Festival of the Arts Biographies

Charles Berggren studied Piano Performance (BM) at Illinois Wesleyan, Collaborative Piano (MM) at Illinois State University and has worked in the School of Theatre Arts since 2012, where he currently serves as Instructional Staff and Music Director in the Music Theatre department. In addition to his duties as Music Director and principle accompanist for all mainstage and laboratory musicals, Charles teaches Music Theory 1 & 2, and Keyboard 1 & 2. Charles also serves as Music Director and principle accompanist for upper-level performance classes including Senior Showcase.

In addition to his work in academia, Charles serves as Music Director and pianist for the Unitarian Universalist church of Bloomington-Normal where he oversees the programming of all music in addition to directing the choral and brass programs.

During his summers, Charles collaborates with Illinois Wesleyan colleagues and students to write, produce and perform original children's operas with Prairie Fire Theatre which tours to over fifty schools in central Illinois every May Term.

An avid outdoorsman, when not at the piano, Charles can be found long-distance hiking on the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Superior and Ice Age Trails or kayaking around the northern Great Lakes.

Liz Bloodworth has served as the University Archivist & Special Collections Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University since 2023. She holds an MLIS with an archives specialization from the University of Missouri - Columbia and an MA in History from Illinois State University. Her research focuses on enhancing the archival research and learning experience for undergraduates. In her role at IWU, Liz endeavors to promote the use of rare books and manuscripts held by Tate Archives and Special Collections, while also documenting and showcasing the university's history. She is particularly interested in engaging IWU students with archival materials and rare book collections.

Justin Brill (he/him) - Justin is a director, performer, and educator currently based in Chicago. As an educator and director Justin strives to facilitate an atmosphere of joy where all participants feel a foundational sense of belonging and are welcomed to bring their full selves into the work. Prior to coming to IWU, Justin completed the MFA in Musical Theater program at San Diego State University and served four years on the faculty of Columbia College Chicago. As a director he has directed professional productions of Matilda the Musical (The Fireside Theater), Mamma Mia (Music Theater Works) and Lysistrata Jones (Refuge Theater Project). At Columbia College Chicago, directing projects included the new student MT Showcase, productions of Allegro and Edges, as well as the BFA Industry Showcase. Some favorite projects from his 25-year performance career as an Equity actor include Rent & All Shook Up (original Broadway cast) on Broadway, Puck in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Metropolitan Opera, over 1200 performances as Boq on the 1^st National Tour of Wicked, and a production of Singin’ In the Rain in 2016 where he played Cosmo and his wife, Shanna VanDerwerker, was the choreographer and the Lady in Green. His goal for IWU students is "for you to graduate from IWU with a strong skill set that prepares you for the industry of MT, but more importantly an understanding of who you are as an artist and what type of work you want to spend your time making in this world."

As the Administrative Specialist for the School of Art & Design, Amy is passionate about
supporting and encouraging our art and design students, as well as our incredibly talented art & design faculty. Previously, she worked as an administrative assistant at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), Indianapolis, IN in Education Services and Human Resources.

Amy's secret talent is making (so she's been told) amazing homemade chocolate chip cookies. Also, reading, exercising, and learning new things keep her busy. Her husband, John, is a veterinarian. Her daughter, Gabrielle, is an IWU alum and ICU nurse. Her son, Logan, is a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Industrial Engineering. They have orange cat, one normal cat, and one dog to round out the family fun.

Amy holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Relations and Art from Illinois State University.

Logan Campbell enjoys a robust career as a conductor, equally at home with Symphonic repertoire of Orchestra and Wind Band, Pops, Opera, and Musical Theatre. Logan is the Director of the School of Music and Director of Large Instrumental Ensembles at Illinois Wesleyan University. As of August 2023, Campbell assumed the position of Music Director of the Bloomington Normal Youth Symphony. Prior, he was the Assistant Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestras. He was also the Music Director of the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) Orchestra and taught Applied Voice at UIS and Lincoln Land Community College.

Logan is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Appalachia Winds, now in his 7th season with the organization. Logan started this wind group while in his graduate studies at the University of Tennessee, but has continued to grow and develop this unique regional ensemble. Aiming to offer networking opportunities for collegiate students and recent alumni from Southeastern universities, Appalachia has grown tremendously well and now has over 20 universities represented every concert cycle. Logan leads this group by designing diverse and compelling programs that are exciting and informative for all ages.

During his graduate studies, Logan worked with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association. The KSYOA consists of 6 orchestras and he was appointed conductor of the Chamber Orchestra, the organization's 2nd highest group. Logan also worked as a guest conductor, rehearsal conductor, and cover conductor with area orchestras like the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Scruffy City Orchestra, Morristown Community Orchestra, and Brevard Philharmonic. As a student at UT, he worked with the UT Symphony Orchestra, UT Opera Orchestra, UT Chamber Orchestra, VolOpera, and UT Opera Theatre.

As a Bass-baritone, Logan has performed with the UT Opera Theatre from 2018-2020 in productions of La Finta Giardiniera and Carmen, Knoxville Opera in 2019 in Lucia di Lammermoor, Furman Lyric Opera in Die Zauberflöte, and the Franco-American Vocal Academy in Le Nozze di Figaro and Bastien und Bastienne. More recently, Logan was the Bass soloist with the UT Chamber Singers in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, performed at the Tennessee Theatre in February 2020, and Handel’s Messiah, performed in December 2019.

Logan has performed internationally, mostly in Germany. Selected as an ambassador for the State Department funded program, The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, he lived in Leipzig, Germany for a year and studied German language, politics, and music. He worked as a conducting assistant at Oper Leipzig and with the Gewandhaus Orchester. Outside of conducting, he performed as an oboist with STÜBA, the Youth Wind Symphony of Saxony, and the Leipzig Wind Ensemble.

Logan Campbell holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Furman University, and holds a double Masters of Music degree in Voice Performance and Orchestral Conducting from the University of Tennessee. Logan is the recipient of the Thomas Fulton Career Development Award for his outstanding work as a conducting and voice student at UT. His primary conducting teachers were James Fellenbaum, Dr. Leslie Hicken, Dr. Hugh Floyd, and Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel.

Stephanie Davis-Kahl is the University Librarian & Copyright Officer at The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University. She provides leadership and long-term planning for library services, collections, human resources, and facilities, and serves as liaison to several academic departments, supporting students and faculty through consultations, collection development, and information literacy instruction. She represents the library within Academic Affairs at IWU, and also represents the library within the Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries of Illinois (CARLI) and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL).. She has served as the Managing Faculty Co-Editor of the Undergraduate Economic Review since 2008. She earned her BA in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College and her MS in Library Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2014, she received the Distinguished Librarian Award from the Education & Behavioral Sciences Section of the Association of College & Research Libraries and was inducted into the IWU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.

Aubrey is thrilled and grateful to have been welcomed as a full time professor to the School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University. She is an educator, performer, choreographer, and accent coach with credits across the US, Canada, and Latin America. Originally hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Aubrey most recently set down roots in Boston, MA. She has previously been an adjunct/faculty fellow at Dean College, Stonehill College, Florida Atlantic University, and Heidelberg University. Her current specialty is Voice and Speech pedagogy, but her collegiate teaching courses have included Basic Performance, Voice, Speech, Movement, Acting I & II, Musical Theatre, Acting Lab, Theatre Appreciation, and Script Analysis. Aubrey is also a Knight-Thompson Speechwork certified teacher/accent coach. Accent coaching credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Big Fish, My Favorite Year, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Importance of Being Earnest, and John Proctor is the Villain.

Performance credits include 2 national tours and over 30 regional productions. National tours: CATS (Sillabub, u/s Rumpleteazer); McCoy Rigby’s Rudolph… (u/s Rudolph, Clarice, flight captain).  With the latter, Aubrey trained in flying with Cathy Rigby herself(!) and performed at Madison Square Garden and on The Wendy Williams Show. Aubrey has had the opportunity to perform live onstage with Ken Page, Taylor Dayne, Shirley Jones, and Patrick Cassidy. Other regional credits include shows at Gateway Playhouse, Merry-go-Round Playhouse, Lambs Players, Moonlight Stage, Fullerton CLO, Cabrillo Music Theatre, 3D Theatricals, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Welk Resort, and ICT Long Beach. Aubrey originated the role of Danny in the World Premiere play Last Night in Inwood at Theatre Lab in Boca Raton, FL.

Aubrey is extremely proud that the cast of the show she directed and choreographed at Dean College, Breath of Stars, received a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Merit Award for Outstanding Ensemble in 2025.

She is also a prolific audiobook narrator and 500 hour certified yoga instructor.

RJ Hodde (he/him) is in his second year at Illinois Wesleyan University teaching Theatre Scholarship and Performance. This season for the School of Theatre Arts, he directed Execution of Justice and A Year with Frog and Toad. He is a graduate of the conservatory at DePaul University (Chicago), the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre (California), and Indiana University (Bloomington).

Ingrid Kammin, soprano, received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Literature and a Master’s in Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received a Bachelor’s Fine Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Dr. Kammin has studied extensively in Europe at Il Corso Estivo per giovani cantiti in Urbania, Italy and at La Sorbonne in Paris, France, where she received a certificate in Language and Culture. Dr. Kammin is an active performer and researcher of contemporary music, opera, and musical theater. Performing credits include numerous and diverse roles with the Illinois Opera Theater. She was most recently seen in La Boheme as Mimi, Armide in Armide, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Pamina in Die Zauberflte with the Midwest Institute of Opera, Prosperine Garnett in A Minister’s Wife with the Station Theater. Dr. Kammin also appeared as the soprano soloist for Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the U of I Oratorio Society, the Master Singers of Milwaukee as the soprano soloist for Carmina Burana, with the Danville Symphony, and is a frequent soloist for the Baroque Artists of Champaign. Dr. Kammin has been the recipient of several awards and scholarships including the Central Illinois Metropolitan Opera Auditions and the Illinois Opera Theatre Enthusiast award. Dr. Kammin can be heard as the soprano soloist with Sinfonia di Camera on the recording On Freedom’s Ground released by Albany Records and as a featured vocalist for Elsinore’s 2013 album Push/Pull released on Parasol Records.

Dr. Kammin is equally passionate about teaching and vocal pedagogy and is an active member of NATS. She currently serves as Adjunct Instructor of Voice at Illinois Wesleyan University and maintains a thriving private voice studio in the Champaign-Urbana area. Dr. Kammin currently serves on the board of directors for the Baroque Artists of Champaign and collaborates on a diverse variety of musical projects concerning arts advocacy throughout the community, region, and beyond.

Kari is a teaching musician and staff collaborative pianist serving the Music Theater students and team at Illinois Wesleyan University. Previously, she worked with students at Millikin University and Eureka College on vocal scholarship in classical styles, including opera and was an adjunct professor of piano to music majors of all levels. She holds a Master of Music degree from Illinois State University, a professional educator license in the State of Illinois, and multiple teaching endorsements from Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

Dr. Kline is the Dean of the College of Fine arts.  His administrative career spans over 25 years, where he served as Chair of Performing Arts, at DeSales University, Chair of Performing Arts and Production Design, at the Savannah College of Art and Design, (where he also founded the Department of Dramatic Writing), Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Eastern New Mexico University, and President of Watkins College of Art.

Prior to his academic service he worked nationally as an actor and director at venues including, The Denver Center Theatre Company, The Maryland Shakespeare Festival, The Folger Theatre, and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.  He also spent three years as Playwright in Residence at Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia, where he served as dramaturg and had his own work produced nationally and internationally.

B.A. Performing Arts, Colorado State University; M.F.A.  Drama, The Catholic University of America; Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Fine Arts, Texas Tech University. 

Dr. Kline is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and the Dramatists Guild of America.   

B.F.A. University of Illinois, M.F.A. Alfred University

Carmen Lozar has always loved visually storytelling; whether sad, funny or thoughtful her figurative artworks are primarily about celebrating life. Lozar is an artist and educator who lives in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Carmen has taught at Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Craft, Pittsburgh Glass School, Appalachian Center for Crafts, The Chrysler Museum, and the Glass Furnace in Istanbul, Turkey. She has had residencies at the Corning Museum of Glass and Penland School of Craft.  Her work is included in many collections including the Bergstrom Mahler Museum, WI and the Museum of Art and Design, NY. Carmen Lozar was the 2008 keynote speaker and demonstrator at the International Flameworking Conference in Salem, NJ. In fall of 2016, Carmen was invited to New Zealand to present at the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass conference. In May of 2018, Carmen traveled to Murano, Italy to present at the Glass Art Society conference. Lozar exhibits her work throughout the United States and is represented by major galleries in Seattle and Chicago. 

Visit Carmen's Website	https://www.carmenlozar.com/
View Works by Carmen Lozar	https://www.flickr.com/photos/illinois-wesleyan/albums/72157644866371001/

 

Sarah proudly graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BM in Performance and went on to receive a dual Masters degree in Performance and Music Education from Northwestern University. She also recently received an additional Masters degree from Bangor University in the UK. Sarah is an active performer in the area, whose favorite roles have included Lucille in 'Parade,' Mother in 'Ragtime' and Carole King in 'Beautiful.' Sarah has music directed childrens & adult theatre in the area and has experience directing various music ensembles and theatre productions in private and public schools in the Chicagoland and Peoria areas. She has also taught private voice and piano lessons and worked as an accompanist for over twenty years.

Jesse Meyer joins IWU with a strong track record in higher education advancement. At the University of Notre Dame, he led regional efforts that doubled fundraising outcomes, and at the University of Chicago, he helped shape $1.5 billion in undergraduate campaign priorities — experience he’s now bringing to support IWU’s future. With a Ph.D. focused on alumni-athlete philanthropy at academically selective institutions, Jesse brings both personal passion and academic insight into what drives meaningful alumni giving — making him uniquely prepared to connect with and support the Titan alumni community. Jesse has expressed genuine excitement about joining Illinois Wesleyan, praising the passion of the Advancement team and the strength of our alumni network. He’s eager to work alongside you to ensure that future Titans continue to benefit from the transformative IWU experience.

John Miles began his career in higher education as an English professor and writing center director at Wofford College. While there, he took on a number of roles including directing assessment, teaching and learning, and academic planning. Most recently, John was the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Reinhardt University. While at Reinhardt, John created the Office for Student Success, led the overhaul of general education, and helped reinvigorate faculty governance. John joined Illinois Wesleyan University as the Provost and Dean of Faculty on July 1, 2025. The move to IWU was an easy one. From the beginning, he witnessed the commitment to the liberal arts and the university’s long history of innovation and professional programs. Prior to his career in higher education, John was a high school English teacher and football, basketball, and track coach for seven years.

Conductor, and Singer, Cody S. Parrott, has enjoyed a diverse career as a professional musician and educator for the past two decades. He joins the faculty of the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University where he serves as Director of Choral Activities. Prior to this appointment Dr. Parrott served on the faculty at Mississippi State University as the Associate Director of Choral Activities. During his doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin, he served the Butler School of Music Choral Area as Assistant Conductor of the Texas Concert Chorale and Conductor of the University Treble Chorus which, under his direction, was named the Third Place Winner for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance. His doctoral research focused on modern voice science and how contemporary vocal pedagogy can be applied to the choral music classroom.

Dr. Parrott's appointment at Illinois Wesleyan University follows a distinguished twelve-year tenure as a high school music educator within the Texas public school system. During his secondary teaching career, choirs under his direction earned consistent superior commendations at the Texas UIL Choir Evaluations and the prestigious Performance of Distinction recognition at the Madrigal and Chamber Choir Competition in San Antonio. His choirs have also been awarded finalist status in various choral festivals and competitions, showcasing their artistic excellence in invited performances across diverse locales, such as Chicago, Honolulu, the Texas Capitol, and the Washington National Cathedral.

He continues to maintain a passion for the pedagogy of classical singing and performing opera, oratorio, and in recital. His singing career has traversed the stages of opera companies, concert venues, and sacred spaces throughout the United States, Italy, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Renowned for his "sweet-toned lyric tenor," Parrott’s vocal prowess has garnered accolades and critical acclaim. For instance, the South Florida Classical Review lauds his performances as "touching and vocally thrilling." His various stage credits include the roles of Arturo in Donizetti's masterpiece Lucia di Lamermoor, Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Captain Macheath in Britten's The Beggar's Opera, Joe Brennan in the Florida premiere performance of Richard Wargo's Ballymore, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Belmonte in Mozart's Die Enführung aus dem Serail and the title roles in Massenet's Werther and Gounod's Romeo and Juliet.

In addition to solo performance, Mr. Parrott enjoys time spent singing with some of the United States' most prominent professional choral ensembles. He has performed with the Grammy Award Winning Houston Chamber Choir, conducted by Robert Simpson on their record Ravishingly Russian, described as "top of the line" singing by the American Record Guide, and an "...enjoyable, and enduring listening experience" by Musica Russica. Cody can also be found regularly performing with the Austin-based Ars Longa Ensemble conducted by Dr. Steven Brennfleck, with Chorus Austin, and as a soloist with the Bell Civic Chorus.

He holds the Doctor of Music Arts in Conducting from the Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Dr. J.D. Burnett, the Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music with concentrations in Vocal Music and Music Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. Cody is an active participant, clinician, and adjudicator in the Texas UIL, TMEA, and TAPPS contests, and has been a featured presenter at the conferences of TCDA, Mississippi ACDA, and Mid-South Music Institute. He maintains memberships in TMEA, ACDA, AGO, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and looks forward to diving into the flourishing choral and vocal music scene in Illinois!

Prof. Ponce teaches upper level courses in the history of musical style during the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods; the two-semester Music history Survey; Theory I; a general education music appreciation course; and a course in world musics for majors.  Prior to her current appointment, she taught various courses in theory, musicology and general education at Rutgers University, Bradley University, and abroad.  

Her research interests revolve around questions of form and style in the early Romantic period, in Schumann and Chopin in particular.  She has also done work on the relationship between theory, analysis and musicology; on the impact of changes in the discipline of musicology on undergraduate teaching. She has presented her research at various local and national conferences of the American Musicological Society, the Society of Music Theory, and the Pedagogy Study Group of the American Musicological Society.  She has also presented at international conferences organized by the Society of Music Analysis (Cardiff, U.K.), the Fryderyk Chopin Institute (Warsaw, Poland); the University of Tel-Aviv (Tel-Aviv, Israel); the Dutch-Flemish Society for Music Theory, the Royal Society of Music History of the Netherlands, and the Royal Society for Music History of Belgium (The Hague, Netherlands); and at the 17 ^th   Biennial Conference on Nineteenth-Century Music (Edinburgh, U.K); and the 50 ^th   Annual Conference of the Royal Music Association (Leeds, U.K.).  More recently, she was invited to present a guest lecture as part of the Carrigan Music Theory Lecture Series at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Her publications include: “Memory and Non-linear, End-oriented Coherence in Chopin’s Nocturnes” in The Third International Chopin Congress 1810-2010: Ideas-Interpretation-Influence (Warsaw: Fryderyk Chopin Institute, forthcoming); a review of Brahms in the Home and the Concert Hall: Between Private and Public Performance, ed. by Katy Hamilton and Natasha Loges, Nineteenth-Century Music Review (Dec. 2016); “Form, Diversity, and Lack of Fulfillment in the First Movement of Schumann’s Fantasie op. 17,” MTO 20, no. 3 (Sept. 2014); and a 5-level Theory and Solfge Method, Sounds Around Us (Jerusalem: Edward Sa’id National Conservatory of Music, 2004, 2005 and 2007).  She also edited a book of popular and traditional Arab songs, arranged for piano by Dia’ Rishmawi, Let’s Play: Forty Arab Melodies Arranged for Piano Beginners (Jerusalem: The Edward Sa’id National Conservatory, 2002)

During the summers of 2008 through 2010, Prof. Ponce was a regular participant in the Annual Retreat of Arabic Music, organized by the Arab-American Arts Institute in Mount Holyoke College.  Her diversity of interests keeps her engaged in the academic and extra-academic life at Illinois Wesleyan University, where, among other things, she worked to acquire a Gamelan ensemble for the university, as well as co-organizer of the Evelyn Chapel Arts and the Humanities Series (currently in its sixth year). She has also served as faculty advisor to a number of registered student organizations.

After four years in residence as a Instructor/Visiting Interim Assistant Professor for the School of Theatre Arts and two years as Assistant Professor, Mr. Quinn is now a Professor for the School of Theatre Arts. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, which focus on Acting, Shakespeare & On Camera has served as the BFA Acting Liaison, and hopes to cultivate the study of Acting for the Camera in SoTA. His IWU directing credits include William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Into the Woods, Scrooge! the musical, An Enemy of the People, Lysistrata, Trojan Women and The Children's Hour.

He began his study of theatre at DePaul University’s Goodman School of Drama, and then entered the acting profession for a twenty-year stint before returning to study at Illinois State University, where he finished his B.S. in Theatre and earned an M.F.A. in Acting. 

Mr. Quinn has appeared on a host of stages around the country.  At the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where for two years he was a member of the resident acting company, he played such roles as Yang Sun in Brecht’s The Good Person of Setzuan, directed by Garland Wright, and Zamiotov in Crime and Punishment, directed by Yuri Lubimov, founder of the world-renown Tagonka Theatre of Moscow.  Other theatre credits include Center Stage in Baltimore, The Goodman, Briar Street, Steppenwolf, Commons, and Drury Lane in Chicago, New Stage in Jackson Mississippi and The American Inside Theatre in Milwaukee.  He has created over sixty roles for the professional stage and dozens more for academic theatre. On television, Mr. Quinn co-starred as Dr. Peter Stern in the dramatic mini-series, Burden of Proof, written by Scott Turrow for ABC.

A three-time nominee for the Irene Ryan Acting Award and winner of the Princess Grace Foundation USA Actor’s Award, he maintains a steady involvement in the theatre, both academic and professional, as an actor, director, writer and teacher.  Locally, he has appeared on stage as a student of Illinois State University, a guest artist at Bradley University, with Summer Studio at the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, at the Theatre at Monmouth and Clarence Brown Theatres while on junior faculty leave in 2012. 

M.F.A., Creative Writing, New York University

B.A., Purdue University

Courses Frequently Taught:
  
English 101: Introduction to Creative Writing

English 170: Exile to Expatriate: Literature From Displacement
English 201: Writing Fiction

English 220: Intricate Enchantment: On Science in Literature

English 301: Seminar in Creative Writing—Fiction (Interrelated Short Stories)
        
English 301: Seminar in Creative Writing—Fiction (Writer as Explorer: On Personal Preoccupations)



Seulki Seo is a design researcher, interdisciplinary artist, and educator working at the intersection of critical interface studies and visual culture. Her research focuses on the institutional conditions under which images function as interfaces. She has worked across corporate and startup environments, including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

Seo earned a BFA in Painting and Art History at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and an MFA in Visual Art at Washington University in St. Louis as a scholar at McDonnell International Scholars Academy. Seo was appointed the inaugural Post-MFA Fellow at Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis, where she served as a lecturer. Currently, she is an assistant professor in Design at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Pete Steadman is the Electronic Resources and Systems Librarian at The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University. He received a BFA in studio arts with a minor in Art History at Illinois State University and an MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As the subject librarian for the fine and performing arts majors, he is particularly interested in highlighting and promoting the unique collections in the library related to these disciplines, such as the Campus Art Collection, and looks to research how these materials are used in teaching and learning.

Education:
Ph.D., University of Houston, 2002
M.F.A., University of Iowa, 1996
B.A., Oxford University, 1994
B.A., Hope College, 1992

Courses Frequently Taught:
English 101: Introduction to Creative Writing
English 202: Writing Poetry
English 301: Seminar in Creative Writing (topics include "Stand-up Poetry"; "Ekphrastic Poetry"; "Ideas of Poetry / Poetry of Ideas"; and "Poetry, Daily")
English 344: Romantic Literature
English 370: Issues in Contemporary American Poetry
English 401: Senior Writing Project

Honors/Awards:

Work included in The Best of the AWP Pedagogy Papers 2009.
Sigma Tau Delta’s Eugene W. Hughes Outstanding Sponsor, 2007-2008.
Illinois Wesleyan University Student Senate Professor of the Year, 2007-2008.
Marshall Scholar, 1992-1994.

Selected Publications:
—Keats's Negative Capability: New Origins and Afterlives. Ed. with Brian Rejack. Liverpool, UK: Liverpool UP, 2019.
—We Need to Talk: A New Method for Evaluating Poetry. With Bob Broad. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2017.
—Midwestern Death Poems. With Austin Smith. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2013.
—Structure & Surprise: Engaging Poetic Turns. Ed.  New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 2007.
—Poems in Alaska Review Quarterly, American Literary Review, American Poet, The New Republic, Pindeldyboz, The Texas Review, and elsewhere.

Faculty Status:
Tenured, at IWU since 2002; next leave, 2022-23.

Professional and Personal:
I write criticism and poetry. My scholarship has three main concerns: the poetic turn (those amazing places where poems radically change their focus); the assessment of poetry (we do it all the time, so we should probably think deeply and well about it!); and the Romantic poet John Keats ( swoon ). I blog about some of these interests at  structureandsurprise.wordpress.com ,  voltagepoetry.com , and  keatslettersproject.com . I love all kinds of poems, but my own writing right now focuses on shorter forms: aphorism and haiku. As a teacher, I value and promote active engagement and creative risk. When not immersed in the above, I watch movies, look at paintings (abstract expressionism is a favorite style), run the occasional half marathon, and read and drink coffee at the Coffee Hound.

Caleb Wayman has deeply loved music since childhood. Schooled at home, his mother was the one who introduced him to a world she had loved since her Highschool days. Caleb sang and played in band and orchestra from Elementary to Highschool and began piano lessons near the end of Middleschool. He attended Oakland University in Michigan where he attained his bachelors in Vocal Performance before switching his musical journey to accompanying and obtaining his masters in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois. Caleb also found a passion for composition in Highschool and continued composing habitually through undergrad and master’s with a special interest and focus on compositions for the voice. He has had several works commissioned for and premiered on friends’ recitals at the University of Illinois and has placed third in the SongSLAM competition in Chicago in 2024. Caleb has been deeply entrenched in the world of music, voice, and art song since an early age, and has a great love for singers and their many talents.

MFA, Yale University, 1997; BFA, School of Visual Arts, 1995

Amy taught at the School of Visual Arts in NYC from 2005-2025 in the Fine Arts, Visual & Critical Studies, and Art History departments. She's also been a Visiting Artist at many different schools, including California College of Art, Boston Museum School, and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. 

Her work has been included in over 100 solo and group exhibitions, including at PS1/MOMA, the Drawing Center (NYC), Pera Museum in Istanbul, and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Solo exhibitions include Bellwether Gallery in NYC (2005), and BravinLee Programs, also in NYC (2008, 2012); Hunterdon Museum of Art (2009); University of Mississippi art museum (2010); and the Warhol Museum (2006).

Public collections include: Whitney Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Museum, New York Public Library Rare Books Collection, University of Cincinnati art collection, Harvard Business School art collection.

Dr. Sheahon Zenger was named the 21st president of Illinois Wesleyan University, officially beginning his tenure in 2024. He previously held leadership roles as director of athletics at the University of Kansas, Illinois State University, and the University of New Haven. He also served as the interim president at the University of New Haven, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in higher education. Dr. Zenger's first year and a half at IWU has signaled an exciting new chapter, building on its strong traditions and paving the way for future growth, collaboration, and academic excellence.