Songwriter, teacher, and sometimes actor-when-she-gets-to-play-quirky-people Jess Godwin is proud to call Chicago her home. She takes turns dipping her toes in the music and theatre industry, but her sweet spot is somewhere in the middle of the two. She is happiest when producing her own DIY video, writing 32 moving vocal parts per song, and looping her original music. She wanted to be the lead singer, the backup singer, AND the choir at the same time, so she finally figured out how to feed her type A personality through the wonders of iPad technology.

This spring, she launched her new collaborative songwriting workshop, Shameless, in CPS schools. Students focus on shame-resilience through candid discussion, free-writing, and music. She continues to be passionate about helping young people build confidence through creativity, and can't wait to bring the program to more schools in the coming year! Jess is honored to be the recipient of a 2016 3arts Award.