Staff
Staff
KAREN SCHUBERT, DIRECTOR
Director Karen Schubert co-founded Lit Youngstown in 2015 with Liz Hill. She holds a B.A. in Professional Writing & Editing and an M.A. in English from Youngstown State, and an M.F.A. in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (Cleveland State). She is the author of The Compost Reader and five chapbooks, and her poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, reviews and interviews have been published in AGNI Online, Diode, Apple Valley Review, American Literary Review and many others. She has taught in numerous academic and community settings, and her awards include an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award and residencies at Headlands Center for the Arts and Vermont Studio Center.
ASHLEY DILLON, MEDIA COORDINATOR
Media Coordinator Ashley Dillon earned her B.A. in Music with a minor in Marketing at Youngstown State University and is an active member of the art and music community of greater Youngstown.
LISA VISCUSI, DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Lisa Viscusi is an educator, writer, and cultural curator. Originally from Pittsburgh and new to Youngstown, Lisa received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from John Carroll University and studied at DePaul University while living in Chicago. Lisa has spent her career working in non-profit fundraising, education for all ages, and public programming. She believes in the power of thoughtful, creative, and generative community-building.
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Board of Directors
Staff
Mia Allonby (Secretary) is a transgender artist, sometime writer and library professional. She works for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County as a Patron Advisor and Head Clerk at the Michael Kusalaba Branch. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mia has a BA in Fine Art from Leeds College of Art and has frequently exhibited her work in the Youngstown area, since arriving on the scene in 2017.
Staff
Tricia D’Avignon (President) received her Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasis in Photography from Youngstown State University and her Masters in Urban Planning Design and Development from Cleveland State University. Currently, she works locally as an urban planner. She enjoys visiting other rustbelt cities with a group called Rustbelt Young Urban Preservationists to explore new cities, learn about their history, and photograph historic structures. Tricia spends her free time working on house projects, attending arts and music events, and volunteering with Mill Creek Metro Parks.
Staff
Craig Duster is the owner and Head Ne'er-Do-Well of POP! Art Books Culture, Youngstown's award-winning used bookstore. Before founding POP!, Craig was the Special Project Coordinator for Sally Centigrade Gallery and has curated gallery shows in Colorado and Ohio. Craig holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado.
Staff
Samantha Ensminger is a Marketing Manager at Trumbull County Tourism as well as a freelance editor and marketing manager. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Youngstown State University and has been heavily involved in event coordination and marketing within the Valley for years.
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Chris Gibowicz is a lifelong resident of the Youngstown area. She has over 30 years experience in public school education serving in leadership positions like teacher, mentor, instructional coach, principal, and curriculum director. She earned her Masters in Education at Youngstown State University. Chris is the author of a collection of poetry and prose, Lead, Love, Live. She is also a certified teacher of yoga, Reiki, and Silver Sneakers. For self-care, she enjoys hiking and meditation.
Staff
Alex Harper (Vice President) holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Ohio University and an M.L.I.S. with a specialization in Museum Studies from Kent State University. She has worked for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County since 2014 and currently serves as the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Specialist. In 2018 she founded Project LIT Youngstown, PLYMC's chapter of Project LIT Community--an international grassroots literacy movement and network of educators, librarians, students and community members working together to promote literacy in their communities.
Staff
Rebe Huntman's essays, stories and poems have appeared in such places as The Southern Review, Ninth Letter, Sonora Review, and The Pinch. She is the winner of an Ohio Individual Excellence Award and fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Ragdale Foundation, and Brush Creek Foundation. A former professional Latin dancer and choreographer, she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from the Ohio State University and teaches creative writing at the Columbus College of Art & Design.
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Jeffrey Murphy (Treasurer) received his B.S. in Physics from Youngstown State in 1999 and his Juris Doctor from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2021. Jeff has had his poetry published in Last Call: An Anthology of Beer, Wine & Spirits Poetry and legal papers published in the Cleveland State Law Review and the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law.
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Maria Cougras Pappas is an area educator whose service spans the roles of Teacher, Gifted & Talented Coordinator, High School Literacy Coach, Elementary Principal, Chief of Curriculum, and Superintendent. She was selected as The Ohio Gifted Educator of the Year by The Ohio Association for Gifted Children and was appointed to the State Superintendent's Gifted Advisory Panel. Selected by Superintendent Joseph Meranto as the district’s Academic Equity Chair in 2020, Maria also serves on the Board of Junior Achievement of the Mahoning Valley. Most recently her work as a child advocate resulted in her appointment in 2022 by the Mahoning County Commissioners to serve on the Mahoning County Children Services Board.
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Penny Wells was born in Dallas, graduated from Brown University, and taught in Youngstown City Schools for over 35 years. In 2009, she created the nonprofit Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, which takes high school students to the Civil Rights sites in the South where they visit historical sites, meet leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, learn the lessons of the Movement and return home with an action plan. In 2013, students convinced the Ohio General Assembly to pass their Ohio Nonviolence Week bill into law. Ohio Nonviolence Week, the first full week in October every year, includes a parade, rally and full week of activities in Youngstown.
Staff
Shaunda Yancey is a literacy specialist with over two decades of experience in education. One of Shaunda's key strategies is working closely with public library systems to provide students with access to a wide range of books and reading resources. Shaunda is also the owner of D.O.P.E poetry, a non-profit organization that supports scholars community wide who are interested in writing and performing original poetry. As a Project LIT chapter leader, Shaunda is also committed to promoting literacy through student book clubs, and also runs book clubs for parents and community members with opportunities to engage in literacy activities to support their children's learning.
Advisory Council
Lesley Nneka Arimah, Cynthia Atkins, Christopher Barzak, Jan Beatty, Jill Christman, Ama Codjoe, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Jeanne Dutton, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Candace Fleming, Kelly Fordon, Mike Geither, David Giffels, David Hassler, Jon Kerstetter, Jacqui Lipton, Philip Memmer, Philip Metres, Craig Paulenich, Bonnie Proudfoot, Joy Priest, Alison Stine, Rachel Swearingen, Judith Vollmer, Janet Wong