Darrel Alejandro Holnes (he/they) is an Afro-Panamanian American writer, director, and producer. Holnes is the author of Stepmotherland, winner of the Andres Montoya Poetry Prize from Letras Latinas and the International Latino Book Award in Poetry, and Migrant Psalms, winner of the Drinking Gourd Poetry Prize. His play Black Feminist Video Game was produced by The Civilians for 59E59 Theaters, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Center Theater Group, and more, winning an inaugural Anthem Award from The Webbys. Bayano had a workshop production at the National Black Theater and will have its world premiere at True Colors Theater in Atlanta. His play Bird of Prey was recorded for the Parsnip Ship podcast at JACK, and Starry Night was a finalist for both the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference and the Princess Grace Award in Playwriting.

Holnes’ short film Marimacha premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival and has been screened at over two dozen festivals worldwide, winning several awards, including Best of the Fest at Pride Film Fest, Best LGBT Short at the LA Independent Women Film Awards, Best LGBT+ Short Film from the Sierra International Film Weekend, and the Director’s Choice Award from Cinema Diverse. He is currently developing the short film Oliverio through his initiative, The Greater Good, which recently co-presented a reading of the work he directed at BAAD where he is a CRNY Artist-in-Residence. Holnes is a MacDowell fellow, a Lincoln Center Director’s Lab member, and a member of The Civilians R&D Group, Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Workshop, and other groups. Holnes also founded the Candela Playwrights Summer Fellowship. Holnes has received numerous accolades, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Creative Writing (Poetry) and the C. P. Cavafy Poetry Prize from Poetry International. He will next direct a play at Kitchen Theater Company in Ithaca, NY. For more information, visit darrelholnes.com. IG: @blackboytraveljoy