Sabrina Chap

After performing in the Bay Area’s 2004 Ladyfest, curated by Tina Butcher (Madison Young), Chap was fascinated by the way in which artists in feminist communities supported each other. As a way of documenting how feminist writers work within communities, she began interviewing fellow participants in the Bay Area’s Ladyfest. Every author in the line-up curated by Young (besides Diane DiPrima) was interviewed and featured in a book length zine entitled Cliterature: 18 interviews with women writers’, which was later featured in the International Museum of Women.

In the introduction to Live Through This, Chap comments on how hearing of playwright Sarah Kane’s death affected with her. “I was in rehearsals for one of my own plays when I heard of her death. I don’t remember exactly where I was at the time—probably in the theatre, making last minute additions to the text. What I do remember was the shift in me, the space slightly to the left of my heart that hurt when I heard it was suicide.” Kane's death was a great inspiration for Chap's future mental health advocacy.

As a composer, Chap was commissioned to score four silent films for New York City’s noted avant-garde film event, Cinema 16. She also performed original songs and incidental music for the theatrical piece File:Under, a series of short plays from award winning playwright, Bekah Brunstetter produced by the theatrical company SUPERWOLF. She regularly scores acts and is a featured performer with the infamous Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. Her song Never Been a Bad Girl was featured in the 2010 Sundance selection documentary, Too Much Pussy!

"I don’t offer these artists (Dresden Dolls, Jolie Holland, Squirrel Nut Zippers) up to slight Chap as derivative, but rather to put her in a larger context of artists. I believe Chap’s talents stand up on their own."- Feminist Music Geek

"Don't let the picture fool you – Sabrina Chap's forlorn album cover of Oompa! doesn't reflect what's inside: bouncing rhythms, complex instrumentation, and intelligent lyrics covering everything from heartache to performing femininity."- Bitch Magazine

Seven Stories released a second edition of the book in 2012 which included the original essays, and additional material. A new introduction was written by Amanda Palmer and two new essays were added by Margaret Cho and Swoon. Also added to this edition was an artist resource list that included a glossary of additional artists to look to for inspiration and an updated mental health resource list.

The collection was nominated for a 2010 Lambda Literary Award for best anthology and was given rave reviews, primarily by the feminist press. "[Live Through This] posits a hopeful message: that while the quirks and sensitivities of a creative mind often seem predisposed to depression, they are also the exact qualities that provide a special set of tools with which to find a way through the darkest moments."

Trained as a pianist and composer, Chap began performing as a folk singer at Chicago's Burkhart's Underground. During this time, she played exclusively on guitar, although she had been playing piano since the age of five. After putting music aside for a series of literary and theatrical projects, she returned to it in 2010, producing her first full-length album, Oompa!.

Chap began performing slam poetry at Chicago's Ladyfest in 2000, leading her to perform in Ladyfest Amsterdam. The trip to Europe landed her in Paris's infamous Shakespeare and Co., where she lived for months in between touring in squats and cafes throughout Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium. She was awarded a space and began working with members of Kilmoter Zero, writing a short play for their 24-hour play series. During this time, Chap published 5 chapbooks of poetry, 1 chapbook of short stories and a one-act play, entitled ‘Security’, which was given a reading at Shakespeare and Co.’s first literary festival. Chap returned to Chicago to compete as a storm poet in the National Poetry Slam.

Sabrina Chap (born December 9, 1977) is a Brooklyn-based songwriter, cabaret performer, and author. She was born and raised in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She is the editor of the anthology Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction. She is most known for her involvement in the neo-burlesque and cabaret scenes as a musician and cabaret performer. Her two cds are Oompa! and We Are the Parade.