Yarn Factory Listeners: Kankakee Storytelling

Yarn Factory Listeners: Kankakee Storytelling A regular storytelling/listening event held in Kankakee, IL

Thanks to our August storytellers, J. Rohr Richard Pniewski, Michelle D. Young, Moran Beasley and Else Schilling!
08/12/2026

Thanks to our August storytellers, J. Rohr Richard Pniewski, Michelle D. Young, Moran Beasley and Else Schilling!

New York City Deli is now open in Downtown Kankakee! They will be a great food option set up behind the The Venu' Loung...
08/11/2026

New York City Deli is now open in Downtown Kankakee! They will be a great food option set up behind the The Venu' Lounge. Get there early grab a drink, grab a seat and get something great from a new downtown business!

We are excited about our lineup of storytellers for Tuesday night - 7pm at The Venu' Lounge. Plus, we are welcoming New ...
08/11/2026

We are excited about our lineup of storytellers for Tuesday night - 7pm at The Venu' Lounge. Plus, we are welcoming New York City Deli as a great food option for the evening.

Our storytellers:

Michelle Young
Michelle is a Chicago-based writer, storyteller, and comedian. While she hasn't won The Moth, she did tie for first and that counts for something, right?

She produces Funnies @ The Friendly, a monthly variety show in the spirit of Carol Burnett and Sonny & Cher, and co-hosts Do Not Submit, a storytelling open mic in Berwyn. Earlier this year, she debuted her first solo show, DYKE*OTOMY!

Moran Beasley
Moran has lived in Kankakee since 2007. His loving bride of almost 24 years Allison is the director of the Kankakee Public Library. Moran is the proud father of 2 boys. He is usually recognized as someone other than himself. "Aren't you Allison's husband?"
"Hey it's Parker's dad". Even though he grew up elsewhere, he has lived in Kankakee most of his adult life and considers Kankakee his hometown. Moran currently works from home for a mortgage company and enjoys spending time in his hammock and going to see live music with his wife as much as possible.

Else Schilling
Else grew up on a farm in Grant Park. She was a hairdresser right out of high school. She went to KCC, then finished undergrad at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
Later, she attended John Marshall Law school and by a strange unfolding of events ended up back here and now have my own practice.
Else has two daughters, Rebecca and Carey that both live in Austin, Texas.

J. Rohr
J. is a Chicago native with a taste for history and wandering the city at odd hours. In order to deal with the more corrosive aspects of everyday life he writes fiction, film reviews, and makes music in the band Beerfinger.

Richard Pniewski
Richard is a retired, award-winning English and Drama teacher with a deep passion for storytelling and theatre. Rich has an extensive background in directing, having worked with Artcraft Theatre in the Beverly neighborhood, Candlelight Theatre in Evergreen Park, and 23
Miles South at St. John's Church in Homewood.

His love for storytelling was inspired by years of attending the Fox Valley Folk Festival, where he evolved from an appreciative audience member to a dedicated storyteller. A Moth StorySLAM winner, Rich is also a former co-host of Do Not Submit/Homewood, an open mic storytelling event. He continues to engage with the storytelling community, sharing his authentic voice and passion for the art.

Yarn Factory Listeners returns Tuesday, Aug, 11th at 7:00 at the The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee! We are excited t...
08/10/2026

Yarn Factory Listeners returns Tuesday, Aug, 11th at 7:00 at the The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee!

We are excited to welcome Michelle Young to our stage!

Michelle Young is a Chicago-based writer, storyteller, and comedian. While she hasn't won The Moth, she did tie for first and that counts for something, right?

She produces Funnies @ The Friendly, a monthly variety show in the spirit of Carol Burnett and Sonny & Cher, and co-hosts Do Not Submit, a storytelling open mic in Berwyn. Earlier this year, she debuted her first solo show, DYKE*OTOMY!

You can find Michelle online at michelledyoung.com

Thanks to all of our storytellers and listeners for a great welcome back this week on Tuesday night! We look forward to ...
07/16/2026

Thanks to all of our storytellers and listeners for a great welcome back this week on Tuesday night! We look forward to another night of storytelling August 11 at the Venu in Downtown Kankakee at 7 o’clock.

The return of Yarn Factory Listeners: Kankakee Storytelling tonight at The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee at 7:00!
07/14/2026

The return of Yarn Factory Listeners: Kankakee Storytelling tonight at The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee at 7:00!

Question - What are the age restrictions for attending Yarn Factory Listeners at The Venu' Lounge?Answer - Yarn Factory ...
07/10/2026

Question - What are the age restrictions for attending Yarn Factory Listeners at The Venu' Lounge?

Answer - Yarn Factory is a grown up event but we make exceptions for younger audience members in the event space to support family. While some Venu events require patrons to be 30… ours does not. Of course, you must be 21 or older to have an adult beverage.

Thanks to Glenda, Earl and the entire crew at the Venu for being great hosts!

See you Tuesday, July 14th at 7:00 (Get there early!).

Yarn Factory Listeners returns on Tuesday, July 14th at The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee at 7:00 pm! We are excited...
07/08/2026

Yarn Factory Listeners returns on Tuesday, July 14th at The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee at 7:00 pm!

We are excited to have Nina Piolatto as one of our storytellers!

Nina Piolatto is all in on life in Kankakee. She is the President of the Riverview Historic District where she and her husband are raising a family. She is the Executive Director of the Kankakee Development Corporation in Downtown Kankakee on the same streets where had been the shop owner of Madame Saint Vintage. Nina is passionate about making her community stronger and more vibrant by making it more fun, and inclusive to all.

We are re-launching Yarn Factory Listeners this month and the kick-off/setting the tone/reintroducing story will be told...
07/08/2026

We are re-launching Yarn Factory Listeners this month and the kick-off/setting the tone/reintroducing story will be told by Jeremy Van Kley.

Yarn Factoy Listeners: Kankakee Storytelling will be Tuesday, July 14th at 7:00pm at The Venu' Lounge in Downtown Kankakee.

Jeremy Van Kley is a lifelong Midwesterner who grew up around corn and football. Husband to Stacey and father to 3 incredible adult children, Jeremy first lived in Kankakee County from 1998 to 2002, and then moved back to the area 6 years ago. He and his family are grateful to have settled here and call Kankakee County home. Jeremy loves a lot of things, most notably food (both preparing and consuming), coffee, live music, reading cookbooks, watching the Cubs, walking in the woods, looking at art, and making new friends. Regarding that last one, he enjoys just about anything that involves connecting with others. So, if you’re up for it, there’s a pretty good chance Jeremy will want to grab a drink with you (and watch the Cubs).

Address

Kankakee, IL
60901

Telephone

+18159221219

Website

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