Fellow Kinnelon Library Board of Trustees member, Anne De Spirito Arnowitz, informed me of the event last week. She spoke so enthusiastically about Maria Gillan and her poetry that I asked her to tell me more.
"Ms. Gillan was a guest of the Italian American Cultural Society a number of years ago. Her poetry was a delight and had many of us recalling stories from when we were younger."
Maria Mazziotti Gillan was born in Paterson, New Jersey - where Anne and her family lived - and, when Anne spoke with her, she remembered fondly Caruso's Pastry Shop, owned by Anne's parents, and its many delicious pastries.
In putting this article together, I came across this fascinating article about Maria Gillan, titled "Maria Mazziotti Gillan: Truth Teller. Paterson natives believes poetry can change the world." It describes the poet's passion for Paterson, poetry, culture and truth. The Poetry Center she founded is one of the most well-respected resources for poetry in the country. Imagine!
And imagine that she will be visiting us in Kinnelon on 10/5/11 at the Kinnelon Library. Here are details from the flyer that Anne created:
to be Guest of
On October 5, 2011 the Italian American Cultural Society of Kinnelon will have as a guest speaker Poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan. Ms. Gillan has won the American Book Award for What Lies Between Us.
She has published eleven books of poetry, three of which are, Where I Come From
, Things My Mother Told Me
and Italian Women In Black Dresses (Essential Poets Series 116)
. Her latest book What We Pass On: Collected Poems: 1980-2009
was published in 2010.
, Things My Mother Told Me
and Italian Women In Black Dresses (Essential Poets Series 116)
. Her latest book What We Pass On: Collected Poems: 1980-2009
was published in 2010.
Ms. Gillan is Founder and the Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson. She is also Director of the Creative Writing Program and a Professor of Poetry at Binghampton University, New York. She has read her work at colleges, universities, poetry centers, and festivals throughout the United States.
The program is sponsored by The Italian American Cultural Society of Kinnelon and will be held on October 5, 2011 at 7pm, at the Kinnelon Library, 132 Kinnelon Road, Kinnelon, New Jersey. All are welcome.
To enjoy a great evening, please call: Anne De Spirito Arnowitz at 973-838-8741 or email Nonniea [at] optonline [dot] net.
By the way, you might enjoy reading a few poems before the event. This link will take to three of Maria Mazziotti Gillan's poems, this one to several more Gillan poems and a few more.
Anne, thank you.
By the way, you might enjoy reading a few poems before the event. This link will take to three of Maria Mazziotti Gillan's poems, this one to several more Gillan poems and a few more.
Anne, thank you.
and
and The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion: The Storied History Of A New Jersey Home."
, feels that landscapes around us can be truly magical places where the past can be very much entwined with the present. Whether recalling in brilliant detail a rich mix of timeless meditations on the special qualities that make a “hometown” or recounting stories of ghosts that roam within the historic sites and buildings of central New Jersey, this presentation will resonate with all who value and enjoy the preservation of a sense of place.
