Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Joanna Clapps Herman and I would like to acknowledge the Order Sons of Italy and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), not only for their financial support of this project but also for their dedication over the years to similar endeavors. For example, both organizations have contributed prize money to the John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry. This annual prize of $1,000, which is awarded through Italian Americana, recognizes an ItalianAmerican poet who has not only published books of poetry but who has also written critical essays and promoted the reading of poetry. Past honorees include Felix Stefanile, Lewis Turco, Jonathan Galassi, Sandra Gilbert, Jay Parini, Kim Addonizio, Daniela Gioseffi, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. We would like to single out a woman who has worked for both NIAF and the Order Sons of Italy, for her competence, integrity, and devotion to things Italian American. That woman is Dona DeSanctis. She is always on the front lines—as was her late husband—in working to further the ideals of Italian-American culture. The journal owes a great deal to the vision of Joseph DeAngelis, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Rhode Island. When Italian Americana lost its support at Queens College, the journal, as a result of Mr. DeAngelis’s efforts, was able to resume publication at the University of Rhode Island/Providence . My gratitude to Richard Gambino, the founder of the journal, for trusting me to continue his journal, is boundless. To former dean Walter Crocker at URI/ Providence, for having me publish out of the university, and to current viceprovost John McCray, for continuing this undertaking, my humble thanks. No book of this sort would be possible without the gifted authors who found their way to Italian Americana. I am in awe of their talent. Nor would this book be possible without Robert Oppedisano’s belief in the project. He was a dream to work with. ix x acknowledgments Last, but hardly least, my thanks go to my family: to my parents, who understood the power of a good education; to my grandmother, some of whose great courage rubbed off on me; to my brother Tom and his wife, Lorrie, for all their support over the years; to my children, Ed and Sally, who continue the best of the tradition, and their children, Bennett, Max, Harry, Zachary, Sam, and Charlie, who bring such energy and joy into my life; and to my dear husband, Birge, who accompanies me on this journey of Italian-American culture. Carol Bonomo Albright First and foremost I want to thank Carol Bonomo Albright for the opportunity to work with her on this project. I have encountered or reencountered a body of work that I have been thrilled to read, reread, consider, think about, enjoy, and help to contextualize. It has been a deep pleasure. Carol holds up an important corner of our Italian-American intellectual life, in our community and with her tireless work on Italian Americana. Without Robert Oppedisano, Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana simply wouldn’t be. His strong and positive response to our proposal meant the world to Carol and me. Both Nick Frankovich and Mary-Lou Elias Peña provided us with kind, helpful, quick, professional attention throughout this project. Carol Bonomo Albright and I thank both of them. Daria Masullo, my dear friend and quasi-nipota, took the manuscript over this summer and made it into a polished whole. Personally I want to thank Edi Giunta for creating a joyous Italian world for so many of us. Her generosity of spirit brings intellectual riches, friendship, and joy wherever she is. My life is better for having Edvige Giunta as my dear friend. My lunches with Maria Laurino have made my life larger and better, with our hours of talk of books, films, writing, and especially of raising our sons. But most of all I want to acknowledge my wonderful family: my husband, Bill, without whom I could not have brought this book to completion, and James, whose writing and work I am watching arrive in the world alongside his father’s and mother’s. Joanna Clapps Herman WILD DREAMS ...