The late Professor Robert Viscusi of Brooklyn College was fond of recalling the first meeting of what would become the Italian American Writers Association (IAWA): “I invited a number of well-respected published, Italian American authors and academics: Peter Caravetta, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Rose Romano, Anthony Valerio, and myself among them. I went around the room and asked one question: ‘Who, besides yourself is your favorite Italian American writer?’ and you could hear a pin drop.”
That meeting in 1989 was called following the murder of the innocent Yusuf Hawkins in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn by Italian American youth. The media focused exclusively on the most racist aspect of Italian Americans.
By 1991, Viscusi and poet and activist Vittoria Repetto began a monthly reading series at venues in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Out of these, the three rules of IAWA were born: Read each other, Write or be written, Buy our books, and in the past 20 years, the group has added: Review our books. Thus, IAWA was born out of necessity to help to create a canon of Italian American literature, one that was self-reflective and grounded in its community.
IAWA kicked off its year-long celebrations at its third participation at the annual Associated of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Baltimore.
This year IAWA has welcomed new Board members, increased its national activities, a series of special events, new partnerships; as a non-profit 501c3 organization, is boosting fundraising efforts to support increased honorariums, raise its online profile and its networking capabilities.
Additionally, IAWA now hosts literary readings in New York (2nd Thursdays), Boston (3rd Saturdays at I AM Books) and the newly launched Philadelphia series is based at Bookish Notions in Media, PA.
Each event continues the founding model: an open mic, featured authors, audience Q&A, and book signings—an ongoing conversation between writers and community.
AWP served as the perfect launch for the 35th anniversary festivities, a yearlong celebration that will culminate with IAWA hosting the Opening Night of the 58th Edition of the IASA with an IAWA-style reading. The conference -- November 5-8 -- will take place at Tufts University in Medford, MA
The IAWA Board is comprised of award-winning and well-published authors and a $35 anniversary membership initiative (running through June 2026) signal an organization that is still growing and still responding to the question that sparked its founding -- the answer is never silence: Christina Bruni, Kathy Curto, Julianna Forlano, Julia Lisella, Maria Lisella, Peter Marra, Fred Pierre, and Cyn Grace Sylvie; on the west coast, Gail Reitano, and Margaret Sáraco. IAWA: www.iawa.net
