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Writers Read Series
Friday, September
30, 2005 Victoria
Lancelotta reads from her novel Far (Counterpoint). Far is a haunting exploration of what it
means for a woman to be alone in her family, her house and her body, even as
they hem her in. Martha is single, in her early 30s, and has lived in
Baltimore all her life. She is late to do what people expect her to do "
marry and have children " and is instead involved with Edward, a man
chosen precisely because she believes that he expects none of these things
from her. When she begins to suspect otherwise, she accepts a new job in the
small-town South. Martha yearns to be free of the sense of having
disappointed her family " and just about everyone. But the ache for
resolution proves too strong. As Martha discovers a growing intimacy between
Edward and her sister, she is forced to take responsibility for her
isolation. "Quite how
Victoria Lancelotta manages to combine icy precision and fiery passion as she
explores her heroine's dark journey is a mystery but the result is absolutely
clear. Far is an exquisite novel full of suspense and a spare,
mysterious beauty." -
Margot Livesey Tuesday, November
15, 2005 Paola Corso reads
her collection of short stories Giovanna's 86 Circles and Other Stories (University of
Wisconsin Press). The ten magical
stories in Paola Corso's collection are primarily set in Pittsburgh area
river towns, where Italian American women and girls draw from their culture
and folklore to bring life and a sense of wonder to a seemingly barren region
of the Rust Belt. Each story catapults the ordinary into something original
and unpredictable. Quirky and profound, Corso's magical leaps uncover the everyday
poetry of these Italian American women's lives. "Corso mixes myth and
reality, fable and grit to illustrate the beauty, the power, and the
necessity of storytelling. She makes a major contribution to the growing body
of female Italian-American literature." -
Rita Ciresi Tuesday, March 7,
2006 Roland Merullo
reads from his novel In Revere, In Those Days In Revere, In Those Days (Shaye Areheart Books, 2002) is the story
of the Benedetto family from the small coastal city Revere,
Massachusetts. The story’s narrator is Anthony Benedetto, a boy who is
trying to reconcile his family's rich, old-world heritage with the
unstoppable freight train that is American culture. Anthony introduces the reader to his
extended family, men and women who struggle toward decency and kindness, and
who live out their difficult lives with an extraordinary dignity. As
the outside world calls to him, Anthony grows up and moves away from Revere,
realizing that geography is destiny, suffering is universal, and that his
priceless inheritance forms the essence of who he becomes as a man. “A
portrait of a time and a place and a state of mind that has few equals.” – The Boston
Globe Thursday, May 11,
2006 Christopher
Castellani reads from his novel The Saint of Lost Things In his new novel,
The
Saint of Lost Things (Algonquin Books, 2005), Christopher Castellani explores the ties
that bind in an Italian neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware, circa 1953. Maddalena Grasso has lost her country, her family, and the
man she loved by immigrating to America. Her mercurial husband Antonio has lost his opportunity to
realize the American Dream.
Their friend Guilio Fabbri, a shy accordion player, has lost his
beloved parents. In the shadow
of St. Anthony's Church, named for the patron saint of lost things, the
prayers of these troubled but determined people are heard, and fate and
circumstances conspire to answer them in unforeseeable ways. “A natural
storyteller, warm-hearted and instinctual, Christopher Castellani has
fashioned an engaging plot with writing that is dead-on and characters who
reward you with their genuine humanity. [They] are so real they seem to leave
the fog of their breath on the page.” – Julia Alvarez All events are free. Presentations
begin at 6:00 PM. Building management has initiated a new policy for people attending events after business hours. You must pre-register with the Calandra Institute by calling (212) 642-2094. You will need to show a photo ID to the building's concierge. [Return to the Academic & Cultural Programs page.] |
