Biography

Shirlene Holmes (Ph.D., Southern Illinois University, 1992) is Associate Professor and a solo performer and prolific playwright whose productions have run in Georgia, Illinois, Connecticut, New York, California, Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Alabama, Maryland, Kansas, South Dakota, Indiana, Ireland, Jamaica, and South Africa. Through her artistic work, Dr. Holmes is committed to providing a voice for those generally unheard in contemporary society. Holmes won the Lorraine Hansberry Scriptwriting Award and the Nancy Dean Distinguished Playwrighting Award; she also was a finalist in the Jane Chambers National Playwrighting Contest. She was competitively selected for a writing residency at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Mt. Sequoyah Play Retreat, and the Norcroft Writing Retreat for Women. Holmes was recently ordained by the Barbara King School of Ministry. Research Areas: Theatre; Performance Studies. Degree Track Affiliations: Ph.D. (Moving Image Studies), M.A. (Film & Video).