The 2010 Bressani Literary Prize, November 30, 2010

The Italian Cultural Centre Society established the prize in 1986 during the celebrations for Vancouver’s Centennial and the launch of the First National Conference of Italian Canadian Writers. The Centre’s Board of Directors accepted a proposal put forth by a local committee led by C. Dino Minni and Anna Foschi Ciampolini for the creation of a literary prize aimed at honouring and promoting the literary work of Canadian writers of Italian origin or Italian descent. The Bressani Prize, held every two years and originally dedicated to Italian Canadian literature, was later opened to writers from other cultures but was then discontinued for a few years. In 2000, the Italian Cultural Centre’s new F. G. Bressani Committee restored the original intent and meaning of the Prize. The Prize is named after the Jesuit Father Francesco Giuseppe Bressani, an Italian missionary, born in Rome on May 6, 1612. The 2010 Edition of the Bressani Prize was organized by the Italian Cultural Centre in collaboration with Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Vancouver and Regione Lazio Cultural Society.

Anna Foschi, co-founder of the Bressani Literray Prize, 

San Diego writer Pasquale Verdicchio 

(the winner of the Bressani Prize for Poetry) 

and il Consolato Generale d'Italia in Vancouver 

Anna Foschi, Edmonton writer Caterina Edwards 

(the winner of Bressani Prize for the category 

"Emigration from Italy") 

and il Consolato Generale d'Italia in Vancouver 

Anna, Toronto writer Michelle Alfano 

(Winner of the Bressani Prize for Short Fiction) 

and il Consolato Generale d'Italia in Vancouver

Anna, Toronto writer Michael Mirolla 

(Winner of the Bressani Prize for Long Fiction) 

and il Consolato Generale d'Italia in Vancouver

 Prize winners, jury judges, friends and colleagues.

All photos were taken by Giulio Recchioni of the Italian Cultural Centre. 

On the occasion of the award ceremony of the Bressani Prizes 2010 in Vancouver,

Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Vancouver
in collaboration with the
Italian Cultural Centre
Regione Lazio Cultural Society
presents

A Literary Evening with the
Winners of the Bressani Prize 2010

December 1st, 6:15 pm

Istituto Italiano di Cultura
500-510 West Hastings St.

Vancouver

The evening will feature readings in English by:

Michelle Alfano, Winner of the Bressani Prize for Short Fiction
with her novella Made Up Of Arias

Caterina Edwards, Winner of the Bressani Prize
for the category "Emigration from Italy" 

with her memoir Finding Rosa

Michael Mirolla, Winner of the Bressani Prize for Fiction
for his novel Berlin

Pasquale Verdicchio, Winner of the Bressani Prize for Poetry
with his collection This Nothing’s Place

Guest author Genni Gunn will also be reading
from her latest novel, Solitaria
.
Admission is free, no pre-registration required

2010 F.G. Bressani Literary Prize:

The Italian Cultural Centre is proud to announce the winning authors and works of the 2010 edition of the biennial F.G. Bressani Literary Prize:

Pasquale Verdicchio, This nothing’s Place
Category: POETRY

Michael Mirolla, Berlin
Category: FICTION

Michelle Alfano: Made Up of Arias
Category: SHORT FICTION

Caterina Edwards, Finding Rosa
Category EMIGRATION FROM ITALY

The winning authors will be presented with their awards on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 7:00pm in the museum the Italian Cultural Centre. A cocktail reception will follow the presentations. Professor Emerita at UBC Stefania Ciccone, Professor Emerita at SFU Grazia Merler, Italian Government Lettore at UBC, Dr. Mario Inglese, and former Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Margherita Repetto, acted as jury for the shortlisted candidates of the 2010 edition of the biennial F.G. Bressani Literary Prize.

The biennial F.G. Bressani Prize was instituted to stimulate and enhance the literary production of works by Canadian authors of Italian origin or ancestry to add to the richness of the Italian immigrant experience in Canada by celebrating its literary expression and to honour and reflect aspects of Italian heritage and culture within our ethno-culturally diverse society.

This edition was presented in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultural in Vancouver and the Regione Lazio Cultural Society of BC.

The Prize is named after the Jesuit priest, Father Francesco Giuseppe Bressani, (1612 -1672) the first Italian missionary to Canada, who wrote Breve Relatione, and who can be considered the precursor of Italian-Canadian writing.

October Reading

 The provocative poet Yvette Barnes doing her stuff...
and raising the temperature of the room. 

Poet Josie DiSciascio-Andrews reads from 

her first collection Sea Glass and other pieces

Sisters Patty DiSciascio and Josie.

NSNIG&F Co-organizer and poet Giovanna Riccio 

reads from Vittorio, her first collection of poetry released this year

Darlene Madott, winner of the 2008 Bressani Prize, reads 

from her fiction book Making Olives and Other Family Secrets.

The writer and poet Maria Pia Marchelletta,
a new friend, reads from her prose work.

Writer and columnist Diane Baker Mason
describing a sumptuous feast in her fiction...

As one friend observed, "The evening started with sex
and ended with food, how Italian is that!"

 

Emcee and NSNIG&F co-organizer Michelle Alfano (right) with Darlene.

  Warren, friend of the NSNIG&F, and his friends...

Yvette Barnes, writer Terri Favro and playwright Sue Megson.

October Reading

Michelle Alfano is a co-organizer of the (Not So) Nice Italian Girls & Friends Reading Series and a Co-Editor with Descant. Her short story “Opera”, on which her novella Made Up Of Arias (Blaurock Press) is based, was a finalist for a Journey Prize anthology. Her fiction and non-fiction work has been widely published in major literary publications. She will be featured in a forthcoming documentary on the passengers, and the children of the passengers, of the Saturnia which will be featured on OMNI-TV. She is currently at work at a new novel entitled Vita’s Prospects. 

 

Diane Baker Mason is a novelist, columnist and poet, who daylights as a lawyer. She is the author of the novels Last Summer At Barebones and Men With Brooms, and a regular columnist and reviewer with the Women's Post and the Globe and Mail.

Yvette Barnes is renewing her connection to the genre of poetry. An accomplished writer, she often uses the form of poetry and cutting edge performance to share her message.She has performed at local events in 1999 – 2007 such as: Afrodisiac, Black Coffee, Brown Girls In Da’ Ring. She has performed internationally in Detroit, MI, - Word in Progress; Newark, NJ – Amiri Baraka’s Home Theatre; Ocho Rios, Jamaica – Irie FM radio, Host Muta Baruka.

Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews is a teacher and poet. She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets, the Canadian Federation of Poets and the Ontario Poetry Society. Josie has won several prizes for her work in both Italian and English. Her poetry in Italian won The Jury Prize at the Ottawa Italian Week Literary Contest in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She won first prize in the free verse competition of the Ontario Poetry Society's 2006 Winsome Words Anthology and first place in the Arborealis Poetry Prize for 2007. Josie is the author of  "How the Italians Created Canada" a non-fiction book released in 2008 by Lone Pine Publishing.

Darlene Madott is a lawyer and writer. Her publications include Joy, Joy, Why Do I Sing? (Women’s Press/Canadian Scholar’s Press, 2004), of which “Vivi’s Florentine Scarf” won the Paolucci Prize of the Italian-American Writer’s Association. The title story of Making Olives and Other Family Secrets (Longbridge Books, 2008) won the Bressani Literary Award. Her short story “Entering Sicily” has recently been accepted in a forthcoming issue of the literary quarterly Descant (Winter 2011) dedicated to Sicily.

Maria Pia Marchelletta is a teacher, artist, translator, poet and writer widely published internationally in several anthologies. Her most recent publications include Gatherer Streams Anthology (Hidden Brook Press) and Canadian Voices, Volume Two (Bookland Press, 2010). Maria won second prize for her short story Sentimenti che Furono in the National Ottawa Literary Festival, 2009. On International Women’s Day she was awarded a plaque by Comites for Women of Distinction. She chairs the Toronto Bayview Chapter and the Italo-Canadian Writers Chapters of the Canadian Federation of Poets. She is the Vice-President, Program Coordinator and Anthology coordinator for the Writers and Editors Network. Banacle of Enchantment and Sentieri dell’Anima are forthcoming, 2011.

Giovanna Riccio was born in Calabria, Italy and immigrated to Canada when she was six years old. Her poems have appeared in newspapers, journals, magazines, and anthologies. She is the author of the chapbook Vittorio, published by Lyricalmyrical Press in July 2010. Her book of poems Strong Bread will be published by Quattro Books in the spring of 2011. Giovanna also organizes literary events in Toronto.

A Night of Humour with the (Not So) Nice Italian Girls

Our emcee Giovanna Riccio, poet and co-organizer of the series at the Annex Live.

August Reading

  

Michelle Alfano is a co-organizer of the (Not So) Nice Italian Girls & Friends Reading Series and a Co-Editor with Descant. Her short story “Opera”, on which her novella Made Up Of Arias (Blaurock Press) is based, was a finalist for a Journey Prize anthology. Her fiction and non-fiction work has been widely published in major literary publications. She will be featured in a forthcoming documentary on the passengers, and the children of the passengers, of the Saturnia which will be featured on OMNI-TV. She is currently at work at a new novel entitled Vita’s Prospects.

Sandra Battaglini is a dynamic, high-energy comedic actor, stand-up comedienne, clown and cabaret performer. Her mix of song, opera, contemporary pop, originally choreographed dance and theatrical clown has distinguished her as an innovative artist on the Toronto scene.

Bruna Di Giuseppe-Bertoni was born in Rome Italy. She immigrated with her family to Canada in 1964. Painting and creative writing has been a passion all her life and she has won literary awards for her poetry.  She has published the poetry collection Sentieri D'Italia in Italian.  Her poetry and writing is included in several anthologies  Legacy 2 (Brookridge, 2001), Wordscape (MTB press, 2001), Italian Canadian Voices (Mosaic Press 2006),  Writing beyond History (Cusmamo, 2006), Reflection on Culture and in other anthologies. One of her stories,“1001 stories of Italians in the world”, has been anthologized in a book printed in Italy in 2010.

Terri Favro’s writing springs from her identity as a first-generation Italian-Canadian who grew up consuming Catholic dogma, British fairytales, American game shows, Jell-O butterscotch pudding, her father’s grappa, her mother’s polenta, and the neighbours’ homemade vodka. Terri’s humour articles and fiction have been published in Prism, Riddle Fence, Geist, Accenti, Toro, www.facebook.com/l/427e6; Feathertale.com and More magazines, among others, and her work has been short listed three times for the CBC Literary Awards. She was recently selected as an emerging Toronto writer by Diaspora Dialogues and is currently working on a novel and collaborating on a series of online graphic stories.

Michael Mirolla's latest novel, a speculative fiction saga titled The Facility, is due out in late 2010. In a moment of temporary insanity, the Montreal-Toronto corridor writer, author of a half-dozen books of poetry and fiction, decided he needed his own publishing house and thus, along with another insanity plea partner, bought Guernica Editions. Their motto: "It's fun as long as the madness continues."

David Silverberg has been involved in Canada’s spoken word community since 2001. He founded Suburban Spoken Word in North York and then helped start Toronto Poetry Slam, where he currently serves as host and artistic director. He is part of the Toronto poetry troupe Last Call Poets (myspace.com/lastcallpoets), and his most recent book of poetry is Bags of Wires (LyricalMyrical). He has performed across Canada, including Calgary, Halifax, Vancouver, Ottawa, London and Montreal. He is the editor of Canada’s first spoken word anthology, Mic Check (Quattro Press). His favourite band, yet his most hated food, are Red Hot Chili Peppers.

And as emcee ...

Giovanna Riccio was born in Calabria, Italy and grew up in Toronto where she studied philosophy at the University of Toronto. Her poems have appeared in journals, magazines and newspapers, including the Eyetalian, Poetry Canada Review, CV2, Tickleace, and Italian-Canadiana. Giovanna completed her first manuscript, Strong Bread, earlier this year and is in the process of getting it published. Her dramatic monologue, Vittorio, will be published by LyricalMyrical Press in the spring. She has recently retired from teaching and is working on a new book of poetry.