Hayley Downs
Pronombre: Ella

“Como nuevo residente del Valle de Hudson, cuando escuché por primera vez las palabras “Proyecto TMI”, interrumpí al orador diciendo: “¿Qué es eso? ¡Quiero hacer eso!” No tenía idea de lo que significaba, pero sabía que cualquier grupo que valorara “TMI” ( Por sus siglas en inglés, Too Much Information) lo suficiente como para convertirlo en un “Proyecto” eran personas que tenía que conocer.”

Además de liderar los talleres del Proyecto TMI, Hayley es escritora, narradora y realizadora de documentales. Produjo el documental Hidden Battles dirigido por Victoria Mills sobre los efectos psicológicos de matar a los soldados. También produjo y editó para la transmisión Naturally Obsessed: the Making of a Scientist, un documental sobre la investigación de laboratorio de Richard y Carole Rifkind. Naturally Obsessed se estrenó en WNYC / Thirteen y es distribuido por PBS International. Más recientemente produjo J.L. Sert: A Nomadic Dream, una película española / estadounidense. Co-producción dirigida por Pablo Bujosa. Sus instalaciones y películas experimentales: Move, Coleslaw Wrestling y Boar Hog, que exploran la cultura popular multigeneracional de Florida, se han exhibido en festivales de cine underground como Nueva York, Chicago y SF, y el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Miami y Art Basel. Su diario adolescente lleno de angustia se incluyó en Mortified: Real Words, Real People, Real Pathetic, publicado por Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Hayley se mudó al norte del estado de Nueva York desde Brooklyn hace cuatro años, donde se concentra en la escritura y su trabajo como líder del taller del proyecto TMI.

Dara Lurie
Pronombre: ella

“Aproveché la oportunidad de participar como narradora en el primer taller de TMI Project y en la presentación de #BlackStoriesMatter a principios de 2017 y, más tarde ese año, como docente-aprendiz del Proyecto TMI. No puedo pensar en un trabajo más importante que ayudar a las personas a contar sus historias reales. Si cree que es simple, debería intentarlo alguna vez.”

Además de liderar los talleres del Proyecto TMI, Dara es autora y entrenadora de manuscritos. Recibió un B.A. en Cine y Teatro de Vassar College y M.F.A. en Escritura Creativa de Hunter College. Dara creció en el Upper West Side de Manhattan y emigró a principios de la década de 1980 a Berlín Occidental, Alemania, donde atendió bares, escribió y actuó en el teatro mientras vivía en diferentes comunidades de ocupantes ilegales, activistas del Partido Verde, periodistas, maestros y Trabajadores sociales. Su primer libro, Great Space of Desire; Writing for Personal Evolution, es una guía creativa y de memorias para escritores que deseen contar sus propias historias.

Perla Ayora
Pronoun: She/Her

“We immigrants have stories that have been quiet for a long time and now there is finally a safe space where they can be heard. An immigrant has a lot to say about discrimination and culture but also about values, family, learning and justice. Writing your story brings you closer to freedom.”

“Nosotros los inmigrantes tenemos historias que han sido calladas por mucho tiempo y ahora por fin hay un espacio seguro donde pueden ser escuchadas. Un inmigrante tiene mucho que decir sobre discriminación y cultura pero también sobre valor, familia, aprendizaje y justicia. Escribir tu historia te acerca a la libertad.”

Perla is a stand-up comedian who enjoys writing songs, poems, essays, and… jokes. Her creativity and love of expression helps to elevate the many diverse voices of Radio Kingston by broadcasting their shows live from various locations throughout Kingston. She is a radio host and the co-producer of “Tokens Inc”. A dark comedy web series about tokenism. Originally from Yucatan, Mexico, Perla was drawn to Kingston for its lively art, music, and comedy scene – but loves that she can also chill at a BBQ or a taquiza with her neighbors.

Kiebpoli Calnek
Pronoun: They/He/She/+

“Working with TMI Project feels like divine guidance. It is humbling to have the opportunity to engage with brave participants, helping them express their true stories, For me, it was transformational to capture and share my story, the Black Trans narrative, in all its raw authenticity and wisdom. This crucial work enriches the spirit of the performer with a platform for their truth and provides a unique window of reflection for the viewer.”

Kiebpoli Calnek, a non-binary queer Black creative from NYC/Lenapehoking, has generated nuanced performances and creative direction seeped in poetic somatic elements for over two decades. Their social enterprise, Black*Acrobat, produces interdisciplinary programming sharing stories of, for, and with fringe communities, celebrating authentic visions and viewpoints through research, access, and collaboration. They were covered in Essence and contributed, “How It Feels… To Be An Aerial Acrobat” to Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine. While living out West, Kiebpoli nurtured film, stage, and literary relationships and in 2018, the concept of Queer & Trans Love Stories (“cuties”) was born at a writing residency in New Mexico’s Peñasco mountains. Kiebpoli’s works received generous funding and support from Elizabeth Streb, Astraea Foundation, Asian Arts Initiative, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. They are a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, SAG-AFTRA, and Actors’ Equity Association. kiebpoli.com

Raine Grayson
Pronoun: He/Him/His

“TMI Project does the exact kind of work that the world needs. From the moment I learned about them I wanted to contribute to the way they spread outstanding courage, community, and kindness. TMI Project makes the world a more honest, open place and I am honored to be given the chance to help foster and facilitate their mission.”

Raine Grayson is a multi-genre writer whose work focuses on exploring and uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community. He specializes in social action theatre and also dabbles in academic essays and creative non-fiction. He founded “Queeries Blog” – a space for queer artists to publish their work freely. He’s worked with The TMI Project before in conjunction with the Trevor Project for “Life Lines: Queer Stories Of Survival”. He’s spoken his suicide survival story on nationally streaming platforms for Trevor Live in support of their suicide prevention chat line. His nonfiction work can be found featured at Queeries Blog, Go Magazine, The Paragon Press, Weasel Press, and soon So Say We All’s magazine “The Whole Alphabet”. His playwriting has been featured by The Playwriting Collective, The Tank, NY Madness, KIT Theatre, The Rosendale Theatre, and Virtual Theatre Collaboration. He is a recipient of the SUNY Thayer Fellowship and Patricia Kerr Ross Award for his playwriting, as well as being recognized as a runner-up for the The Playwriting Collective’s Ball Grant. If you’d like to queer up your timeline, find him on social media @rainerpism.

Blake Pfeil
Pronoun: He/Him/His

“It’s humbling to be part of a mission committed to exploring the cultural dynamics of intersectionality. For centuries, the art of true storytelling has allowed for unheard voices to find an audience and untold stories to come to light. In a day and age when truth is constantly under fire, there is hope when all kinds of marginalized voices are able to find platforms like TMI Project to share common ground.”

Blake Pfeil is a multidisciplinary performance artist whose original songwriting and theatrical work has been featured in notable stints at Joe’s Pub, Feintstein’s/54 Below, Rockwood Music Hall, the Highline Ballroom, NY Live Arts, Kasteel Well (Well, Netherlands), Icaro Teatro (Queretaro, Mexico), Gyeonggi English Village (Paju, South Korea), Concordia College, Emerson College, Purchase College, the National YoungArts Foundation, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Huntington Theatre Company, New Repertory Theatre, BSP Kingston, Denizen Theatre, among others. Blake’s debut album Wallpaper is available anywhere you can stream/buy music online, and his Joni Mitchell-inspired theatrical creation THE BBC, 1970 is in its fourth developmental workshop. Blake is also one of the cofounders of NYC-based folk-fusion collective Macabre Americana, hosts “The Pfeil File” on Radio Kingston / WKNY (107.9 FM / 1490 AM in the Hudson Valley), and currently serves as Operations & Programs Manager at TMI Project. BFA, Emerson College; MA, Purchase College.