Our last show was 9/30/2026
AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT
What a night! Six storytellers walked on stage this September ready to lean into our theme, Against My Better Judgement, and they held nothing back - from ignoring a car problem and living with the chaos that followed, to venturing back into first dates after COVID, following your heart even when breaks the “rules”, getting sober and finding your way back to a marriage, marrying for a green card and finding an entire life inside it, and getting gloriously lost on the Appalachian Trail.
To our performers: thank you for trusting us with your stories. And to the Red Bank audience who never fails to show up big - thank you for being exactly the kind of room that makes nights like this possible. Take a look at some of our favorite moments below!
Photo Credit: Nina Rothberg
Team 20s: Ashley Talerico is third-generation born and raised in Red Bank. She holds a Master’s in Social Work and works at Red Bank Middle School and with Project Write Now. She volunteers with the Red Bank Fire Department.
Team 30s: Fatima Carranza is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Borough of Red Bank, where she’s worked for over 10 years. She loves the beach and trail walks with her toy poodle, Cici.
Team 40s: Katie Zurich is a writer, educator, and storyteller who loves finding meaning in the ordinary moments of everyday life. She lives in Madison, NJ, with her husband and two daughters.
Team 50s: Elizabeth Jannuzzi is the author of Sober Mom: A Memoir (July 2026), exploring loss, motherhood, and recovery. She is the program director at Project Write Now and writes a weekly Substack.
Team 60s: Peggy (Margaret) O’Donoghue is a retired Rutgers & NYU Social Work Professor who also worked 30 years in Newark Public Schools. Her published work explores her experience as an undocumented Irish immigrant.
Team 70s: Lucy Brinew is a retired teacher from Pemberton Township High School. She now leads community workshops on herbal remedies and plant crafts, and loves gardening, cooking healthy food, and time with her grandchildren.
