Winter’s Daughter transports the audience to a small town in Calabria, in 1918, at the end of World War I, where a young couple has to make a life-changing decision after the daughter of a Jewish peddler is left in their care.
Written by director Dale Hildebrand and actor Charly Chiarelli, Road to The Lemon Grove follows the story of Calogero Contatini as he tries to mend his tattered relationship with his late father and reconnect with his ancestral home.
June 10 marks a key sombre date for Canadians of Italian origin. On this very day in 1940, as the Second World War was taking a turn for the worst, Canada declared war on Italy and declared Italians and Italian-Canadians living in Canada as “enemy aliens.” On September 18, 2018, the RCMP issued a Statement of Regret to the families of the internees for their involvement with the internment.
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!
Michaela Di Cesare's new play, Successions, follows the story of two Italian-Montreal brothers who, faced with the sudden death of their parents, need to decide what to do with the family home. One brother is an uptight lawyer running for office. The other would rather party than work. Their relationship takes a toll as they agonize with the decision.
Yesterday (May 17, 2017), the Canadian Parliament passed a motion to officially recognize June as Italian Heritage Month.
Vincenzo Pietropaolo's coffee table book, Ritual, chronicles one of the largest processions in North America – the Good Friday Procession in Toronto’s Little Italy. Published by Black Dog Publishing, the book features over 150 photographs of the annual procession between the years of 1969 and 2015.
In the north-east end of Montreal, you will find a small gym, DiBella Karate Kickboxing, founded by Canadian-born Angelo DiBella. He’s an unassuming man. At first glance you might not guess that he stood at the pinnacle of the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) with an impressive 26-1 record, effectively retiring as World Champion. Today, DiBella dedicates his full attention to teaching both children and adults.
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.
Funded by a grant from Heritage Canada’s Community Historical Recognition Program, the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association (CIBPA) commissioned Joyce Pillarella to put together a publication that would both commemorate the lives of Italian-Canadians interned in Canadian POW camps during the Second World War and also serve as an education tool for the Canadian community at large.
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.
After a five-year absence, Italian-Australian comedian Joe Avati is back in Canada with a brand-new stand-up comedy show. “My theme has always been about being Italian, but this time around we’re looking at it in a very different way, through the eyes of the mangiacakes. We have a look at how non-Italians live, and by showing their lives, we’re showing how we live as well,” Avati explains.