What started back in 2018 with adults reading from their middle school diaries in a cozy café has evolved into an annual stage event at one of the premier performance venues in New Jersey.

We’re talking about CringeFest, of course! Project Write Now’s biggest fundraiser and (we believe) the most hilarious storytelling night of the year.

→ Grab your tickets.

How has it grown from a handful of adults flipping through dusty notebooks to a live storytelling event at The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts?

Because it’s more than just adults getting on stage to reveal their most embarrassing moments. The real magic to CringeFest is the willingness to share our most authentic, messy, and human selves with one another.

At PWN, we believe in the power of stories to bring us together. And the purpose of CringeFest is no different. As we’ve laughed with (and, yes, sometimes at) our brave storytellers on stage, this event has—year after year—affirmed the need to have spaces where we can feel more understood, more seen, and more connected.

And we believe we need this now more than ever.

Need more convincing? Here’s why YOU should join us on Friday, April 17, for an unforgettable night of laughter and connection.

Authenticity: All of our storytellers are sharing true, first-person stories about experiences that actually happened to them. Flannery O’Connor famously said, “Anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of [their] life.” We agree! And we’ve heard so many embarrassing stories, especially about those angsty years of adolescence. Like the time our performer revealed how she practiced kissing on her troll doll. Or the time our performer shared how her teacher used the outline of her nose as a model during geometry class.
Vulnerability: Perhaps nothing is more vulnerable than sharing stories about love and wanting to be wanted. One storyteller shared how she desperately wanted to impress a guy she had a crush on, even read The Rules cover to cover, yet ended up panicking so much after breaking one of the rules that she wrecked the relationship before it even started.
Connection: You will hear so many stories that you’ll nod along with, flashing back to your own similar experiences. Have you ever wiped out in front of someone you needed to impress? Or found yourself trapped on a date with no escape (with a stomach bug to boot)? Or put your foot in your mouth at the most inappropriate time? We guarantee there will be at least one story you can relate to. Almost like, “Hey, I could have told that story myself!”
Healing: Hearing people tell their stories on stage lets us reflect on our own messy lives. Perhaps we are reliving our own embarrassing feelings from our past. But witnessing another person open up about what happened to them and seeing the encouragement, compassion, and yes, even joy, from the audience can be a cathartic experience.
Community: There’s nothing that brings a group together more than feeling part of an experience that is greater than ourselves. And laughter elevates that energy to a whole other level. As author Gina Barreca said: “Laughing together is as close to a hug as you can get without touching.”

So come join us on Friday, April 17, at The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts!

And did we mention that our storytellers have agreed to do this NOT for the handsome stipend (there is none), nor the glory (maybe a little?), nor the bragging rights of saying they performed at The Vogel (OK, they do get that).

They are doing it for an AMAZING cause!

All proceeds from this event support Project Write Now’s outreach programs that give people of all ages, but especially our youth, opportunities to write and share their stories in community.

Or maybe they’re doing it for the Cast Party. Every ticket includes a post-show Cast Party with delicious food, music, and the opportunity to meet the performers.

We look forward to seeing you there! And if this blog post convinced you to come, please come find Jennifer Chauhan or Jennifer Gaites (the co-directors) the night of the event and let us know.