What She’s All About

Tania Katan is an author, playwright and performer. Her memoir My One Night Stand With Cancer is the winner of the 2006 Judy Grahn Award in Nonfiction, an honoree of the 2006 American Library Association’s Stonewall Book Award in Non-Fiction, and a finalist for the 2006 Lambda Literary Award. Since the success of her first book, Tania has been performing her one-woman show, Saving Tania’s Privates (adapted from My One Night Stand With Cancer), which made its European premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2008 where it was a critical success! In the U.S. Saving Tania’s Privates has been seen at such prestigious venues as ACT in Seattle and The Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia. Katan is a regular contributor to The Advocate, Compete Magazine, Stand Up To Cancer’s online magazine, and others. And because of her unique ability to write and perform she has become a regular performer at Comedy Central’s Sit-n-Spin. As a public speaker and teacher, Tania is invited to teach writing workshops and give performance-style lectures around the world. Most recently Katan was in Iceland teaching a “Performing for the Camera” workshop as part of the Iceland 700.is Experimental Film and Video Festival. She is a regular on the university circuit, speaking at Loyola Marymount, UC Berkeley, University of Connecticut, California College of Arts, Arizona State University, and others. At writing conferences she is seen on panels with Brett Paesel, Bernard Cooper, Laurie Notaro, Steve Almond and Lee Gutkind. As a playwright, Tania’s plays have been seen at Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Circle Repertory Theatre, Pacific Residence Theatre, Theatre of N.O.T.E., and other venues throughout the United States. Katan has received the American College Theatre Festival Award in Playwriting, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, and others. Katan’s work has been written about in The New York Times, Bust, Library Journal, Running Times, DIVA, GCN Ireland, The Scotsman, and other national and international publications. In addition to writing and performing, Tania is extremely proud to be a graduate of the New York Artist in Residence program at the Creative Center, an organization that brings the art making process to the bedsides of people in the hospital dealing with cancer. Oh, and Tania’s a really great time at a cocktail party!