Dina Del Bucchia is an energetic literary dynamo. After three books of poetry, one story collection, a co-written work, magazine editing, writer's series artistic direction, teaching creative writing, and co-hosting one of the most popular literary podcasts in the country, she's somehow found time for a new book of poetry, titled It's a Big Deal!
Nino Ricci is a superstar of Canadian fiction. He has written some of the most powerful and award-winning novels of the last decade. His first novel, Lives of The Saints, won the Governor General’s Award and its trilogy was adapted into a television series starring Sophia Loren. Ricci also appointed a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian literature. In his new novel, Sleep, Nino tells the story of David Pace’s struggle with sleep issues.
I have often stated that we (Italian/Canadian writers) are easily dismissed here in Canada. (I have had personal experiences where this was clearly apparent). We have been grouped in a category of writers as “unoriginal” and this really angers me. It seems because we have, as an immigrant group, been successful and have established ourselves in prominent businesses, etc., our stories don’t seem relative or tragic enough to stand up as literature, as if our struggle has been erased as if it was irrelevant. Someone once said to me “Italian Canadian writers are just whiners, what have you got to complain about?” That sort of ignorance pretty much outlines it all.