, and comic who's been rejected just enough to find the humor in it. This summer he appeared as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice at the Morton Arboretum with Inkwell Arts and performs regularly at iO with his improv group The Gist. He’s also brought his comedy to the stand-up stage at The Fest: Vol. 1 and The Spades Table. Austin is excited to share his story that proves rejection can sting...and still get a laugh.
I was born a minority of a minority. Black and Mormon. It made silence feel louder.
Dr. Karen Mitchell is an emeritus professor of communication studies at the University of Northern Iowa, where she taught courses in performance studies for thirty years. For 25 years, she was the Artistic Director of UNI Interpreters Theatre, directed a group dedicated to promoting gender justice on campus, and was a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops on campus. Since retiring in 2021, she has organized two storytelling events, acted in community theatre productions and independent films, and directed plays and staged readings. Currently, she lives a good life in Waterloo, Iowa, with her golden doodle Gigi.
Facebook offered a free dating app, and I thought “Why not?” However, like most free things there’s often a catch, and Larry was quite the catch.
Patti Minglin is the CEO of Go Girl Communications, where she helps brands find their voice and actually get people to listen. She’s been called a “connector,” a “creative spark,” and (by her kids) “a little too enthusiastic with emojis.” Beyond running her agency, Patti serves as the chair-elect on the Executive Board of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, champions nonprofits like Beautifully EmpowHERed and Naperville's School District 203 Workforce Innovation Council and regularly takes the stage to share her stories of life and leadership.
In this heartfelt and hilariously honest talk, Patti shares her “Dear John” letter—not to a past relationship, but to the woman she used to be. What if the hardest breakup you ever go through… isn't with a person at all?
Mike Mitchell is a veteran high school English and drama teacher with 31 years of experience. He has directed numerous plays and musicals and remains active on stage himself. A few of his performance credits include Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing (Goodly Creatures Theatre), Murray in The Odd Couple (BrightSideTheatre), Toad in A Year with Frog and Toad (North Central College Summer Theatre.) Recently, he has been performing at comedy clubs throughout the Chicago suburbs with the improv group Skits n’ Giggles. Offstage, Mike’s favorite role is that of husband and father. Married for 30 years and the proud dad of three daughters, he enjoys playing guitar, walking his dog, reading Shakespeare, and grilling for family and friends.
Try to imagine telling someone, “I think we should split,” and then continuing to live together, for another four years, for the sake of the kids.
