Dana
Gioia to Speak at Sons of Italy Literary Conference in
Washington
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2003 - Dana Gioia, the new chairman of the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will be on a panel exploring new
trends and old stereotypes in Italian American literature, Mar. 21 in
Washington, D.C.
The conference, "From the Boat to the Book," is from 9:30 a.m.
to noon at the National Press Club in Washington (529 14th Street NW,
13th floor). It is sponsored by the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA),
the oldest and largest national organization for men and women of Italian
descent in the United States.
An award-winning poet, Gioia is also a translator, opera librettist and
literary critic. His 1991 essay "Can Poetry Matter?" sparked
a national debate on the role of poetry in modern intellectual life. In
January, the U.S. Senate confirmed his appointment as NEA chairman.
He and the other panelists will explore how the Italian American experience
has been portrayed in the past, what new trends and themes are surfacing
today and some of the challenges Italian American authors face when writing
about their heritage. Also on the panel:
* Former Rolling Stone editor Bill Tonelli
Journalist and author Tonelli is the editor of "An Italian American
Reader," a new anthology of 68 contemporary fiction and non-fiction
Italian American writers. (HarperCollins - March release)
* Former television journalist and author Paul Paolicelli
In 2000, Paolicelli published "Dances with Luigi," in which
he searched for his Italian roots. Now his new book, "Under the Southern
Sun," explores the values that Italian immigrants brought here which
have shaped the character of today's Italian Americans. (St. Martin's
Press - March release)
* Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani
* Trigiani's acclaimed "Big Stone Gap" series of novels is about
a modern Italian American woman born and raised in a Virginia mining town.
She has written a screen version of the first novel in the series, "Big
Stone Gap," which she also will direct.
* Washingtonian Magazine editor-at-large Chuck Conconi (moderator)
Conconi is a journalist, radio commentator, author and media authority
as well as a gifted speaker and former Washington Post columnist.
The conference is open and free to the public but registration is required.
Contact Lana Carbonara at 202/547-2900 or by e-mail at lcarbonara@osia.org.
Established in 1905, OSIA has more than 600,000 members
and supporters and a network of 745 chapters coast to
coast. OSIA works at the community, national and international
level to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated
26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest
ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To
learn more, visit OSIA on the Web at www.osia.org.
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