The First Time is a regular storytelling and reading series benefiting CHIRP Radio. Each reader tells a personal story based on that month’s theme, and requests a song that’s played by our band, The First Time Three.

First Time First Gig - Alicia Swiz

explicit language

Alicia Swiz is a professor and performer who facilitates conversations about feminism and pop-culture through humor, candid observation and being really smart. She teaches Media & Gender Studies at Harold Washington College and is the creator of SlutTalk, a performance that raises awareness of slut shaming and encourages sex positivity. Sometimes she's funny; sometimes she's not. Find her on the Internet @popgoesalicia

produced by Brian Heath and Dan Epstein

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First Time First Gig - Billy Kalb

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Billy is a CHIRP Radio lifer – he was there the weekend it first came together, and they've been stuck with him ever since, as a board member, erstwhile DJ, and even Music Director for the station's first five years. In his 30 years on this planet, he's owned three iPods, gotten his picture taken with Ludacris, and had a letter published in Yahoo! Internet Life, not necessarily in that order. When he's not striving to make an honest living, he lives with his wife and their two pet rabbits in Humboldt Park, where he cooks, mourns the decline of the modern super hero comic, and tries not to drink his beer so fast.

produced by Brian Heath and Dan Epstein

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First Time First Taste - Fran Hoepfner

Fran Hoepfner is a writer and comedian from Chicago. She has written both pop culture criticism and personal essays for The AV Club, Brooklyn Magazine, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, and Jezebel, among several  others. She can be seen performing stand-up around the city, most notably as a resident of the monthly Bell Hop showcase with Ian Abramson at the Virgin Hotel. She currently works as the Digital Editor at The Onion.

produced by Dan Epstein and Brian Heath

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First Time First Taste - Terry Gant

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Terry Gant of the South Side Gants, is the owner of Third Coast Comics in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, on Loyola’s Lakeshore Campus. The shop started in 2005 as an online comic book store, specializing in graphic novels.The original business model of local delivery of comics to you at your home, workplace or favorite bar resembled the business model of an industrious drug dealer and proved to be just as sustainable. In the summer of 2008 Third Coast Comics became a “Brick and Mortar” operation in Edgewater and this past winter moved to Rogers Park on Sheridan Rd.

Terry earned his BA in Marketing (focusing on geeks) from DePaul University and would consider a MA in Marketing (again to geeks) if he ever planned to get another day job, which he hopes he never has to do. Terry is 50% of all of the African American comic book retailers in the Midwest and has been paid to play Dungeons & Dragons. He has also parlayed all of his nerd cred into about 30 minutes and 20 seconds on both NPR and Good Morning America this year.

Terry currently lives in Evanston, IL with his very patient and understanding wife. In an alternate universe they have 3 daughters named Beckah, Katy and Norway.

produced by Dan Epstein and Brian Heath

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First Time First Taste - Maggie Kubley

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Maggie Kubley is a multidisciplinary performer and musician who creates confessional solo theater pieces and performative piano pop and aggressive girl pop as part of Celine Neon, a grime pop duo out of Chicago. Since 2006, Kubley has performed both her music and theater projects in a wide variety of venues, bars, living rooms, clubs, basements, and theaters throughout the city. Her work focuses primarily on love, death, addict tendencies, and sex/romance and has has been featured in the The Chicago Tribune, Chicagoist, The Redeye, and Gaperʼs Block.

produced by Dan Epstein and Brian Heath

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