Chris Holmes is the co-founder of the New Voices Festival, which had its inaugural gathering in 2013. Since then, he has been co-director of the festival and it’s seminar course. Chris is also chair and associate professor of Literatures in English, where he teaches classes on global Anglophone lit. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is forthcoming from Bloomsbury in fall 2024.
Meet the team!
Chris Holmes
![Headshot of Chris Holmes](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-04/chris-new-voices-headshot.JPG.webp?itok=iS0OjHA7)
Professor
Jacob White
![Headshot of Jacob White](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-04/jacob-new-voices-headshot.JPG.webp?itok=DSvoCUJY)
Professor
Jacob White is co-director of the 2024 New Voices Festival and an associate professor in the Department of Writing. A former New Voices writer himself, he is the author of the short story collection Being Dead in South Carolina (2013). His fiction has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Georgia Review, The Sewanee Review, and elsewhere.
April Morales
![Headshot of April Morales](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/april-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=LGO8BFSy)
Student Director
April Morales is a senior Writing major and Latinx Studies minor. This is her third year with the festival and she has the great privilege of being the Student Director this year. When she's not being a book nerd, she is out on the rugby field with the IC Women's Rugby Team - though she does always keep some book with her at all times.
Emily Trage
![Headshot of Emily Trage](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/emily-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=WR2jjxx9)
Assistant Student Director
Emily is a senior Writing major with an English minor. She's been with the New Voices Festival for two years, and she loves it so much that her experiences as a student guide and assistant director have inspired her to pursue jobs in the literary event field post-graduation.
Riley Rhoder
![Headshot of Riley Rhoder](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/riley-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=8qo5WLZH)
Assistant Student Director and guide for Erica Berry
Riley is a junior English major and Translation Studies minor. This is her second year with the festival, and she is overjoyed to be one of the assistant student directors this year and a guide for Erica Berry. A fun fact about her is that she loves to cook! She loves to blend her love of reading and cooking by making literary-inspired dishes from time to time.
Olivia Kayes
![Headshot of Olivia Kayes](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/olivia-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=EUnPqReA)
Guide for Erica Berry
Olivia is a senior Literatures in English major, this is her first time with the festival and a fun fact about her is she listens to film scores while reading to heighten the drama.
Addie Bloom
![Headshot of Addie Bloom](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/addie-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=BOO4zV7k)
Guide for Kate Doyle
Addie Bloom is a sophomore English major. This is her first years with the New Voices festival and she is looking forward to meeting all seven wonderful authors. She is really involved with music here at IC, as a member of the orchestra and jazz band.
Bailey Bramer
![Headshot of Bailey Bramer](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/bailey-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=wy4ZeQwT)
Guide for Kate Doyle
Bailey is a first-year Writing major and this is her first year with the festival. A fun fact about her is that one of her favorite books is Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton.
Ashley Damian Texcucano
![Headshot of Ashley Damian Texcucano](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/ashley-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=OhkAXjog)
Guide for Claire Jiménez
Ashley is a senior writing major with a minor in live events. She takes way too many pictures of the sunset and never has enough pictures of her dog.
Sofia Soto
![Headshot of Sofia Soto](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/sofia-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=fppYp7hv)
Guide for Claire Jiménez
Sofie is a first-year TVDM major with a minor in writing. This is her first year in as a Student Guide in the festival. In her free time, she likes to read good books with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.
Frannie Leigus
![Headshot of Frannie Leigus](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/frannie-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=A_Mjp1rd)
Guide for Stella Wong
Frannie is a sophmore English and Writing major with a Deaf Studies minor. This is her second year with the festival. She wants to be a poet, so most of her personal reading is poetry, but she’ll read whatever is available.
Meaghan Burke
![Headshot of Meaghan Burke](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/meaghan-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=rtgGLhby)
Guide for Stella Wong
Meaghan Burke is a third year English Literature major. This will be her first year with the festival, and she has an intense dislike for the taste of bananas.
Gemma Colasanti
![Headshot of Gemma Colasanti](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/gemma-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=OFwr3kJC)
Guide for Guide for Elisa Gonzalez
Gemma Colasanti grew up making picture books with her dad on every school break, and decided at age seven that she would be a writer. Now, Gemma is a sophomore writing major at Ithaca College with minors in live event management, Italian, and dance. She is the Secretary for IC Defy Dance Company and the Treasurer for IC Ballroom, and is currently interning at Walking on Water Productions. Gemma feels that becoming a student guide for New Voices perfectly combines her love of writing, event planning, and the arts, and she is excited to be a part of this amazing festival!
Sasha Roter
![Headshot of Sasha Roter](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/sasha-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=V7bvDcOa)
Guide for Elisa Gonzalez
Sasha is a sophomore Writing major and Education minor and is excited to join the New Voices Festival for the first time this year! She loves literature, hiking, running, animals, and her ultimate goal is to become a published fiction author.
Andrew Poma
![Headshot of Andrew Poma](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/poma-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=MzuN900q)
Guide for Samantha Hurley
Poma is a sophomore English and Theatre Studies double major, with a focus on Dramaturgy. This is his second year with the festival. In addition to his work with the New Voices Festival, he also works as an axe throwing coach.
Winter Paul
![Headshot of Winter Paul](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-04/screen-shot-2024-04-15-at-12.26.47-pm.png.webp?itok=gzVug97f)
Dramaturg
Winter is a junior majoring in Theatre Studies and Biochemistry, and this is their second year participating in the festival. When they aren’t mapping the stars or dramaturging plays in Ithaca, they’re a barista for Top-Chef-Winner Chris Hanmer’s patisserie in South Dakota!
Rita Aucker
![Headshot of Rita Aucker](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/rita-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=SdUaBSsZ)
Guide for Raul Palma
Rita Aucker is a senior writing major with a creative concentration and a minor in English. This is their first year doing the festival and they're so grateful to finally be a part of it. They're so excited to be Raul's guide because they took many creative writing classes with him and he formed a lot of their writing, so they're excited to celebrate him for publishing his debut novel!
Ryan Vincent
![Headshot of Ryan Vincent](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-03/ryan-new-voices-headshot.jpg.webp?itok=OEiSDBsc)
Guide for Raul Palma
Ryan Vincent is a junior Writing major with a Still Photography minor. This is his first semester at the festival, and he's so excited to become a part of this class he had observed for years from afar. One fun fact about Ryan is that he's the drummer in a local band, SHOPTALK!
Nina Singh
![Headshot of Nina Singh](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_1x3_320x960/public/2024-04/headshot-current.jpg.webp?itok=JHdsu5Ur)
Photographer
Nina Singh is a senior Business Administration major with a dual concentration in Marketing and Sport Marketing from Pittsburgh. During last year’s festival, she brought her passion for capturing moments through her position as event photographer, and looks forward to reprising her role for the 2024 New Voices Festival.