Events

When: Thursday, April 4, 2024 – 6 p.m.

Where: Online Event (Register Here)

KAREN M. GREENWALD is an award-winning children’s author. Her book, A VOTE FOR SUSANNA, THE FIRST WOMAN MAYOR (Albert Whitman), was named a Kansas Notable Book in 2022. Kansas chose it to represent their state at the Library of Congress National Book Festival and in the Library of Congress’ Great Reads from Great Places initiative. THE MUD ANGELS: HOW STUDENTS SAVED THE CITY OF FLORENCE (Albert Whitman) launches in April of 2024. It is currently available to purchase on pre-order. Karen co-founded the #SunWriteFun writing contest, which raises money (or book donations) for under-resourced school and public libraries. Professionally, her strategic branding efforts have earned seventeen international awards, including a 2023 Platinum MEA. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and holds her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.  

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“In the heart of Central Park there is an angel. It is the Angel of the Waters statue, which appeared on the Bethesda Fountain on May 31, 1873. It has since earned a place among the city’s icons-a deserved place for its classical beauty, although not everyone knows that it is much more: a symbol of love, harmony, healing, and rebirth, as the historical motivation for its creation affirms.” This is the story of the angel and the artist who created it.

Emma Stebbins created the Angel while living and working in Rome, Italy, in the second half of the nineteenth century.  She was born in New York City and was “married” to the Bostonian actress Charlotte Cushman. The Angel of the Waters and Bethesda Fountain, inaugurated in 1873, were meant to celebrate the clean pure waters in New York City and the wonders of Central Park for all New Yorkers. Women. Gays. Immigrants. A bridge between the U.S. and Italy. Environmental consciousness. Each of these is an integral part of the statue. 

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When: Friday, May 10, 2024 – 6 p.m.

Where: I AM Books, 124 Salem Street, Boston MA 02113 (Register Here)

Spanning 372 stunning pages filled with the culinary artistry of Michelin-Star Chef Andrea Migliaccio (Executive Culinary Chef at Capri Palace), Lauren’s mom, and Italian artisans and winemakers, this book is a treasure trove of stories, recipes, and colorful photographs of the Amalfi Coast and Capri. It’s not just Lauren’s exploration of Italian cuisine that enthralls but her heartfelt stories of family, friendship, and her profound love for Italy.

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When: Friday, May 10, 2024 — 6:30 p.m.

Where: I AM Books, 124 Salem Street, Boston, MA 02113 (Register Here)

Anastasia Rubis presents her latest novel based on the true story of Oriana Fallaci: her legendary career as a journalist, her great love, and her one regret.

Rubis’s writing has appeared in the New York TimesHuffington PostNew York Observer, and literary journals. Her story “Blue Pools” was included in the anthology Oh, Baby published by Creative Nonfiction. Her story “Girl Falling” was named a Notable Essay in Best American Essays of 2014. She co-wrote and co-directed the 13-minute documentary Breakfast Lunch Dinner: The Greek Diner Story

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When: Wednesday, May 22 – 6:30 p.m.

Where: I AM Books – 124 Salem St, Boston MA 02113 (Register Here)

In her new cookbook, Italian SnackingSweet and Savory Recipes for Every Hour of the Day, chef, author and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass invites food lovers and home cooks on a delectable journey through the heart of Italy, exploring the rich tapestry of flavors that define Italian snacking culture.

Combining simplicity and creativity, at its best, Italian cuisine charms us through a combination of the highest-quality ingredients, simple recipes tied to the specialties of each region, and the experience of being at the table.

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When: Saturday, June 15, 2024 – 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: I AM Books, 124 Salem St, Boston MA 02113 (Register Here)

Italianità: Contemporary Art Inspired by the Italian Immigrant Experience is an anthology of the art and writing of 59 artists, most the children or grandchildren of people who escaped the poverty of the Mezzogiorno to make new lives for themselves here in l’ameriga. ”We carry the history of our families and our culture in our psyches as well as our genes,” says B. Amore, one of this event’s four speakers, all of whom call the Boston area home.

B. Amore researched seven generations of her family, culminating in a monumental exhibition of sculpture, collage, and artifacts at the Ellis Island Museum in 2020. Lifeline, Filo della Vita: An Italian American Odyssey, traveled to Boston, San Francisco, Rome, and finally to Napoli where her family’s journey began. She continues to exhibit.

Joe Cultrera tells stories through film. Over the decades he has brought us into his hometown of Salem with stories about the decline of factory life and the commercialization of the city’s witch history. Hand of God, which was featured on PBS’s Frontline,documents the effect on his close-knit family of sexual abuse by clergy in his own parish.

Joanne Mattera is a widely exhibited painter (in Boston at Arden Gallery) who brings her visual art community together through word and image, whether in her Joanne Mattera Art Blog or in projects like Italianità, in which the descendants of Italian immigrants relate how culture and experience have shaped them into the artists they are today. 

Charyl (Urbano) Weissbach) comes from a family of makers—a grandfather and uncles who worked in Connecticut’s metal foundries and grandmothers who imbued their handwork with a sense of Neapolitan Baroque. “Given my creative heritage,“ she says, “it’s not surprising that I pursued a creative path.” 

Register Here.