The Tortured Bloggers Department Nonfiction Reading Series- February Reading
The next Tortured Bloggers Department storytelling soiree hits Brooklyn this February and this month we are leaving no crumbs when it comes to sharing our most unhinged, unapologetic love stories.
This ain't your average reading series. It's where messy, raw, and laugh-until-you-cry tales of dating, sex, love, and heartbreak take center stage.
We’re turning Galentine’s Day eve into a full-blown spectacle of hilariously chaotic moments, steamy confessions, and the kind of moments that make you feel seen. Our reader lineup is a fearless crew of the baddest babes spilling their guts (and maybe their cocktails) on stage, sharing stories that will make you laugh, gasp, and not feel so bad about that last text to your ex.
This is the night to celebrate every bad decision and the lessons that came with it. Because let's face it, we've all been there.
RSVP now to lock in your spot. Here's who's reading this month:
Meet Your Host + Creator of TTBD, Cara!
Cara Alwill is a bestselling author, empowerment coach, and creator of Cara Says It All, dedicated to helping women amplify their voices and step into their power. With over 300,000 books sold worldwide, her work has been translated into ten languages, including French, Ukrainian, Chinese, and Russian. From self-publishing to partnering with major publishers like Penguin Random House, Cara’s literary career is a testament to her grit, authenticity, and unwavering belief in women’s potential.
Through programs like Literary Queens: Own Your Voice, Craft Your Story, Create Your Publishing Empire on Substack and Beyond and ICONIC, Cara mentors women to build impactful brands rooted in their unique voices. Her signature blend of high-energy inspiration, real talk, and modern branding strategies has empowered countless women to launch books, build communities, and live out their stories with confidence.
As the host of the acclaimed Cara Says It All podcast and creator of The Tortured Bloggers Department, a live NYC reading series, Cara continues to inspire through storytelling. Whether she’s coaching clients, writing her next bestseller, or speaking on stage, Cara is committed to showing women that their voices matter—and that their stories deserve to be heard.
Follow Cara on Instagram: @TheChampagneDiet
Subscribe to Cara's Substack here: https://caraalwill.substack.com/
Paulette Perhach
Paulette Perhach’s writing has been published in the New York Times, Vox, Elle, The Washington Post, Slate, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, Yoga Journal, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Hobart, and Vice. She’s the author of two million-reader viral essays.
Her book, Welcome to the Writer's Life, was published in 2018 by Sasquatch Books, part of the Penguin Random House publishing family, and was selected as one of Poets & Writers' Best Books for Writers.
She blogs about a writer’s craft, business, personal finance, and joy at welcometothewriterslife.com and leads meditation and writing sessions through A Very Important Meeting.
She serves writers as a coach, helping them figure out how to make a life and career out of being a writer while making the money work (as she figures it all out herself.) She's also a speaker on the topics of creativity, writing, and business.
Hugo House, a nationally recognized writing center in Seattle, awarded her the Made at Hugo House fellowship in 2013. In 2016, she was nominated for the BlogHer Voices of the Year award for her essay, “A Story of a Fuck Off Fund,” which is anthologized in The Future is Feminist from Chronicle Books, along with work by Roxane Gay, Mindy Kaling, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Caitlin Moran, and Audre Lorde.
In 2021, she was selected as a Jack Straw Fellow. In 2022 she celebrated a nomination from Barrelhouse for Best of the Net. Her work has been included in round-ups from Memoir Monday, the Aspen Institute, Fortune’s Broadsheet, and Girlboss.
She shared the honor of a 2021 Washington State Book Award for the anthology Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of Covid-19 as a contributor.
Lauren Courtney Unger
Lauren Courtney isn’t your typical healer. She’s your spiritual hype woman, a big-sister-meets-energy-alchemist who’s been through the trenches and glowed up on the other side. A Native New Yorker who was most comfortable in the grit and the grind turned Miami mystic who values a more grounded lifestyle, Lauren’s path to healing was anything but linear. When the loss of her first love cracked her wide open, it awakened a gift she never saw coming: the ability to connect with the unseen and guide others out of their darkest moments.
Now a powerhouse in the world of transformation, Lauren is a Holy Fire World Peace Karuna Reiki Master and spiritual multi-hyphenate, certified in everything from Sound Healing to Timeline Therapy™️. But don’t let the fancy credentials fool you—her vibe is less “clinical guru” and more “pull up a chair, pour some tea, and let’s heal this sh*t together.” Whether it’s demystifying chakras, teaching sacred rituals, or holding space for the messy, beautiful process of self-discovery, Lauren has one mission: to help you remember who the hell you are.
Her clients? Women who’ve been through it—heartbreak, hustle culture, mistakes, and all—and are ready to turn their pain into power. Her vibe? Warm, approachable, and packed with no-BS wisdom that feels like a hug wrapped in glitter.
Mia Arias Tsang
Mia Arias Tsang is a writer and freelance editor based in New York City. Her work explores themes of queer desire, intimacy, and disconnect. A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Autostraddle, Copy, Half Mystic Press, Fatal Flaw Magazine, and Broad Recognition Magazine, among others. Her first book, FRAGMENTS OF WASTED DEVOTION, will be published in February 2025 by Quilted Press. She lives in Queens with her cat, Peanut, and is currently working on a novel.
Christina King
Christina King is a certified life and relationship coach, writer, soon-to-be author, and entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for storytelling. Her love for creative writing began in the eighth grade when she wrote her first novel, sparking a writing journey that continues today. Love, romance, and relationships have always been central themes in her work.
Christina earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English with a Writing concentration from Long Island University Post Campus, where she explored creative writing, memoir, and creative nonfiction. At 21, she completed her second novel, Butterflies, which she humorously insists will never see the light of day due to its "awful" quality.
In recent years, Christina expanded her expertise by earning multiple life coaching certifications. She now runs a successful online coaching business, empowering women to rediscover themselves after heartbreak. Through her work, she helps clients navigate healing, growth, and self-love with compassion and insight.
Beyond coaching, Christina shares her personal experiences and reflections on love, romance, and personal growth through her Substack blog, Christina King Writes. She openly chronicles her dating misadventures and life after divorce, offering relatable stories with heart and humor.
Christina’s forthcoming novel, Chemistry, draws inspiration from her own marriage, divorce, and the chaotic world of dating afterward. This deeply personal fictional work promises to be a captivating and unforgettable read. She lives in Long Island, NY.
Alexa Juanita Jordan
People often tell Alexa that she’s lived a lot of lives for her age. (Fun fact - she had 20+ different jobs during her 20s).
At the end of the day, she’s a Native New Yorker who loves a good story.
Alexa's writing explores a wide range of topics and themes through a raw, and human lens. She has been praised for her sensitivity, nuance, and humor. Her writing has been published in Smith and Kraus’ Best Monologues of 2022, and The Resistance is Fertile (a limited edition chapbook supporting the Midwest Access Project). Her plays have been produced at several colleges across the Northeast and Midwest. Premiere Stages selected Alexa’s play, The Flower and The Fury, a 2022 semifinalist, 35 out of 655 submissions.
Alexa’s first nonfiction book, The Start Of It All, is full of questions exploring self-growth, community, career, dreams, and more. Each question is paired with a story straight from her 20s. While Alexa wrote The Start Of It All to help people feel less alone as they navigate the wild, twisty years of the 20s, this book is truly for anyone who feels called to pick it up. She is so grateful for the resounding positive feedback from those past their 20s who have enjoyed the book.
Alexa writes about what it means to be authentic, vulnerable, nuanced, and often messy on her blog, Wild Cozy Free. She recently started another Substack called ‘Beyond January’, which is a community for people who know that fresh starts aren’t limited to the first month of the year. She looks forward to introducing her first of its kind framework for becoming your real self, setting real goals, and making real change in your life.
Alexa has worked in education, wellness, and arts and culture spaces. She's been a fourth-grade teacher during the COVID-19 lockdown, a temp receptionist in many New York “finance bro” style offices, an education consultant at an elite NYC tutoring company, a revenue assistant at a top medical center, a nonprofit executive director and much, much more. A few years ago, she became a certified life coach. Before all that, she was a New York Times featured actor.
Beyond storytelling, Alexa's passions include trying new restaurants, listening to podcasts, and catching up on Real Housewives, and convincing people that there's nothing wrong with watching Wicked 8+ times.
Alexa’s currently working on her first novel; a story about a wedding weekend where female friendship is the real love story.
More at alexajuanitajordan.com
Melissa Meier
Melissa is a “reality star” of bravo proportions. She uses the term star very loosely. A 20 year veteran nyc cocktail maven, former improv drop out and avid writer. Founder of the queer Cabaret, two time guest on watch what happens live- once as the bartender and once as drag Sean spicer, she loves making people laugh, even at her own expense. Her biggest claim to fame is being on a TV show with Mr T when she was 7 years old and telling him he was “very scary.” You can find her telling stories to anyone who will listen at various storytelling events throughout NYC and anywhere else she has a captive audience. She prefers dogs to most people. Melissa also runs everything you see here at Kings County distillery, including their social media, the cocktail program and all things bar and bourbon related.