2008 CHA CHA CHICAS!

Some of the foxy faces of this year's line-up.

DON'T MISS OUT!

For more information see below:

SECOND ANNUAL CHA CHA COMING SOON!

design by: Kelly Schnurr

sponsored by:

Come and Enjoy the CHA CHA!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2008

Cervejeria Lounge

842 College St

8pm ~ $8

(no one turned away for lack of funds)

A night of readings and performances that celebrate and challenge notions of female sexuality.

emcees: Jill Andrew

& Athena Karkanis

FEATURING: 

Ann Cummings

Aisha Sasha John

janet romero leiva

monica rosas 

Dianah Smith

Andrea Theony

Yaya Yao

SPECIAL GUEST: Stacey May Fowles - Author and Publisher of Shameless Magazine

for more info contact: chachachicas@gmail.com

ALL WELCOME

Cha Cha is a queer and trans positive space.

*Door Prizes! * *Free giveaways!*

BIOS

JILL ANDREW - emcee

Basking in the joy of recently completing her masters in women & gender studies at UofT, Jill continues to work as a journalist, educator and women's/youth advocate sometimes but not all the time all at the same time (try sayin' that 3 times fast) Jill produces Curvy Catwalk fashion fundraiser, is editing a women's body image anthology Phat Girls and is taking with a great team of visionaries about developing the Toronto Int. Body Image Film Arts Festival. Between talking and editing Jill still finds time to celebrate her sexuality and play with her cat. www.jillandrewmedia.com or www.curvycatwalk.com

ATHENA KARKANIS - emcee

Athena is a Toronto based actor, writer and artist. She studied Political Science at McGill University  followed by theatre at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York and has appeared on stages on both Canada and the U.S. She has played leading roles on both the small and big screens and she can be heard as the voices of dozen of cartoon characters. Her writing paintings and photography are heavily influenced by her unforgettable experiences living and traveling around the world. Athena believes strongly in ChaCha's mandate and is thrilled to be part of this incredible group of women.

STACEY MAY FOWLES' writing has appeared in various online and print magazines, including Kiss Machine, the Absinthe Literary Review, Fireweed and subTerrain. Her work has been widely anthologized in books including Nobody Passes: Rejecting The Rules of Gender and Conformity, First Person Queer, Yes Means Yes, and I.V Lounge Nights.  Her first Novel, Be Good, was published with Tightrope Books in 2007, and This Magazine called it "probably the most finely realized small press novel to come out of Canada in the last year." Fowles recently adapted Fear of Fighting into a stage play as part of Nightwood Theatre's Write From The Hip! program for emerging female playwrights.  She currently lives in Toronto where she is the publisher of Shameless Magazine.

FOXY FINALE A.K.A Ann Cummings bounced her way across the Burlesque stage almost three years ago in a rock star fantasy with the sexy Mark Brown on a trampoline. She hasn't been able to stop taking her clothes off since. She has made regular guest appearances with the Troupe Skin Tight Outta Sight as a bank robber, Hitler and Praying Idol with many more to come. Outside of Burlesque, Foxy drums in a Brazilian percussion group and trains in the Brazilian Martial Art of Capoeira.  She has spent the last five years performing environmental educational theatre for children and traveling around the world.

AISHA SASHA JOHN is a writer and dancer living in Toronto.  Her work has appeared in such places as Exile Quartely, Contemporary Verse 2, Carousel, The Feathertale Review and TOK 3: Writing the New Toronto. This fall she'll begin her second year of the University of Guelph's MFA in Creative Writing program. Aisha is working on a poetry manuscript and short story collection as well as being part of the Obsidian Theatre Company 2008/09 Playwrights Unit. aisha.blogspot.com

janet romero-leiva is a queer feminist latina artist committed to creating a place and space for under/mis/un-represented bodies. janet's writing and visual art explores immigrant displacement - denied aboriginality and queer loving in dos lenguas. she loves cart-wheeling, mangos, smoothies and children's books.

mónica rosas a.k.a - la loba is an artist/educator/agitator whose work aims to challenge and provoke discussion on gender, the environment and the visible minority experience.  A second-generation colombian-peruvian, canadian she has traveled and worked in Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil. monica is the author of inside out, a collection of poetry by Lyrical Myrical, and her poetry appears in TOK 3: Writing the New Toronto by Diaspora Dialogues. monica is also the founder of CHA CHA, an artistic forum by women on female sexuality. www.monicarosas.com

DIANAH SMITH is a Jamaican born, Ottawa raised, writer, teacher, curator and arts educator based in Toronto. She is the founder of 'A' is for Orange a reading series featuring queer Caribbean emerging writers. Dianah is the recipient of several grants including an emerging writer's grant from the Toronto Arts Council and a Writing Mentorship grant from the Ontario Arts Council.  She enjoys facilitating  autobiographical writing workshops in schools and with community groups in the city.  She says 'writing is a way to grieve/retrieve/the past, make sense of the present and leave a legacy for the future'.  www.aisfororange.org

ANDREA THEONY A.K.A - HIPPIE MAMA is an eternally emerging visual artist/djembe drummer/singer/songwriter.  When I am not tending to teenaged drama, either at home with my own two or those that I teach at a downtown alternative arts program. I get inspiration from everything and everywhere but the topic of sex and issues related to this hot topic to get my creative juices flowing with particular vigor! Go Figure! I have a CD entitled "Five Songs for Five Bucks" and I am working on my next one at the present time. I also host a weekly Women's Drum Circle at my home since I got tired of too much testostorone at some of the other Toronto drum venues. For more info call: 416-875-9830.

yaya yao comes from a long line of matriarchs who happen(ed) to love singing dancing and teaching, loves which she shares. born and raised in toronto, she loves the smell of grilled sardines, stinky tofu and her grandmother's face cream.

VIVA CHA CHA!

D! and M pose.

Our first official CHA CHA event was a success.  We packed the house and enjoyed an exciting evening of diverse readings/performances by some amazing women.  Here's a snippet of what the night had to offer.        HIPPIE MAMA IN ACTION!

Come and enjoy the CHA CHA!

TUNE IN... and listen to CHA CHA live on 89.5 CKLN! Saturday September 22nd @ 5PM

CHA CHA  ladies, Nalini Singh and Monica Rosas joins radio host Chanelle Gallant with a taste of what CHA CHA  has to offer...

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH , 2007 @ 8PM @ THE CONCORD CAFE 937 BLOOR ST. W

A  night of songs, stories and spoken word performed by emerging female artists celebrating and challenging notions of female women's sexuality. 

Join us for this unique artistic forum representing different generations, cultural backgrounds and sexual orientation. MC: Jill Andrew Feat: Melissa Burnett, janet romero-leiva, monica rosas, Dianah Smith, Andrea Theony, Talia Wooldridge with visual art by Kelly Schnurr. 

For more information contact: chachachicas@gmail.com