Italianissima! : Stories & Poems Fundraiser benefiting Salem Pantry

Special reading for charity on the lawn of The Pickering House. What happens when you’re brought up by one Italian parent and one non-Italian parent? Senta, the Italian side prevails . . . sempre! Come hear Jennifer Martelli, Barbara Worton, and Linda Dini Jenkins as they entertain with stories and poems about growing up hybrid Italian-American. We’ll start with a 30-minute open mic for anyone with a story or poem that relates to their heritage and then move on to the main event. 

All receipts from the charity will be donated to The Salem Pantry. The authors’ books will be on sale as well, and they will be happy to sign them for you. Tickets are sold at the door . . . cash and checks (payable to Salem Pantry) only, please! $20 per person to benefit the Salem Pantry.

BIOS

Jennifer Martelli is the author of The Queen of Queens and My Tarantella, awarded an Honorable Mention from the Italian-American Studies Association, selected as a “Must Read” by the Massachusetts
Center for the Book, and named as a finalist for the Housatonic Book Award. She is also the author of the chapbooks All Things are Born to Change Their Shapes, winner of the Small Harbor Press open reading,
In the Year of Ferraro from Nixes Mates, and After Bird, winner of the Grey Book Press open reading. Her work has appeared in The Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, Poetry, Atticus Review, The Tahoma Literary Review, Scoundrel Time, Verse Daily, Iron Horse Review (winner of the Photo Finish contest), and elsewhere. She has twice received grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for her poetry. She is co-poetry editor for Mom Egg Review. www.jennmartelli.com

Barbara Worton is an essayist, poet and songwriter. She is the author of Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter. Her children’s book Too Tall Alice won the Moonbeam Award. With Rochelle Udell, she co-authored The Adventures of The Baker’s Daughter and posts a weekly blog. Her poetry, essays and articles have been published in literary, women’s and business publications. She is the author of the choreopoem, First Person Plural and the musical Brown Shoes Don’t Make It. With Linda Dini Jenkins, she co-authored If I’m Talking, Why Aren’t You Listening? She writes songs with her husband, two friends and brother as Laverne + Ralph. www.laverneandralph.com and www.adventuresofthebakersdaughter.com

Linda Dini Jenkins is a poet and essayist. She is the author of Journey of a Returning Christian: Writing into God and Up at the Villa: Travels with my Husband. Her poetry has been published in VIA
(Voices in Italian Americana), Ovunque Siamo, Vermont Voices, South Florida Poetry Review, Phoebe, Poeti italo-americani e italo-canadesi, Tampa Review, and Peregrine. She is the author of the play, Things I Never Told My Mother and is co-author, with Barbara Worton, of the play/choreopoem, If I’m Talking, Why Aren’t You Listening? She lives in Salem, Massachusetts and Sulmona, Italy.
www.travelitalythewriteway.com