Our Team

Rachel Kasten (she/her), staff writer, is a producer, writer, and community organizer serving as Graduate Program Coordinator for the PhD in Geospatial Analytics at NC State University. She co-founded Cutler Bay Community Theatre in Miami, FL and served on the board of the NC Women’s Theatre Festival. Rachel has previously published pieces for national publications on topics including infertility, feminism, and dismantling white supremacy. She writes as one half of Chatham Life & Style’s Mom & Son team, which reports on educational experiences and family arts events.

Cecilia Lancia (she/her), staff writer, holds a Master of Education degree from NC State University in English language and literature, and has worked for more than 12 years in the local public school system. Her upbringing helped to cultivate a lasting respect for traditional and sustainable farming practices. She is a fervent proponent of local food producers and a passionate gardener. Cecilia writes about local farming and foods is also a photographer for Chatham Life & Style. 

Ivana Vazquez (she/her), staff writer, is a Boston-born Durham resident and wouldn't live anywhere else! A poet since age fifteen, Ivana completed her poetry residency in central Vermont, where she finished her first book. For the past three years she has been a blogger-for-hire, working primarily with nonprofit organizations in the Triangle. When Ivana isn't writing, she's managing her art promotion company: Ghost Flowers, which was founded to support and raise awareness for art therapy. If you can't catch Ivana at any of the countless art events (often writing for Chatham Life & Style) throughout the Triangle, you can find her on Instagram @ivanasadventures.

Erim Akpan (she/her), contributor, is a North Carolina writer and entertainer. She won her first writing contest at age 16, then won a poetry competition at age 19 and has continued publishing essays and articles ever since. She enjoys performance arts of all kinds, focusing on arts events and local festivals for Chatham Life & Style. She volunteers at local festivals and artist-supporting organizations like Triangle Artworks. 

Benaiah Barnes (he/him), contributor, is an NC-based actor and artist. He was featured in Mike Wiley’s world premier ensemble production Blood Done Sign My Name, adapted from Dr. Tim Tyson’s book of the same name, which chronicled events leading up to and following the riots in Oxford, NC in 1970. He writes about performing arts in both virtual and live media for Chatham Life & Style.

Lauren Lisinski (she/her), contributor, is a North Carolina transplant and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned Bachelor's degrees in Music and Communications. She is a classically trained lyric soprano, but performs both opera and musical theatre. Lauren also teaches private voice lessons and is assistant music director at a local church. She covers a variety of performing arts for Chatham Life & Style.

Michele Okoh (she/her), contributor, is a triangle-based director, playwright, and actor. She has previously directed The Black Spectre: A Train Grown Cold, a radio play, for Cary Playwright’s Forum. She has also directed a well-received production of Eclipsed for the North Carolina Women’s Theatre Festival and reviews theatre productions for Chatham Life & Style.

al Riggs (they/them), contributor, is a professional singer-songwriter based in Durham, NC. As well as operating Horse Complex Records, they have performed at large-scale festivals, recorded with popular musicians nation-wide, toured nationally, and appeared on numerous podcasts under both their own name and as VAXXERS and Criswell Brushes. al’s album reviews, concert reviews, and festival diaries have also appeared in Pedal Fuzz and Rezonatr. Learn more about al’s music work at alriggs.bandcamp.com.