BIO

Jana is a Chicago-based poet and documentary theatre artist. She has long limbs, big teeth and lots of freckles. She’s from Texas. She likes to spend time thrifting, moving her body, and finding new things to explore in the city. 

Her poems are colloquial and tightly-wound. A friend describes them as “stories someone is telling across a table in a diner, but the diner might blow up at any minute.” 

In addition to poetry, Jana has also interviewed dozens of people over the past decade to create pieces of documentary theatre. She is interested in featuring "everyday people" that are not typically found onstage with the goal of promoting curiosity and care across generational, cultural, , religious and socioeconomic lines. She is currently developing a show around the intersection of the criminal justice system and mental health, and is also in the early stages of a project based on interviews with fan club presidents across the country.

She has worked with Actors Theatre Workshop, Touchstone Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, American Theatre Company and Sideman Productions. She is currently the Custom Programs Manager at Erasing the Distance; a dream of a job that makes her feel grateful and empowered to grow. (erasingthedistance.org)