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New Voices was co-founded in 2012 by Holmes and professor of writing Eleanor Henderson. They were inspired by Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon's novel (and later film by Curtis Hanson) that features a quirky literary festival as a backdrop. While Chabon's version was a bit of an affectionate send-up, the idea stuck.

“When we first started, Eleanor had just had this rocket ship to success with her novel Ten Thousand Saints ,” Holmes said. “She was plugged in to an amazing community of writers, and she knew who would be great.”

The first New Voices Festival took place in 2013 and has returned every year since, even during the pandemic. In 2020, the team quickly adapted by moving the festival online, promoting it widely, and ultimately reaching tens of thousands of virtual attendees. “We advertised the hell out of it,” Holmes said.

Jacob White, associate professor and chair of writing, now co-directs the festival alongside Holmes, taking over from Henderson, who remains an enthusiastic supporter and collaborator. “This is very much Chris Holmes’ brainchild,” she said. “He charmingly roped me in very easily back in 2012.”

White speaks plainly about what makes the event—and the course that launches students into programming, hosting, and executing it—so unusual and successful: “As someone who studies English and creative writing, the opportunities afforded to students by this festival are something I’ve never seen before. It’s the kind of collaborative experience with published writers that undergraduates can almost never get anywhere else.”

While Holmes and White offer guidance and mentorship, the festival is run by students. They choose the writers, immerse themselves in the works, plan the events, and host the authors on campus and in the community. Fourteen student guides work in pairs, each team dedicated to one writer.

A student leadership team of three plays a central role in planning and running the festival. This year’s team includes Bailey Bramer ’27, a writing and art double major who leads outreach and traditional marketing efforts beyond social media; Fran Leigus ’26, an English and writing double major in charge of merchandise (and there’s a lot—from tote bags to shirts to bookmarks); and Riley Rhoder ’25, an English major with a translation studies minor managing the festival’s social media presence.

“It’s my favorite part of the school year by far,” said Leigus. “We’ve been working on this since July. And now it’s the payoff. It’s so rewarding.”

“For anyone who has a love of books or literature,” said Bramer, “New Voices is exactly that, except you get to share it with 17 other people who are equally as excited about the exact same books. And then you get to meet the person who wrote it and share all of this with a huge audience.”

The 2025 festival also includes Jamaica Baldwin, Jinwoo Chong, Puloma Ghosh, Ananda Lima, and Anna Shechtman. The festival concludes with a staged reading of the play The Reservoir by Jake Brasch—and directed by Claire Gleitman, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences.

“I love plays that break the fourth wall,” says Gleitman, about what it was about The Reservoir that prompted her to want to invite Brasch to the festival. “I love plays that feature actors playing multiple roles and that move in and out of realism … Josh, the main character, is simultaneously living the experiences as he comments on them to the audience. A lot of the playwrights I love the best use devices like that, but Brasch’s use of them is unique, funny, and immensely moving.”

Brasch’s play will receive its world premiere this year as a co-production of theatre powerhouses Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Alliance Theatre, and Geffen Playhouse.

Holmes describes the course that supports the festival with simple clarity: “Every class session is load-bearing.” Students and faculty meet throughout the semester to shape the festival, build relationships with writers, and solve problems together.

For Henderson, the ripple effect is clear. She’s watched past visiting writers continue to collaborate—sharing panels, writing blurbs for each other, and building professional networks. “I wish I’d had this experience as an undergrad myself,” she said. “They get to see working writers who are just a few steps ahead of them.”

Alumni are already out in the world using the skills they gained. April Morales ’24 is pursuing a career in literary festivals and publishing. “I absolutely loved every part of it, and I stayed with the festival every year I was at Ithaca,” she said. “It let me know that this was the kind of work I should be doing.”

Rita Aucker ’24 had an internship working with the Boston Book Festival, one of the premier literary festivals in the nation. “My experience with New Voices definitely came in handy during my time working with the BBF.” She says that even though, BBF is far bigger, “working on a smaller scale with such a tight-knit group at New Voices taught me what really brings value to a literary festival. The value comes from making everyone who gets to experience the festival at all the different stages of planning feel welcomed and appreciated at the individual level. New Voices made me want to apply for the BBF internship, and the background that it gave me in festival planning was beyond invaluable.”

Rhoder, one of the three student leaders guiding this year’s festival will graduate in May to pursue a career in library science. She credits the festival with helping her secure acceptances to four of her five grad school choices, not to mention an internship this summer with the Library of Congress, where she’ll work with the literary programming team and the National Folk Festival. “They were very interested during my interview in the work I was doing here with New Voices” she said.

Gleitman notes, “There’s a lot of cultural anxiety around studying the humanities, often based on the misconception that postgraduate paths are limited. But programs like New Voices highlight just how many doors this kind of hands-on educational experience can open.”